Shudder Secrets: Dancing Village: The Curse Begins

Recently, Shudder has been adding more international films to their exclusive and original content. This includes the stellar Korean film Exhuma and now, the Indonesian feature Dancing Village: The Curse Begins. The film is a prequel to 2022’s KKN di Desa Penari, though Dancing Village: The Curse Begins can be viewed on its own. It’s a solid, self-contained story.

Directed by Kimo Stamboel, the two-hour film has a little bit of everything. It’s a hero’s journey with dashes of humor and a supernatural creep fest as well. It all centers around a quest to return a mystical bracelet to a remote village but doing so may have dire consequences.

The Hero’s Journey within Dancing Village

While watching this feature, I couldn’t help but think of canonical hero’s journey texts and films like The Wizard of Oz and Lord of the Rings. I say that because in these timeless narrative arcs, we have a hero, typically an everyman/woman type of character, who sets out on a quest, joined by a group of unlikely friends. That’s the case with this feature. Here, our protagonist is Mila, played by the plucky Maudy Effrosina, who really makes a great lead. She’s joined by her cousin, Yuda (Jourdy Pranata), and his friends Jito (M. Iqbal Sulaiman), and Arya (Ardit Erwandha). No one in this group possesses any kind of supernatural powers. However, they certainly have grit and determination to return the bracelet and get on with their lives.

They have to return the piece of jewelry to the remote Java Island. It belonged to a powerful Goddess named Badarawuhi (Aulia Sarah), who serves as the film’s seductive, persuasive, yet terrifying villain.

If Mila is the Dorothy or Frodo-type figure here, thrust into a foreign land, made to deal with forces beyond her control, then Yuda, Jito, and Arya are Frodo’s hobbit friends or the Tinman, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow. They’re unlikely heroes joining her on this perilous journey. They’re not without a few jokes to balance the scares. Again, it’s a classic narrative arc, and it works really, really well in this case. This foursome are underdogs, worth rooting for.

During their quest, they encounter Badarawuhi in various forms, namely dozens of snakes. She wants her bracelet back, and Mila is her prime target. When the friends arrive in the village, they find the elder missing. For a majority of the film, they’re left to confront the evil forces alone.

Dancing Village’s Seductive Mythology

Along with the characterization and reliance on classical story arcs, what also works so well about this film is the mythology. Badarawuhi is quite the baddie, a queen who rules over souls of the dead. When the dead are seen, especially in the last act, they’re terrifying. They look like the ghouls from Night of the Living Dead, but much, much more present.

Yet, there’s a deeper, richer story involving the village and Badarawuhi. Every so many years, she requires a sacrifice. A group of young women are picked to join a ritual in which they dance and essentially access the land of the dead. Then, Badarawuhi picks one of them to join her for eternity. Both the ritual and village have a layered backstory that really enhance the mythology.

Additionally, though the runtime does drag somewhat, the cinematography is breathtaking. Whether its shots of rain falling upon canopies of trees, or the lush, green mountains, the cinematography enhances the feeling that this village is a character unto itself with a rather storied history.

Dancing Village’s Level of Scares

Though Dancing Village is a bit of a genre-bender, it has plenty of frightening moments that make the two-hour runtime worth it for horror fans. Badarawuhi has the ability to possess people. She causes them to rip off their flesh or contort their bodies in all sorts of painful ways. In one harrowing scene, Mila is plunged into a pool filled with snakes that made me feel all kind of icky.

The scares here are sprinkled throughout the runtime. But when they come, especially when Badarawuhi shows up, they’re really effective, especially some of the practical effects. This is not at all a film that relies on jump scares. Instead, it’s more interested in taking its time in building up the power of Badarawuhi and the immense struggles MIla and her friends endure in trying to defeat her.

Overall, Dancing Village: The Curse Begins is a solid addition to Shudder’s growing collection of international horror films. It relies on some familiar narrative arcs, like the hero’s journey, but there’s a reason those stories always resonate. It also has some stunning cinematography, well-placed frights, likeable heroes, and one potent villain, eager to pull the protagonist to the land of the dead forever.

The film streams on Shudder beginning August 16. Keep updated on the streaming service’s latest content by following my Shudder Secrets column.