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Trailer and poster revealed for Shudder’s Indonesian chiller “SMOTHERED”

Thursday, April 30, 2026 | News

By MICHAEL GINGOLD

The director of SATAN’S SLAVES and QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC is part of the creative team here.

Shudder premieres SMOTHERED (or sMOTHERed) May 29. Directed by Kevin Rahardjo and Rafki Hidayat from a script by SLAVES and QUEEN’s Joko Anwar (also one of the producers), Aline Djayasukmana and Hidayat, it stars Rio Dewanto, Faradina Mufti, Vonny Anggraini, Jordan Omar, Sulthan Hamonangan, Gambit Saifullah, Nova Eliza and Tony Merle. The synopsis: “After surviving a terrible accident, renowned micro painter Alif [Dewanto] returns home with fractured memories. When an elderly woman appears claiming to be his mother, Alif embarks on a search for the truth uncovering a haunting legacy inspired by the legend of Malin Kundang.”

Michael Gingold
Michael Gingold (RUE MORGUE's Head Writer) has been covering the world of horror cinema for over three decades, and in addition to his work for RUE MORGUE, he has been a longtime writer and editor for FANGORIA magazine and its website. He has also written for BIRTH.MOVIES.DEATH, SCREAM, IndieWire.com, TIME OUT, DELIRIUM, MOVIEMAKER and others. He is the author of the AD NAUSEAM books (1984 Publishing) and THE FRIGHTFEST GUIDE TO MONSTER MOVIES (FAB Press), and he has contributed documentaries, featurettes and liner notes to numerous Blu-rays, including the award-winning feature-length doc TWISTED TALE: THE UNMAKING OF "SPOOKIES" (Vinegar Syndrome).