Lingsir Wengi: Motel Malioboro takes the setting of a motel in the heart of Yogyakarta and turns it into a trap – a group of travellers arrives at the Malioboro Motel, expecting somewhere to spend the night, only to find themselves caught in a string of increasingly disturbing supernatural events. – the film is currently scheduled to reach Indonesian cinemas in October, but no official date has been set as of writing.
Watch the Teaser Trailer
Adhe Dharmastriya Returns to Horror
Lingsir Wengi: Motel Malioboro is directed by Adhe Dharmastriya, whose recent filmography makes the horror connection more significant than it might initially appear – Dharmastriya previously directed Iblis dalam Kandungan (Devil in the Womb) in 2022 and Bangsal Isolasi (Isolation Ward) in 2024, before directing The Deceased in 2025, and he also directed the 2025 horror-thriller Riba.
Dharmastriya seems to have been moving between genres, but supernatural and darker thriller material have already been part of his recent work – Bangsal Isolasi, for example, put its horror inside a women’s prison, with mysterious deaths and an investigation into what was happening inside the isolation ward, where the film was also screened at the 2024 ASEAN Film Festival.
Ochi Rosdiana, Jeff Smith and the Rest of the Cast
The main cast includes Ochi Rosdiana, Jeff Smith, Yessica Tamara, Alif Rivelino, Chelcy Clarissa and Vinessa Inez, with additional cast listings including Zahra Macapagal Munik, Fajar Gomez, Shafa Afisah, Elmalita, Emmie Lemu, Wina Marino and Annisa Fatma Daulay – Ochi Rosdiana, who also works as a singer, has previously appeared in productions including Kuyank and Ketua BEM and His Secret Wife.
Jeff Smith brings considerably more horror experience to the project, because his film credits include Alas Pati: Dead Forest, Offering, Incarnation of the Devil 2 and Bad Boy in Love, alongside his television work.
The Real Story Behind “Lingsir Wengi”
Here’s where the film’s title gets considerably more complicated.
The song commonly referred to as Lingsir Wengi has been associated with Sunan Kalijaga and Javanese musical traditions, although there is scholarly debate over the precise history and attribution of the versions now circulating – sources discussing the tradition describe Lingsir Wengi in connection with tembang macapat, while also noting that the horror version popularised through cinema should not simply be treated as the same thing as the older traditional material.
It’s also worth remembering that the widespread belief that the traditional song is simply a “ghost-summoning song” is contested, as RRI notes that the song’s traditional meaning is connected with the late night and spiritual reflection rather than being straightforwardly a supernatural invocation.
As mentioned, at the moment it has a October release date in Indonesia, with two places saying the 15th, but it is not confirmed yet.
Check out some more Indonesian horror movies.
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