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Deep in the forests of southern Java, a chilling scene is playing out late into the night.
A king possessed by a spirit, his face covered in bleeding sores comes charging out with a knife in hand, holding it to the neck of a man.
But as he thrusts forward with the blade, his hat falls off.
"Cut," says a voice emanating from a tinny speaker.
A collective sigh is let out by the cast and crew.
They'll have to shoot it again.
ABC's 7.30 travelled to the forests outside Indonesia's cultural hub of Yogyakarta to be on the set of Forbidden Camp, one of dozens of new horror films being produced this year in the country.
The mid-budget movie by big Indonesian studio Rapi films involves 200 cast and crew for a film largely shot in the forests at night.
Based on the story of real people who believe they became possessed during a camping trip in 2016, it's likely to find a receptive audience.
"Horror movies dominate the film industry in Indonesia," said Ginanti Rona, the director and a rising specialist in the horror genre.
Her previous titles include You Deserve to Die (Kalian Pantas Mati) and Charm Needles (Susuk).
"Growing up, we're very familiar with ghost stories and urban legends, so that's perhaps why Indonesians find horror movies so entertaining and compelling," she said.
According to one film analyst, 51 of 108 local films screened in cinemas last year were horror movies.
So far this year, three of the top four domestic box office hits feature horror storylines.
One film that has bucked the trend this year is Agak Laen, a comedy that surged to more than 9 million ticket sales, the second-highest of any Indonesian film in history.
But it didn't deviate too far from the theme – it's about a crew running a haunted house attraction.
"Horror movies have always been big in Indonesia, but back in the day most of them weren't good quality," said Derby Romero, an actor starring in Forbidden Camp, who has also directed films.
"Now because of the influence of foreign movies from Hollywood and Korea, people want to pay for a good quality horror production."
Some film writers say too much horror might be stunting the growth of quality dramas in Indonesian cinema.
But some non-horror productions are making waves overseas.
Women from Rote Island, a drama about female migrant workers, is up for awards at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France.
A comedy about a couple running a travelling carnival ride, Salma and Basri, was screened at the prestigious festival last year.
But studios keep gravitating towards horror to seek profits.
A recent opinion piece in the Jakarta Post lamented the lack of depth of meaning in some of the horror films that make it to the big screen.
But the view among those involved in making them is that the horror genre is the major force driving better standards across the industry.
"There are so many producers thinking they can do horror movies cheaply and still make revenue but I don't think that's the case now," said Joko Anwar, one of the country's biggest directors.
His horror film Grave Torture (Siksa Kubur) is among the top four box office films screening in cinemas so far this year.
"Horror movies bring audiences back to the cinema, and they open up opportunities for other genres as well," he said.
"For production companies, once they invest in horror movies and make money, it gives them the opportunity to take chances on filmmakers pursuing other genres."
Supernatural economy
The horror boom extends beyond the silver screen in Indonesia, with haunted houses pulling thrill seekers in cities across the archipelago.
"Indonesians are into superstitions, mysticism, and supernatural things, that's why they come here," said Slamet Hariyanto, the coordinator of Wahana Hantu Indonesia, a company running three haunted houses.
One of them, tucked in the corner of the fifth floor of a suburban shopping mall in East Jakarta, attracts a mixture of teenagers and older horror fans, who pay just two dollars each for the experience.
"Sometimes we'd visit a haunted house and the staff would say it's scary but it's not," said Siti Khoiriyah, a high school student visiting with her friends.
"But this one is really scary, the ghosts look real."
Outside the front, dozens of kids linger trying to sneak a peek inside the dark curtains, but the staff insist it's too frightening for them.
Teenagers and adults though are fair game.
"All we do here at the haunted house is scare them, but somehow they keep wanting to come back for more," said Hariyanto.
Room to grow
Indonesia's film industry is growing fast, but from a relatively low base.
Cinemas are still lacking outside bigger cities, and ticket prices can start at about $5, making it a less lucrative market for overseas studios despite the large population.
In 2023, 114 million tickets were sold, of which about half were for local films, according to local analyst Bicara Box Office.
It's still down on the 152 million sold in 2019, but the box office is steadily building back up and is set to surpass the pre-COVID record in the coming years.
And it will likely be horror driving that rebound.
"I believe the potential is huge because there are still so many unexplored stories," said Ginanti Rona.
"The majority of horror stories we do today come from Java, but there are so many more horror stories from various parts of Indonesia that can be explored, so it will continue to grow."
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