Ghost in the Cell Review | Fantastic Fest 2026
FANTASTIC FEST 2026 REVIEW
‘Ghost in the Cell’ Review: Joko Anwar Turns a Ruthless Prison Into a Playground for Supernatural Carnage
To say Ghost in the Cell was one of my most anticipated films heading into Fantastic Fest 2026 would be an understatement. Joko Anwar’s latest had been on our radar for months, including plenty of discussion on The Final Cut, so getting the opportunity to finally see it as one of our first midnight screenings of the festival came with some serious expectations.
For the most part, Anwar delivered exactly the kind of ride I was hoping for.
Ghost in the Cell begins with a reporter investigating a series of deadly occurrences connected to a local tribe. After bringing the story to his editor, the investigation takes a horrific turn when the editor is brutally killed and his body left in a grotesque display.
The reporter becomes the prime suspect and is sent to a notoriously dangerous prison, which turns out to be about the worst possible place to find yourself when something supernatural appears to have developed an appetite for human suffering.
Even before he makes it completely through the prison doors, Anwar begins introducing the ecosystem waiting inside.
Different gangs and factions maintain their own territories and alliances, with several central figures operating as unofficial leaders. They may not particularly like one another, but they have developed a system that allows them to coexist inside an institution where nearly everyone represents some kind of threat.
That includes the people running it.
The warden maintains an oppressive presence, while his subordinate may be even worse than many of the criminals locked behind the walls. It creates an environment already filled with stress, anger and violence before anything supernatural enters the equation.
Then the bodies start piling up.
Inmates begin dying in bizarre and extremely violent ways that resemble what happened to the reporter’s editor. Something is inside the prison with them, and surviving it may depend on understanding what attracts its attention.
That’s where Ghost in the Cell finds one of its most entertaining ideas.
The behavior of the prisoners becomes directly connected to their chances of survival. In a place practically engineered to generate aggression, fear and stress, everyone suddenly has another reason to pay attention to how they behave.
Whatever is hunting them appears to be paying attention too.
Anwar has already established himself as one of contemporary horror’s most distinctive filmmakers, so it isn’t particularly surprising that the supernatural sequences are among the strongest elements here. The deaths are carefully structured, visually creative and appropriately nasty.
There is a sense of anticipation surrounding the kills because the movie establishes enough of a framework for the audience to begin watching the characters’ behavior and wondering who might be next.
I actually would have taken even more violence and gore.
What surprised me most was how heavily Ghost in the Cell leans into comedy.
This is an extremely funny movie at times, occasionally to the point where the comedy becomes almost as dominant as the horror. That creates an interesting tonal balancing act. After some of the carnage Anwar unleashes, humor can provide a welcome release. But there are also stretches where the comedy becomes so broad that it reduces some of the darkness and tension the film has worked to establish.
That may be the biggest dividing line for audiences.
Anyone entering Ghost in the Cell expecting something closer to the relentlessly dark atmosphere associated with Anwar’s Satan’s Slaves films may be surprised by how open and playful this movie can become.
I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.
In fact, part of what I enjoyed about Ghost in the Cell was seeing Anwar operate within a slightly different tonal space. There is still plenty of darkness, death and supernatural horror, but the movie doesn’t feel obligated to maintain suffocating dread for its entire runtime.
Once the mythology surrounding the entity becomes clearer, the mystery itself isn’t necessarily the film’s strongest component. There aren’t many enormous guessing games here. The story becomes relatively straightforward once you understand what these characters are confronting.
But the rules surrounding the inmates’ behavior keep that mythology entertaining.
Instead of relying entirely on another familiar supernatural monster, Anwar creates situations where personality, stress and the social dynamics of the prison become part of the spectacle. That opens the door for creative death sequences while making the prison itself essential to how the horror functions.
The ensemble also benefits enormously from that structure. Throwing criminals, gang leaders, authority figures and one extremely unlucky reporter into the same confined environment gives the film a large collection of personalities to bounce against one another.
Sometimes literally.
There are moments when I wanted Ghost in the Cell to become meaner. A little more viciousness and a little less comedy could have pushed the film even further for me, particularly considering what Anwar is capable of when he fully embraces darkness.
But I also appreciate a filmmaker willing to shift away from expectations.
Horror doesn’t always need another variation of something we’ve already watched dozens of times. Sometimes the movies that develop lasting cult audiences are the ones willing to make strange tonal decisions, establish their own rules and commit to an idea even when that idea doesn’t fit neatly into what audiences expect.
Ghost in the Cell does exactly that.
It also walked away from Fantastic Fest with the festival’s Best Horror Film award, an impressive accomplishment considering the amount of genre talent represented in Austin this year.
For me, the film delivered much of what I wanted from one of my most anticipated Fantastic Fest screenings. The comedy occasionally overwhelms the horror, and I would have welcomed even more carnage, but Anwar’s creative death sequences, prison setting and willingness to play with his own established style make this another memorable addition to his filmography.
Sometimes surviving prison means keeping your head down.
In Ghost in the Cell, it might mean making sure whatever is watching doesn’t notice how you’re behaving.
4 out of 5
Reviewed as part of Horror Movies Uncut's Fantastic Fest 2026 coverage in Austin, Texas.
WATCH MORE HORROR ON BLOODSTREAM
Looking for your next horror watch? Explore Bloodstream, an HMU streaming partner, for independent horror, cult discoveries, and more.
Affiliate disclosure: Horror Movies Uncut may earn a commission when you subscribe through this link, at no additional cost to you.
Comments