Review: Blood Curse (2023) — A Haunting Blend of Historical Depth, Character Focus and Cinematic Disgust
Blood Curse (Indonesian: Teluh Darah) is an Indonesian horror miniseries that debuted on Disney+ Hotstar in February 2023. The series is directed and co-written by Kimo Stamboel, Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Stamboel previously gained recognition for titles such as DreadOut (2019), The Queen of Black Magic (2019), and Ivanna (2022), all of which are characterized by horror and thriller elements. Blood Curse continues Stamboel’s legacy in the horror genre, drawing its inspiration from Indonesian black magic.
Set against the backdrop of the 1998 East Java Ninja Scare, Blood Curse follows a family tormented by black magic. The series skillfully combines character-focused storytelling and a careful escalation of suspense, while the horror elements complement the characters’ emotional struggles. It is one of the most meticulously-directed Asian horror series I have seen over the last year.
Here are three reasons why.
1. Incorporating the Historical Backdrop: The 1998 East Java Ninja Scare
Blood Curse’s plot unfolds against the backdrop of the East Java Ninja Scare. Starting in Banyuwangi, the East Java Ninja Scare was an outbreak of mass hysteria in which the local population believed it was targeted by shamans practicing black magic. In response to the killings allegedly done by the shamans, a group of so-called ninjas killed a number of suspected shamans. The conflict escalated further as more Indonesians continued responding to the attacks, killing both shamans and ninjas. The killings ended by the end of 1998.
The sinister events of 1998 became the foundation of Blood Curse. Stamboel uses these events to set the stage for one of the series’ pivotal events and the antagonist’s origin story, all while maintaining sensitivity in their portrayal. This real-world context adds authenticity to the characters’ emotions, and the realism creates an emotional resonance with the audience, allowing them to tap into real-life traumas and the human experiences behind them.
For audiences unfamiliar with the events, too, the show can serve as an educational glimpse into a significant, and perhaps overlooked, moment in Indonesia’s history. This was definitely the case for me. The show allowed me to learn more about Indonesian history and sparked my curiosity about its culture.
2. Putting the Character at the Forefront: Horror as a Secondary Element
While most horror stories naturally foreground their horror aspects — often depicting horror for the sake of horror — Blood Curse foregrounds its characters and their journeys. With this in mind, Stamboel’s Blood Curse is similar to Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and other works that revolve around the characters’ complex relationships, psychologies, and histories. Horror, then, in both Stamboel’s and Flanagan’s poetics, becomes a secondary element that complements the characters’ arcs, rather than purely delivering shock value.
Focusing on the characters’ emotional arcs allows Stamboel to evoke the viewers’ empathy. By immersing the audience in the characters’ emotional experience, the horror elements gain more significance: they make the viewer and the character endure the horrors encountered in the show together.
3. The Visual Language of Disgust
While I argue that Blood Curse focuses on the characters’ journeys rather than the horror, Stamboel nevertheless delivers us the horror with masterful cinematography and a unique language of disgust. Theoretically, disgust is described as a sensation aroused from an unwanted closeness or when something that is supposed to be inside is suddenly outside. An example of the unwanted closeness is a centipede crawling on your cheek, while vomit exemplifies the swapping of the categories of inside and outside (the contents of your stomach should be inside of it, not outside).
On that note, Stamboel masterfully incorporates disgust into his poetics, presenting the viewer with hair-rising scenes. That centipede I just mentioned? Stamboel’s characters are no strangers to centipedes crawling on their cheeks, tongues, and eyeballs. To amplify the feeling of disgust in the viewers, Stamboel constantly teases them with shots focused on the characters eating food, staged immediately after viewers have just seen them clean a handful of maggots from their plates.
Blood Curse: A Triumph of Terror and Emotion
Blood Curse is more than just a conventional horror series: it draws its viewers into a world of terror filled with historical resonance, intricate character arcs, and cinematic artistry. Stamboel’s direction allows the audience to experience the emotional weight of the story by grounding the series in real-life events like the 1998 East Java Ninja Scare. Stamboel prioritizes the characters’ personal struggles over mere shock value, which further allows him to evoke empathy and engagement.
The visual language, marked by moments of disgust, highlights Stamboel’s creative mastery and cements Blood Curse as a unique horror experience. The blend of historical context, character-driven storytelling, and unsettling imagery elevates the series into a standout work that reflects both the horror and humanity of its narrative.
