KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Nearly a decade after Munafik became a Malaysian horror hit, its story has crossed the border with Munafik: Melawan Iblis, an Indonesian remake that follows the original closely at first before taking a different path towards its conclusion.
Directed by Guntur Soeharjanto, the film retains the religious horror foundation of Syamsul Yusof’s 2016 original, including its themes of faith, possession and spiritual conflict.
The similarities are particularly noticeable in the earlier part of the film, as seen at the gala premiere attended by Malay Mail at TGV Suria KLCC, but the Indonesian production gradually establishes its own identity as the story progresses.
The biggest departure comes in the third act, when the remake moves away from the Malaysian film and takes its characters towards a different conclusion.
