Temurun

Despite the fact of never having heard about this 2024 Indonesian horror movie titled "Temurun", of course I opted to watch it, as I had the chance to do so here in 2025. I am a big horror fan and also a big fan of Asian cinema, so this was two nice things combined into one.

Or so I thought. But the narrative in "Temurun" was insanely boring and devoid of interesting contents, much less anything scary. So writer Vontian Suwandi dropped the ball phenomenally here, and I was not the least bit entertained throughout the of course of the prolonged 86 minutes that the movie ran for.

The only familiar face on the screen, for me, was actress Yasamin Jasem. The acting performances in the movie were actually fair, but the actors and actresses were fighting an already lost uphill battle against an inferior script and annoying and pointless characters.

There was nothing scary in the movie, well, unless you consider boredom to be scary. Then you're in for a treat.

The movie doesn't make use of any noteworthy special effects. I have to admit that I was laughing at one scene where a man was found hung. A body doesn't strut like that in the position that man was as he was supposed to have been hung. It was just laughably bad and cringeworthy to look at.

If you enjoy Indonesian horror movies, then there are far, far better movies out there, and I wouldn't recommend you waste 86 minutes on watching "Temurun".

My rating of director Inarah Syarafina's 2024 movie "Temurun" lands on a generous two out of ten stars. Not a particularly great or memorable directorial debut here.

Temurun starts with exposition on Dewi and Sena, brother and sister. Dewi for the most part takes care of her mother, who is mentally ill. Or at least that is what it seems like. For Dewi this doesn't matter much as she loves her mother very much. Sena, is resentful towards his mother and indirectly to his sister.

Disaster strikes when two robbers come to their home and want the money back they are owed. The dire consequence is that the mother gets killed. You would think that Sena would be more compassionate. Then again, Sena seems to be in this everlasting state of mind where he still resents his sister. After the tragedy, the father shows up and wants to take them in. Sena is welcoming him with open arms but now Dewi is hesitant. And she does have a point. Why didn't he reach out before? As it turns out that the new household consisting of the father, loyal workers and their grandma (the boss) is not quite what it seems.

It's very apparent what's going on. The mystery is not that complicated. But even if you were fooled, the film tells you from time to time what you need to know. I think this is where misdirection could have helped improve this film. Since this was the first proper film Inarah Syarafina has directed, I don't think you can fault her for not building up the intrigue even more. The little we have is compelling enough. I do appreciate that the few bits of creepy scenes are effective. They aren't overdone and might be the saving grace of the film. Plus, the actors do a good job of being humans with complex emotions.

Overall, Temurun is a morality tale that plays out as it should. It's enjoyable while it lasts.*

* I revised my original review a bit to avoid mild spoilers. You can read the uncensored review on my website. Here you can also read other reviews of Indonesian horror films.

Sena and Dewi are trying their best to earn money and look after their mother. Sena is careless and does odd jobs while having an affair with a minister's wife. Dewi works as an internet technician. A fateful night, their house gets attacked by two masked men asking for Sena and they turn violent towards the women, killing the mother. Dewi is shocked and unable to get over the loss of her mother whereas Sena is still arrogant. Their estranged father comes to take them back home and they realize, they belong to a rich family run by the matriarch, their grandmother. As per family tradition, Dewi has to take over the family business. As the siblings try to settle in, Dewi is haunted by her mother and things are not what they seem in the family. What is the actual truth behind getting them back to the house and why should Dewi inherit the family business, forms rest of the story.

I am all in for straight forward stories that keep everything for the final act to be revealed and the predictable screenplay earnestly inserting enough jump scares to sail through the runtime. It is the same with Temurun and the debut director, doesn't waste time in introducing the key characters. The problem lies in the fact that the film heads towards the inevitable ending which one can see through in the beginning itself and yet there is nothing provided to root for the characters to survive the incoming wrath. The film eventually disappoints because of that though it has the usual jump scares. The performances are not bad yet they don't get an engaging script to make it work. I would have enjoyed better if the inevitable ending did give some chance for Sena or Dewi to fight back.