Dukun Santet Banyuwangi: 1998

as Kyai Rofi’i walks a fine line. He could have been a one-note villain, but Akbar imbues him with genuine grief—his own son died of a mysterious wasting illness. The film suggests that even the persecutor is a victim of the same paranoid system.

Director: M.T. Risyaf Starring: Sujiwo Tejo, Ermina Zaenah, Rizal Akbar, Eka Nusa Pertiwi Genre: Horror / Thriller / Historical Fiction Release Year: 1998 (Indonesia) Duration: Approx. 90 minutes Introduction: A Chilling Snapshot of Mass Hysteria In the pantheon of Indonesian genre cinema, Dukun Santet Banyuwangi 1998 occupies a strange, unsettling space. Released in the same year that saw the fall of Suharto’s New Order regime, the film taps directly into one of the darkest chapters of late 20th-century Indonesian social history: the 1998 Banyuwangi witch-hunt (often called the "Banyuwangi Santet Massacres" or Peristiwa Santet Banyuwangi ). Over several months, dozens of people accused of being dukun santet (sorcerers using black magic to cause death by projection) were brutally murdered by mobs. dukun santet banyuwangi 1998

as Mbah Karsih is the film’s soul. With a face etched like old tree bark, she speaks in a whisper. Her scenes are the most haunting because she never denies her power. When Jatmiko asks, "Did you kill Pak Tarto?" she replies, "I only helped what was already in his liver." Is she confessing? Babbling? The film never clarifies, and that ambiguity is terrifying. as Kyai Rofi’i walks a fine line