Dukun Magang starts with a pretty relatable problem – Raka just wants to finish his university thesis, but after repeatedly having his work rejected, he ends up researching something he doesn’t even believe in – the world of Indonesian shamanism, but the problem is that his research takes him much further into that world than he ever intended.
When Your Thesis Goes Very Wrong
Raka (Jefan Nathanio) heads to Desa Kalimati to research traditional Indonesian shamans, where he comes into contact with Mbah Djambrong (Adi Sudirja), a legendary local dukun, and Sekar (Hana Saraswati), a student from the village who becomes involved in his increasingly strange situation, and things take a very different turn when a Kuntilanak Hitam that has been imprisoned for 12 years is accidentally released.
That gives the film its central setup, with Raka essentially having to become a trainee shaman while dealing with a supernatural threat that is already loose.
Trailer
Chiska Doppert and the Cast
Dukun Magang is directed by Chiska Doppert, with Adi Nugroho, Endik Koeswoyo and Mo Sidik credited as writers. Dens Vision Multimedia produced the film, with Sahrul Gibran and Jems Sumartumin serving as producers – it runs for around 100 minutes and was released in Indonesian cinemas on 18 June 2026.
The cast includes Jefan Nathanio as Raka, Hana Saraswati as Sekar and Adi Sudirja as Mbah Djambrong, alongside Fajar Nugra, Dodit Mulyanto, Mamang Osa, Mo Sidik, Salsabila Zahra, Wira Nagara and Yan Patroman.
One of the nicer production details is that Jefan Nathanio and Hana Saraswati were working together for the first time on the film, despite that, the two reportedly found it easy to build their chemistry, which is important because their characters spend much of the film dealing with the increasingly bizarre situation together.
There is also a very specific idea behind the film’s comedy, where Jefan Nathanio and Mamang Osa described it as “comedy horror”, with the movie deliberately aiming for roughly 80% comedy and 20% horror, and Mo Sidik was also involved as a comedy consultant, helping shape the comedic material, which makes the tone pretty clear – this isn’t trying to disguise itself as a serious supernatural horror film before suddenly throwing in a few jokes.
A Very Specific Kind of Horror Comedy
The 80/20 comedy-to-horror split is probably the most useful thing to know about Dukun Magang.. as the filmmakers clearly aren’t trying to make a grim supernatural movie with occasional comic relief – the comedy is a major part of what the film is doing.
And I think the thesis setup gives it a better excuse for that than a lot of horror comedies get – Raka has a genuinely believable reason for becoming involved with shamanism, but then the film takes that perfectly ordinary academic problem and pushes it into completely ridiculous territory. H
The involvement of Mo Sidik as a comedy consultant also makes sense when you look at the intended balance, while the casting brings together actors and comedians who are clearly comfortable with the lighter side of the material.
It’s a strange premise, but at least it is a premise that knows exactly how strange it is.
Check out some more Indonesian horror movies.
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