From Sacred Hero to Anti-Hero: The Deconstruction of Ustadz in Contemporary Indonesian Horror Cinema

Abstract

This study examines the paradigm shift in the representation of the ustadz across five contemporary Indonesian horror films, tracing the figure’s deconstruction from a sacred hero into a complex anti-hero. It argues this transformation is a key site of cultural negotiation in post-authoritarian Indonesia, where the anti-hero ustadz functions as a symptomatic figure embodying societal tensions between faith, media, and modernity. Using Julie D’Acci’s “circuit of media” framework, the article analyzes the interconnected forces shaping this representation. The methodology combines an analysis of production dynamics, the socio-historical context of public skepticism toward religious authority, formal cinematic analysis of the films, and a multi-method audience reception study. The study finds this shift is a calculated production strategy driven by commercial logic and global aspirations. Textual analysis demonstrates how cinematic techniques construct the ustadz as either tragically vulnerable or corrupt. A reception study, using sentiment analysis and concordance lines, shows that audiences engage critically with these figures, primarily through moral judgment, participating in a mediated critique of institutional power. Ultimately, this study positions Indonesian horror not as mere entertainment but as a crucial cultural barometer where the meaning of religious authority is actively and publicly renegotiated.