The Indonesian Horror Mystery Uses Sound, Paranoia, and Distrust to Create a Different Kind of Terror

JAKARTA — What if the scariest thing in the forest isn’t a ghost, a monster, or anything you can actually see—but a voice that slowly turns you against the people closest to you?

That’s the unsettling premise behind Hasut, a new Indonesian horror mystery from Tuta Films and the directorial debut of Ilya Sigma.

Rather than relying on a visible supernatural creature, Hasut builds its terror through a mysterious voice transmitted through a handy-talkie (HT). As the voice becomes increasingly manipulative, four close friends begin questioning one another—and eventually, themselves.

The film stars Karina Salim, Rachel Amanda, Marthino Lio, and Kevin Ardilova as four friends who enter a forest while carrying their own unresolved wounds and traumas from the past.

Everything changes when their handy-talkies appear to be hijacked by an unknown voice.

At first, the voice may seem harmless. But as it continues to speak, it begins planting doubt and suspicion in their minds, slowly destroying the trust between the four friends.“Hasut is about suspicion and trust. With sound becoming the film’s main strength, Hasut becomes a horror story about doubting yourself and the people closest to you,” said Ilya Sigma in an official statement.

When You Can’t Trust Your Own Mind

For producer Siera Tamihardja, Hasut is designed to make audiences question things they normally take for granted.

The journey of the four characters continually pushes them into situations where the line between trust and suspicion becomes increasingly difficult to see.“After watching Hasut, audiences will question the things they thought they already believed. Just like the journey of these four friends in the film, who can actually be trusted?” Siera said.

That question becomes the heart of the film as the mysterious voice continues to manipulate the characters.

Instead of asking audiences to look for a creature hiding in the darkness, Hasut challenges them to listen carefully—and question whether what they hear can actually be trusted.

Four Characters, One Forest, and Psychological Terror

For Rachel Amanda, filming Hasut presented a unique challenge.

The entire production took place in a forest, while the story primarily revolves around the four main characters. With no large ensemble to rely on, the actors had to build the tension through their interactions and psychological performances.“Watching Hasut will take us through feelings of tension, psychological terror, and reflection on the people closest to us. Being surrounded by the forest and nature also allows sides of ourselves to emerge that we may have been hiding all this time,” Rachel said.

The isolated setting becomes an important part of the experience, stripping the characters away from the outside world and forcing them to confront both their surroundings and their own emotional baggage.

Meanwhile, Karina Salim highlighted the relationship between her character and Rere, played by Rachel Amanda.

The two are portrayed as sisters carrying unresolved trauma from their past. Their time in the forest gives them an opportunity to confront and talk about wounds that have remained unspoken.

But with the mysterious voice constantly interfering, opening up to each other may prove more difficult than expected.

A Horror Story Built on Sound

Directed and written by Ilya Sigma and Priesnanda Dwisatria, Hasut takes a different approach to Indonesian horror by making sound the center of its terror.

The film is produced by Putrama Tuta and Siera Tamihardja, with Nick Musa and Randi Wibawa serving as co-producers.

Rather than showing audiences exactly what they should be afraid of, Hasut leaves room for imagination—and turns uncertainty itself into a source of fear.

Because sometimes, the most dangerous voice isn’t the one coming from the darkness.

It’s the one that makes you stop trusting everyone around you.

Hasut opens in Indonesian cinemas on October 8, 2026.