Indonesian filmmaker Adriyanto Dewo has a new psychological horror project selected for the JAFF Future Project with “Evil Underground,” about estranged sisters trapped in a mall basement.
The Indonesia production, directed by Dewo and produced by Perlita Desiani and Tina Arwin through production company Relate Films, is among 10 Asia-Pacific titles selected for the JAFF Future Project at this year’s JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
“Evil Underground” follows a group of teenagers who gather for a midnight horror screening at an old, decaying trade center. Among them are sisters Dian and Mirna, still estranged after their father’s death sent Dian into a mental-health retreat. After the film, a friend dares them to try a viral ritual in the mall’s lowest basement: five circles at midnight, headlights off, a simple mantra.
Nothing happens until the final loop ends with a violent jolt, and when they step out to check, Dian has vanished into the darkness. As they search for her, the basement warps into a looping, psychological trap where shadows whisper, corridors repeat and an entity mimics the dead, feeding on their buried guilt. To survive, the group must confront the secrets, tensions and betrayals they’ve long avoided, because the deeper the darkness grows, the more it hunts whatever they refuse to face.
For Dewo, the story comes from two personal experiences. “Years ago, my partner and I were briefly stuck in the basement level of a mall parking lot. She has claustrophobia, and I watched her fear escalate in a very real, visceral way,” the director says. “That moment made me realize how a familiar place can suddenly feel threatening and disorienting.”
The second inspiration came from something more emotional. “As we grow older, we start hearing more news about people around us passing, parents, relatives, friends,” Dewo says. “And recently, I saw two sisters close to me lose their father. They reacted to grief in very different ways. Not as extreme as in the film, of course, but the contrast was striking. It made me think deeply about how people process pain differently, even within the same family.”
These two elements — the unsettling feeling of being lost in an urban basement, and the emotional complexity of siblings dealing with grief — came together. “That mix of personal memory, real-life observation, and the desire to explore grief through genre storytelling is what inspired ‘Evil Underground,’” Dewo says.
The director wants to use horror as a lens to examine contemporary youth anxiety. “We’re living in a time where young people face more pressure, anxiety, and loss than ever, yet they often hide it behind humor, distraction, or social media,” he says. “‘Evil Underground’ uses horror as a way to explore that, on how unspoken pain can twist into jealousy, resentment, and destructive behavior when it’s never addressed.”
The producers added, “As producers, we were drawn to ‘Evil Underground’ because it frames urgent social issues within a compelling, elevated horror concept. The project reflects the emotional climate of today’s youth, silent pressures, fractured relationships, and the growing intensity of urban life but channels it through a genre approach that feels fresh and accessible.”
At JAFF Market, the filmmakers aim to build strategic partnerships that will help elevate the project from a strong local project into a film with global reach. “We would like to take this event as an opportunity to start a breakthrough of Indonesia’s new flavor of horror,” the producers say. “Where we want to emphasize social issues wrapped in a terrifying psychological thriller, a genre rarely explored and tested in fear of unreliability to the market.”
The team is looking to connect with potential co-producers, distributors and international sales agents who share their passion for genre films with social depth. “We also hope to gain early market feedback, explore festival positioning, and strengthen the visibility of the project within the Southeast Asian and international industry network,” they say. “JAFF Market is an important platform for us to introduce ‘Evil Underground’ to the right collaborators who can help maximize both its creative and commercial impact.”
Dewo’s debut feature “Tabula Rasa” won him the Citra Award for best director at the 2014 Indonesian Film Festival. He also directed “Homecoming,” which had its world premiere at the 2019 International Film Festival and Awards Macao, and won the Citra Award for original screenplay at the 2020 Indonesian Film Festival. He has also worked in horror, directing the segment “Ghost Market” in the 2012 horror anthology “Hi5teria.”
Dewo is also attached to write and direct a remake of 1988 Indonesian horror cult classic “Lukisan Berlumur Darah” for Mandela Pictures and Relate Films, with production scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026.
The project is currently in development. JAFF Future Project functions as both a development platform and co-production hub, designed to advance independent works toward completion and distribution. The initiative runs Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta as part of the broader 20th-anniversary celebration of the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival.