Dir. Yusron Fuadi (2024)
A group of college kids find themselves stuck inside the first draft of a horror script.
The concept of meta horror is a common theme in film nowadays, and there are some excellent examples of the theme. As with any genre, once it has been explored to its fullest potential, it begins to become difficult to come up with anything new to say that hasn't already been done to death. Once your characters have been inside a horror movie, where else is there to go? Today's film, The Draft!, is Indonesia's answer to that questions, finding its characters stuck not just in a horror film, but inside the script itself.
Friends Iwan (Adhin Abdul Hakim), Wati (Anastasia Herzigova), Ani (Putri Anggie), Budi (Haydar Salishz), and Amir (Winner Wijawa) are taking a vacation to Ani's parents villa way off in the woods. Once there, they find themselves staying in a creepy house with an even creepier caretaker, Dadang (Ernanta Kusama). Every element of a horror movie is there: old radios, locked doors, a spooky cemetery just inside the grounds... In fact, the group begins to suspect that they're stuck inside a horror movie, as each of them fulfills a typical character trope as well. When their reality starts to bend, with different events changing and reversing themselves, they realize that they're not actually inside the film but instead within the script, which is currently being edited and re-written in real time.
The Draft! is a fun meta horror with some excellent creative elements, playing with tropes and plot twists in the way that the best meta films do. Knowing that the script can be rewritten at any time adds an element of surprise to the film in a fantastic way: one character may be dead one minute and alive the next, the scenery and surroundings will be densely wooded and then lead directly to a cliff, and sudden zombies threaten completely change direction at any moment. It's a refreshing idea for a film, though it does have its fair share of difficulties in getting everything across the way that it needs to.
The concept of being stuck inside a script is actually a really cool idea, but it's also incredibly difficult to work through. Because things are constantly changing, the film finds itself at times hard to understand. It struggles a bit from getting lost in its own convoluted narrative, though the actors handle the changes very well and do their best to make it make sense regardless. Most of the tropes in the film are Indonesian horror tropes, though this won't have much effect on audiences from other countries following along because they're very similar to their own and because the actual script does a pretty good job of laying it all out.
By and large, The Draft! is a decent flick with some surprising moments and a fresh idea. For an indie film, it's actually kinda amazing that they managed to pull off such a unique idea. It struggles at times with its pacing, and while there is an explanation for the actors at times having bad dialogue, it does feel a bit like the actual script and plotting needed a little bit of work. Nevertheless, it's a fun film, and it's one that horror fans who understand the genre will likely enjoy. If you get the chance to watch, let me know what you think.
Who this movie is for: Meta horror fans, Horror comedy appreciators, Punch-up artists
Bottom line: The Draft! is a quirky meta horror indie comedy with some surprisingly adept commentary on the genre, though at times it struggles to connect with its audience. It's decently funny, interestingly unique, and self-aware enough to poke fun at itself as it restrains from crossing into serious territory. If you're a fan of indie horror in general or meta horror specifically, give this one a look.
