Joko Anwar brings nightmares to life in Halfworlds

Detective Gusti (Bront Palarae) is not feeling so lucky in Halfworlds. Photos: HBO

As a young boy growing up in Medan, Indonesia, Joko Anwar recalled a movie theatre where he spent most of his time watching horror movies.

“I had nothing much to do as a child. There was a run-down cinema that showed a lot of semi-porn and horror movies. Of course, I chose to watch horror. They usually play local movies with Indonesian mythological creatures like the kuntilanak (bloodsucking female ghost), genderuwo (a hairy beast that impregnates women) and so on,” he said during a recent phone interview.