Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion - The Sequel to One of the Scariest Horror Movie I had Seen

With all the hype going around this movie, I knew it was going to be filled with people who wanted to see it on the day of its release. Especially since the major cinema chains were having advance ticket sales. My wife who is not a fan of horror movie and did not even see the original was kind enough to offer to accompany me. But as I do not want to put her in the misery, I decided to see this yesterday by myself in a studio very near our house. OK, let's get right to it.

Brief Story Line

Three years after the events of Pengabdi Setan, Rini (Tara Basro - Perempuan Tanah Jahanam, Ini Kisah Tiga Dara etc) with her younger brothers Toni (Endy Arfian - Ghost Writer, Malik & Elsa etc) & Bondi (Nasar Anuz - Cinta Anak Sholeh TV series etc) and their father Bahri (Bront Palarae - Gundala, Zombitopia etc) were now living in a flats. The idea was to have safety in numbers should there be any danger as more people were living in the same flats.

While Rini was considering moving out of town to continue her education, Bondi was already making friends with two other kids and Toni was attracted to a new girl who just moved to the flats named Tari (Ratu Felisha - Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus dibayar Tuntas, Kain Kafan Perawan etc). Unfortunately for the Suwonos, trouble always seemed to follow them around. After a terrifying incident that happened in the flats, the people there started to be terrorized by supernatural beings.

So what would happen to all of them? You can find them out in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

Since I liked the first movie a lot, obviously I had high hopes for this sequel and watching it with genuine anticipation (even if I was worried it might be too scary). However, as I watched the movie, it seemed to build up its momentum gradually and did not have a really fast pace. In the first half, the focus was more on showing the life of Suwono's family at the flats and introduction of the new characters also living in the same place. Aside from one jump scare scene and because of the rather humorous approach, the eerie/creepy feeling that terrified me in the original movie was not truly felt here.

Not until we were way past half of the movie that the film began to gain its momentum. Slowly but surely it became more exciting. One funny thing though that rather than feeling scared or horrified, I actually felt the movie was more intense and suspenseful. The frightening scenes were not as many as the original and this sequel felt more like a mystery horror instead of supernatural horror. I also felt that this one seemed to serve as preparation for another sequel to make it a trilogy, especially with such ending.

What I admired about Joko Anwar's work was his attention to details. He made sure that the 80s setting was truly felt with the sets, electronic equipment, costumes and so on. Even the TV news seemed to be taken from that time, and the songs heard in the background which were played every day in the only government's TV channel during the period. And it was truly intelligent of him (Joko Anwar was also the writer) to somehow connect the story with the actual condition back then.

Just like in the first movie, the actors and actresses were amazing in here. I still like the performances of all the cast including the original and the new ones. In addition to the names I mentioned above, I was fond of Bondi's new friends Darto (Moh. Iqbal Sulaiman - Stip & Pensil etc) and Ari (Fatih Unru - Persahabatan Bagai Kepompong etc) who provided some light moments, plus another familiar child star Muzakki Ramdhan (Ben & Jody, The Returning etc) as Wisnu. There were also the appearances of Jourdy Pranata (Kukira Kau Rumah etc) as the flats bully Dino, Kiki Narendra (Ghost Writer 2 etc) as Uztaz Mahmud and Egi Fedly (Preman etc) reprising his role as the journalist Budiman.

Overall this movie was entertaining and obviously having high production value (I am sure it has way more budget than the previous one). The story was more complex with larger cast and the cult was more explored. This could be a good thing to ensure people are invested enough to watch the subsequent sequel (which I am confident would definitely be made). But personally to me, this sequel was not as scary as the original. Even the last half hour climax did not feel optimized (perhaps because the formula was a bit repetitive and I could already guess when the scary part would appear). I could also feel it by the reaction from audience around me where in the first movie, majority were so intense, covering their eyes, screaming out loud and so on, but there was not so much in here. 

Btw, the film has a duration of 119 minutes including closing credits. It did not have any mid or post end credit scenes. Do not forget that it is classified for 13+. Surprisingly there were still families who brought their very young children to see this at the theater. Anyway, if you really enjoyed the original like I did, this sequel is important to understand more on the cult and what happened to Suwono's family once again. But if I have to be honest, I was more horrified seeing the first film compared to this one.

Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars