‘From the Danur universe’
Ivanna is a 2022 Indonesian horror film about a vengeful Dutch woman’s spirit with a penchant for decapitating her victims. The movie is a spin-off from Danur 2: Maddah (2018).
Directed by Kimo Stamboel (Blood Curse series; Sewu Dino; Jailangkung: Sandekala; The Queen of Black Magic; DreadOut; Macabre; Takut: Faces of Fear) from a screenplay written by Lele Laila (Badarawuhi di Desa Penari; Siska Neraka; Sijjin; Ivanna; Asih 2; KKN Di Desa Penari; Danur 3: Sunyaruri; Asih; Danur 2: Maddah; Danur: I Can See Ghosts) based on a novel by Risa Saraswati. Produced by Manoj Punjabi. Executive produced by Shania Punjabi.
The MD Pictures-Pichouse Films production stars Caitlin Halderman, Taskya Namya, Jovarel Callum, Junior Roberts, Shandy William, Sonia Alyssa, Yayu A.W. Unru, Rina Hassim, Yatie Surachman, Tanta Ginting, Muhammad Khan, Hiroaki Kato and Kenes Andari.
Plot:
Ambar (Caitlin Halderman), a beautiful young woman who has limited vision, and her family and friends are terrorised when they celebrate Lebaran at an old house in the Bandung area. Ambar has visions of the previous owner, a Dutch woman named Ivanna who was murdered during the Japanese invasion of Indonesia in 1943. Now, Ivanna’s spirit has returned to the house seeking revenge.
Reviews:
” …had the potential to make Ivanna the best part of Danur‘s narration universe – which, of course, has had a fairly low standard of story quality from the start. However, the storytelling is bad – and it continues to get worse as the duration of the film goes on – making this potential just disappear. Bad… but it’s another film from the Danur universe.” 2 out of 5, Amir at the Movies [translated from Indonesian]
“The film is willing to take time to introduce characters and discuss the backstory. If only the script was given a similar depth, if the scenario explored more of the characters rather than thinking about jumpscares and the next murder, surely this film could be a brilliant slasher horror – a combination of murder and the supernatural. But looking at it objectively now, this film is style over substance, with some styles not even appearing as free as they could be.” My Dirt Sheet [translated from Indonesian]
“There will be viewers who like it because they get complete entertainment (supernatural horror, simple slashers, then there’s a bit of comedy too), there will also be those who are annoyed when the police’s actions actually spoil the tension. Whether you like it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Ivanna is the Danur film with the richest script to date. An important achievement because Ivanna no longer ends up as a “so what jump scare”…” 6 out of 10, Notes on Hobbies [translated from Indonesian]
“The script is not strong but effective in forming a sequence of problems which Kimo Stamboel then arranges well into visual form, to catch the audience’s attention from the start and bring them slowly sinking deeper into the gripping atmosphere resulting from qualified execution of various classic tricks of the horror genre. Feeling dense with a gripping suspenseful atmosphere that captivates, Ivanna manages to spread terror, pound hearts, and play on the paranoia of its audience.” 7.25 out of 10, Rorypnm [translated from Indonesian]
” …Ivanna’s first two rounds become boring because they felt monotonous. Fortunately, the final round, which is quite thrilling, can be the antidote. Of course, praise must be pinned on Kimo’s performance, which is able to execute scenes with high intensity well. Even though the film still suffers from various shortcomings, at least thanks to Ivanna‘s work, it can come to a level that is better and far more impressive than the previous line of Danur universe films.” Tales From Motion Sickness [translated from Indonesian]
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