The Invisible Half, The Hole, and Janur Ireng: Three New Asian Horror Films from EST N8

If you ask a horror fan what they think is the most interesting, entertaining, and frightening horror film from the past ten years, there’s a good chance that they’ll choose something by an Asian filmmaker. From Korean shockers like Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan (2016), Indonesian creep-shows like Joko Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves (2017), and Japanese chillers like Keishi Kondo’s New Religion (2022), we’ve seen a tremendous wealth of horror media released from the East. Since 2022, EST N8 – a partnership between California-based EST Studios and Bangkok’s N8 Films – have dedicated themselves to finding and distributing the best of Asian cinema from all genres. Their latest slate is comprised of three highly-anticipated horror titles, so we take a look to find out if any of them could be the latest international horror hit.

First up is The Invisible Half (2025), the debut feature of Japanese filmmaker Masaki Nishiyama, which treads familiar (but not unwelcome), J-horror ground with its tale of a technology-based curse. The spiritual follow-up to Nishiyama’s vertically-filmed smartphone horror short Smahorror (2021), the story follows Elena (Lisa Siera), a mixed-race teenager at a new school who, following the suicide of a similarly-ostracised fellow student, finds herself pursued by a violent supernatural entity that she can only see through her phone’s screen. It’s a very message-based story, and it’s cool to see Nishiyama’s film explore racial diversity and mixed-race identity in Japan, a topic that’s all-too-rare in Japanese cinema. There’s a fair amount of tension in the film’s horror aspect, with some effective It Follows (2014), style chase sequences that showcase the main antagonist – a rather creepy-looking bandaged mummy.

In spite of these high notes and the film’s important central theme, I found The Invisible Half to be rather underwhelming. Its creeping pace feels more sluggish than it does atmospheric, the monster lore is convoluted and frustratingly inconsistent, and characters regularly make bizarre and implausible decisions. Worst of all, the film’s exploration of “hāfu” (mixed race), identity is frequently sidelined in favour of more traditional and less uniquely interesting genre thrills and, although perhaps thematically fitting, we only see these two halves properly integrate towards the end of the picture. Nonetheless, the heart is in the right place, and for all my frustrations with the film, I hope The Invisible Half goes on to spark wider conversations about racial identity and race-based discrimination in Japanese society and worldwide.

THREE NEW ASIAN HORROR MOVIES – THE INVISIBLE HALF, THE HOLE AND JANUR IRENG – PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF EST N8, CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Indonesia has developed a booming horror film industry over the past decade, and from there we have the latest feature from veteran director Hanung Bramantyo – The Hole, 309 Days to the Bloodiest Tragedy (2026). Set in the 1960s during the lead-up to the “30 September Movement” and the after the mass killings of suspected communists that took place across Indonesia, the film follows an army officer Soegeng (Baskara Mahendra), who’s tasked with investigating a gruesome serial-murder in rural East Jakarta. His investigation leads him to discover dark and disturbing truths about the local village, ones that involve black magic, vengeful spirits, and a depraved conspiracy that implicates a number of highly respected local men.

Ostensibly a Se7en (1995) styled procedural thriller with a mystery that hinges on the bizarre and ritualistic methods of the killer, The Hole, 309 Days to the Bloodiest Tragedy jumps the gun with its supernatural elements by revealing the nature of the threat in the opening sequence. There are still shocking revelations to be found later on in the film, but the early reveal works to the detriment of the core mystery. It’s an oddly-structured, unevenly paced feature with some confounding editing choices, but I can’t help but admire its audacity and the places it goes once it sheds light on the deep, dark well of nastiness that lies at its heart. Whether intentional or not, the contents of that darkness feel very relevant and topical considering some of the more unpleasant stories to hit the global news headlines recently. At one point the film becomes a rather hard-hitting, compelling work of extreme horror with a powerful political edge, but most of this is undone by an ending that’s equal parts baffling and ideologically dubious which begs the question – in spite of the horrifying scenes, which side does the movie wants you to be on? It’s an intriguing piece, and I do wonder if there are aspects that make more sense and seem less jarring to Indonesian viewers, but nonetheless I can’t say that The Hole, 309 Days to the Bloodiest Tragedy left a great impression upon me.

The last of the three films, Janur Ireng: The Prequel to Sewu Dino (2025), also hails from Indonesia, and is directed by celebrated genre filmmaker Kimo Stamboel (Macabre). Based on the novel by popular Indonesian writer and Twitter user Simpleman (KKN: Curse of the Dancing Village), the story follows Sabdo (Marthino Lio), and Intan (Nyimas Ratu Rafa), who move in with their uncle Anjo Kuncoro (Tora Sudiro), after a fire destroys their home. Unfortunately for them, the seemingly benevolent Anjo has ulterior motives, hoping to involve them in the family’s history of witchcraft, blood sacrifice, and devil-worship – a legacy that has made them powerful enemies of rival magic-using families. Those who’ve seen Sewu Dino (2023), will have a rough idea of the trajectory the story takes, while Janur Ireng presents the tragic origin story of that film’s central villain and swaps Sewu Dino’s fairly straightforward narrative for something more transgressive, bloody, and most importantly, enjoyable.

Janur Ireng’s tale of hereditary horrors is a flawed one that’s very slow to start, features a loud and ever-present orchestral score that detracts from its scares and atmosphere (an issue that affects a lot of modern Indonesian horror pictures), and its worldbuilding suffers from being the prequel to a very slow and frustrating movie – the lore of its supernatural elements already being convoluted and full of holes. Yet when the film delivers, it does so with gusto, especially in the gore department as director Stamboel clearly isn’t afraid to get gnarly and bloody with it – something that Sewu Dino sorely lacked. The titular “black leaf magic” ritual is the highlight of the gruesome goodness, being a creatively grim climactic sequence that falls somewhere between Corman’s Masque of the Red Death (1964), and Rob Jabbaz’s The Sadness (2021), in its large-scale bloodshed and body horror. The demonic forces at play in Janur Ireng are also nicely realised, with both an intimidating goat-man demon (not to spoil anything, but anybody who is a fan of Michele Soavi’s The Church (1989) will be glad to know that Janur Ireng also isn’t afraid to go there), alongside the first film’s fun design for evil spirits. It might not be the greatest movie as it does leave a lot to be desired (perhaps by design, given that I expect there to be more Sewu Dino films in future), but it’s undoubtedly my favourite of the three new offerings from EST N8.

FOR MORE ON EST N8’S SLATE, INCLUDING THESE THREE TITLES – CLICK HERE

ROBYN’S ARCHIVE – The Invisible Half, The Hole, & Janur Ireng