From Malaysian horror hit to Indonesian remake: What’s different in ‘Munafik: Melawan Iblis’

Acha Septriasa portrays Fitri in the Indonesian remake of ‘Munafik: Melawan Iblis’. — Picture courtesy of Astro Shaw

By Ian Jeremiah Patrick

First Published: Friday, 02 Oct 2026 3:30 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Nearly a decade after Munafik became a Malaysian horror hit, its story has crossed the border with Munafik: Melawan Iblis, an Indonesian remake that follows the original closely at first before taking a different path towards its conclusion.

Directed by Guntur Soeharjanto, the film retains the religious horror foundation of Syamsul Yusof’s 2016 original, including its themes of faith, possession and spiritual conflict.

The similarities are particularly noticeable in the earlier part of the film, as seen at the gala premiere attended by Malay Mail at TGV Suria KLCC, but the Indonesian production gradually establishes its own identity as the story progresses.

The biggest departure comes in the third act, when the remake moves away from the Malaysian film and takes its characters towards a different conclusion.

The filmmakers have also introduced cultural elements intended to give the remake a stronger Indonesian identity, including a fictional Javanese mantra created specifically for the film and inspired by cultural elements from East Java.

The adaptation was initiated by producer Oswin Bonifanz, who first watched Munafik when it was released in Indonesia and later secured the remake rights from original producers Skop Productions Sdn Bhd after discussions that began in 2023.

“The journey was quite long, but we are grateful that we were eventually able to bring Munafik: Melawan Iblis, the Indonesian remake, to audiences,” he said during the press conference at TGV Suria KLCC.

The cast and team of ‘Munafik: Melawan Iblis’ at the film’s gala premiere on September 30. — Picture courtesy of Astro Shaw

Arya Saloka takes over the role of Ustaz Adam, played by Syamsul in the original, while Acha Septriasa plays Fitri, alongside Dimas Aditya, Faqih Alaydrus, Donny Damara, Widi Dwinanda, Annisa Hertami, Nova Eliza, Oce Permatasari and Elvira Devinamira.

For Saloka, the role required him to work on his Quranic recitation and deepen his understanding of the spiritual elements portrayed in the story.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to portray Ustaz Adam in Munafik: Melawan Iblis,” he said.

“Through this film, I was able to grow not only as an actor but also as an individual.”

Septriasa took on a physically demanding role, performing around 90 per cent of her own stunt work, including possession sequences and the film’s wall-crawling scenes.

She described the wall-crawling sequence as one of the toughest experiences of her career, while also saying the character’s emotional struggle with grief made Fitri particularly challenging to portray.

“In nearly two decades as an actress, it is rare to come across a character as challenging as Fitri,” she said.

“She is a woman grappling with grief while trying to find the strength to accept her fate.”

The remake appears to have found an audience in Indonesia, with the production saying it recorded close to 150,000 admissions on its opening day and topped the Indonesian box office.

It also had sold-out advance screenings nationwide ahead of its September 3 theatrical release.

The original Munafik, directed by and starring Syamsul, won awards at the 28th Malaysian Film Festival. It later received recognition at the 57th Asia Pacific Film Festival, where Syamsul won best director.

Munafik: Melawan Iblis is produced by Unlimited Production and Skop Productions, with support from Legacy Pictures, AZ Films and Komet Productions, and is currently screening in cinemas nationwide.