The Hole: 365 Days Before Tragedy is a 2026 Indonesian supernatural folk horror mystery film. The plot is set set in 1964, a year before the failed coup and oppression that began 30 September 1965.
On that date, a self-proclaimed movement (known as G30S) carried out a botched coup in Jakarta by kidnapping and murdering six top army generals. The group announced that they acted to protect founding President Sukarno from a supposed, right-wing “Council of Generals” planning a US-backed coup.
Major General Suharto, commander of the army’s strategic reserve, quickly rallied forces and crushed the disorganised movement within 48 hours. The army leadership blamed communists and launched a brutal purge, slaughtering between 500,000 and one million people and imprisoning a million more. President Sukarno was politically sidelined and forced to transfer key powers to Suharto. The latter formally became president in 1968, initiating his authoritarian “New Order” regime.
The interesting premise is that the supernatural horror and the political conspiracy are deliberately intertwined. Rather than simply retelling the history of 1965, the film uses a fictional horror story to explore how rumours, propaganda, fear and violence can interact.
The movie was directed by Hanung Bramantyo from a screenplay co-written with Haqi Achmad.
The Adhya Pictures-Dapur Film co-production stars Baskara Mahendra, Carissa Perusset, Khiva Iskak, Anya Zen and Mathias Muchus.
Plot:
In the village of Lobang Buaya in 1964, where a series of bizarre murders begins to terrorise the local population.
Several prominent villagers are murdered in a remarkably consistent fashion: their backs have been pierced or left with holes, while disturbing words such as “Tamak”, “Lamis” and “Maruk” are carved or written on their bodies. The murders occur around the 30th of each month, leading villagers to believe that something supernatural is responsible.
Rumours spread about a supernatural entity known as the Hantu Bolong (“the Hollow/Ghost with a Hole”), while political and social tensions begin to divide the community.
Into this situation comes Lieutenant Soegeng, played by Baskara Mahendra. He is assigned to investigate the murders and determine who—or what—is behind them. What initially appears to be a series of horrific killings gradually reveals a much more complicated web of secrets, propaganda, social divisions and manipulation of fear.
Meanwhile, Soegeng’s newly married wife Arum Wangi begins experiencing a different kind of terror. She is haunted by the ghost of a mysterious woman who repeatedly demands: “Return my body.”
The apparition also calls Arum “Ronggeng”, suggesting that her haunting has a connection to something buried in the village’s past. At first Soegeng believes his wife’s supernatural experiences and his murder investigation are unrelated. Eventually, however, evidence begins to suggest that both phenomena are parts of the same mystery.
As Soegeng investigates further, the murders, the Hantu Bolong legend, the ghostly woman and the village’s political tensions begin converging around a dark ritual and a deliberate attempt to exploit fear. The investigation consequently becomes much larger than a hunt for a murderer: the events appear to be setting the stage for a catastrophe that will eventually become associated with the 30 September 1965 tragedy.
Release:
The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in February 2026 and is scheduled for Indonesian cinema release on 1 October 2026.
Original title:
Lobang Buaya: 309 Hari Sebelum Tragedi Berdarah
Trailer:
THE DEVIL’S BRIDE Indonesian horror – review, trailers and clips
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