The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin’ Review — A Creepy Tale of Stepmothers, Black Magic, and Revenge
The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin’ Review explores an Indonesian horror tale of black magic, revenge, and a cursed stepfamily. Discover how chilling rituals and shocking twists make this supernatural thriller a must-watch for genre fans.
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If you’ve ever watched those classic “Cinderella but with horror” stories, you already know the setup — sweet girl gets mistreated by her stepfamily, and instead of a fairy godmother, she calls on some really dark forces to get revenge. Well, The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin is exactly that kind of ride — only bloodier, creepier, and very much rooted in Indonesian horror traditions.
Fantasia Fest
This movie comes from director Hadrah Daeng Ratu, who’s been teaming up with screenwriter Lele Laila quite a lot lately. Their latest collaboration even won the Best Director Award at this year’s Fantasia Fest. That’s a pretty big deal, although honestly, the film is more of a fun, well-made genre flick than something groundbreaking.
Still, if you’re into jump scares, black magic rituals, creepy corpses, and evil stepmothers getting what’s coming to them — this one’s for you.
Not Exactly a Sequel, But Still Familiar
So, let’s clear up one thing — The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin is being marketed as the official sequel to last year’s Sijjin (which itself was based on the 2014 Egyptian horror hit Siccîn). But this is not a direct continuation. You don’t need to have seen the first movie to follow along.
Instead, it’s its own standalone story, just using the same overall vibe — black magic, curses, demonic possession, and a lot of very bad things happening to very bad people.
The ingredients here are classic Indonesian horror:
- A suffering, innocent woman.
- A cruel family.
- A trip to a shaman.
- Lots of worms, blood, and disturbing visions.
Nothing revolutionary, but sometimes sticking to the formula can still make for an entertaining watch.
The Story — From Innocence to Vengeance
The movie starts in a quiet village with a pretty normal family… until tragedy strikes. Both parents die in what looks like some sort of supernatural possession incident. The truth behind their deaths? We only find that out much later.
Our main character, Yuli (played as a child by Firzana Alia), loses everything. Her father had remarried after leaving his first wife, so when he dies, Yuli has to move in with her stepmother Ambar (Nai Jeenar Maisa Ayu).
Now, Ambar is rich — but she’s also mean. She treats Yuli like a servant, constantly insulting her and calling her “illegitimate.” It’s basically Cinderella, but with more cruelty and no songs.
Fast forward twenty years — Ambar dies, and her equally nasty daughter Laras (Dinda Kanyadewi) takes over the household. While the rest of the family doesn’t openly hate Yuli, they’re all too scared of Laras to defend her.
Eventually, Yuli reaches her breaking point. And instead of just walking away or fighting back in a normal way, she decides to go full dark mode. She visits a local shaman to put a curse on the whole family. This isn’t your basic “light a candle and whisper a spell” type of curse — it involves digging up Ambar’s fresh corpse and desecrating it over several nights to make the magic work.
One by one, the curse starts taking down everyone:
- Ambar’s grandson (Sultan Hamonangan)
- The son-in-law (Tarra Budiman)
- Even the loyal family servant (Banon Gautama)
The only one trying to fight back is Tika (Kawai Labiba), Laras’s daughter. She’s a devout Muslim and gets guidance from the local mosque leader (David Chalik), but faith alone isn’t enough to protect her from what’s coming. And Laras herself? Let’s just say the curse hits her the hardest.
How the Horror Unfolds
Here’s the thing — the movie doesn’t give you much breathing room. It jumps from one creepy moment to another, never really slowing down to build deep character development.
Yuli goes from “quiet and innocent” to “full-on black magic avenger” a little too suddenly. We don’t see a gradual emotional shift — it’s more like a switch flips.
Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional. They’re either evil, scared, or there just to be victims. But credit where it’s due — the cast puts in strong performances, especially in the intense possession and attack scenes.
By the time Laras is fully possessed and basically mocking God in The Exorcist style, the film has moved into pure horror spectacle territory — scary makeup, over-the-top stunts, and CGI effects galore.
The religious themes are there, but they feel a bit surface-level — much like how Christian exorcism films often use faith more as a backdrop for the scares than as a deeply explored theme.
The Scares — More Gross Than Subtle
If you’re looking for subtle, psychological horror, this isn’t that. This is more about gross-out horror — worms crawling everywhere, rotting flesh, bloody visions.
That said, a few scenes do stand out as genuinely tense and scary:
- A nighttime shop scene where the family servant gets attacked.
- A sequence where Tika is chased around the house by her possessed mother.
The rest leans heavily on classic horror tricks — loud jump scares, creepy background noises, sudden silences followed by a shock.
“Why The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin’ Review Calls It a Must-Watch for Horror Fans”
Director Hadrah Daeng Ratu clearly knows how to stage a scare, even if the beats are familiar. She and writer Lele Laila have been churning out a lot of horror films lately, so it’s no surprise this one feels “by the book” at times. But thanks to good production values, it’s still more polished than a lot of average horror out there.
The cinematography by Hani Pradigya is gorgeous — wide shots that make even normal rooms feel unsettling. Editing by Wawan I. Wibowo keeps the pacing tight, so the movie never drags.
The music and sound design from Andre Harihandoyo and Rhadian Wirusseto do a solid job of building tension, even if the score sometimes goes a bit too heavy-handed with the “scary” music.
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Final Thoughts — Worth Watching for Horror Fans
So, here’s my The Book of Sijjin & Illiyyin’ Review in short: It’s not reinventing the wheel. You’ve seen this type of story before. But it’s well-made, entertaining, and delivers exactly what fans of Indonesian supernatural horror expect — creepy rituals, demonic possession, and poetic justice for cruel stepmothers.
It’s also a reminder of how popular this “evil family gets cursed” trope is right now. Seriously, between this and other recent Southeast Asian horror hits, it’s clear that in these stories, stepmothers need to watch their backs.
If you’re a fan of The Exorcist but want it with more worms, black magic, and Indonesian cultural touches, this movie’s worth your time. Just don’t expect anything deeply new — go in for the scares, the visuals, and the satisfaction of seeing villains get what they deserve.
✅ Verdict: Watch it if you love supernatural horror and don’t mind a little formula. Skip it if you’re looking for something completely fresh.
🎯 Best for: Horror fans, Indonesian cinema lovers, people who enjoy revenge-driven ghost stories.
