The Devil Wears Baju Kurung
When Dukun finally hit Malaysian theaters in 2018—twelve years after it was filmed—it wasn’t so much a movie release as it was a resurrection. Shot in 2006, locked away due to “sensitivity” (translation: based a little too closely on a real-life politician’s ritualistic murder), it became the cinematic equivalent of a cursed object: whispered about, forbidden to touch, and rumored to make anyone who leaked it vanish into bureaucratic limbo.
Then, like a body part surfacing in a river, it suddenly reappeared. And thank the dark spirits it did, because Dukun is one of the most fascinating, stylish, and unexpectedly funny horror thrillers ever conjured from Malaysia’s film industry—a devilish blend of courtroom drama, supernatural noir, and social commentary wrapped in a black shawl of moral panic.
It’s as if The Exorcist, Law & Order, and The Witch got together and said, “Let’s do karaoke at a satanic ritual.”
Plot: Murder, Magic, and Motherhood (with a Side of Courtroom Drama)
Our protagonist—or perhaps our patsy—is Karim Osman (Faizal Hussein), a weary public defender and single father. Karim looks like the kind of man who hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep since the last political scandal. His wife vanished years ago, his teenage daughter Nadia has run away, and his faith in humanity is hanging by a thread—and that thread is fraying fast.
Enter Diana Dahlan (Umie Aida, serving supernatural realness), a glamorous shaman on trial for murdering a high-profile businessman during a ritual. Karim reluctantly takes her case, and immediately regrets it, because Diana isn’t your typical client. She’s poised, confident, disturbingly charismatic, and somehow knows everything about Karim’s personal life. You know, standard “witch doctor who might eat souls for breakfast” stuff.
As Karim digs deeper, he discovers that Diana’s case isn’t just about one rich man’s death—it’s tied to a web of missing elites, mummified corpses, and a black magic network so vast it could probably win a few parliamentary seats. Oh, and his missing wife and runaway daughter may have something to do with it. Because in this movie, even your midlife crisis is haunted.
The Star of the Show: Umie Aida as the Devil’s Barrister
Let’s just get this out of the way: Umie Aida absolutely slays. And not metaphorically—people die around her at a suspiciously high rate.
Her portrayal of Diana Dahlan is hypnotic. She walks into every scene like she’s about to sell you a luxury handbag andyour eternal damnation. Elegant, mysterious, and dripping with menace, she’s less a villain and more a force of nature—a woman weaponizing femininity and fear in equal measure.
When she speaks, the courtroom goes silent, the lights dim, and you half-expect the ceiling fans to start chanting in Latin. She’s part witch, part diva, part PR nightmare for the Ministry of Religion.
It’s no wonder this performance caused controversy. Aida plays Diana with such seductive authority that you almost want to root for her—until you remember she’s chopping people into eighteen pieces to “test their invincibility.”
Still, she’s so good you start thinking, maybe a little black magic wouldn’t hurt my career either.
Faizal Hussein: The Lawyer Who Should’ve Called in Sick
Opposite her is Faizal Hussein’s Karim, a man whose moral compass is spinning faster than the ceiling fan in Diana’s cell. As a defense attorney, he’s supposed to protect his client’s rights. As a father, he’s supposed to protect his daughter. As a human being, he’s supposed to run screaming the minute a witch starts reciting his family secrets.
Instead, he keeps showing up to court like a man in deep denial of his own horror movie. Hussein plays him with weary intensity—a man watching his faith, his logic, and possibly his sanity slip away.
His relationship with Diana becomes a perverse cat-and-mouse game, except the mouse is on retainer and the cat knows ancient Sumatran incantations. By the time he realizes Diana’s powers are real, it’s too late: the Devil’s already drafting the retainer agreement in blood.
The Courtroom from Hell (Literally)
While Dukun could have been a straightforward horror story, it cleverly frames much of its narrative around a trial—turning the courtroom into a stage where faith, power, and reason do battle under fluorescent lights.
There’s something deliciously absurd about watching legal professionals debate supernatural murder like it’s just another Tuesday on the docket. “Your honor, my client did not intend to dismember the victim; she merely miscalculated his invincibility test” might be the most metal defense ever delivered.
The courtroom scenes are shot with documentary-style grit, contrasting sharply with the feverish, shadow-drenched flashbacks of Diana’s rituals. It’s this juxtaposition—the rational versus the irrational, the sacred versus the profane—that gives Dukun its eerie edge.
The film isn’t just about witchcraft—it’s about belief systems colliding, about how easily logic crumbles when confronted with charisma, fear, and superstition.
Cinematography: When the Devil Has a Lighting Budget
Despite its modest budget and decade-long hibernation, Dukun looks phenomenal. Director Dain Said (originally known for Bunohan) gives the film a glossy, cinematic sheen, alternating between police procedural realism and nightmarish surrealism.
The visuals are drenched in crimson and gold, like the afterlife decorated by a Renaissance painter with a taste for blood rituals. Every frame feels humid, claustrophobic, and tainted with decay—like Kuala Lumpur itself is sweating under the weight of its secrets.
The ritual scenes are especially striking: smoke, chanting, blades glinting under firelight. It’s all gorgeously composed—equal parts sacred and sickening. Somewhere, Roger Deakins is probably clutching his rosary and whispering, “Nice work.”
A Legal Thriller Possessed by a Moral Crisis
Beneath the horror, Dukun is really a film about power—religious, political, and feminine. The real fear isn’t just the black magic, but the society that enables it. Wealthy men flock to Diana’s rituals because they want power, protection, and prestige. In the end, their greed makes them her willing victims.
Karim, meanwhile, becomes a symbol of Malaysia’s conflicted soul—a man torn between modern rationalism and ancient superstition, between justice and personal damnation.
Even the police officers investigating the case aren’t safe from temptation. “People worship not just facing Mecca, but in all directions now,” one cop laments—a line that perfectly captures the film’s cynical humor and its biting commentary on corruption.
Dukun may feature black magic, but its real spell is cast by human weakness.
The Ending: The Devil Has an Heir
By the time the noose tightens around Diana’s neck, we’ve already learned the truth: her influence isn’t dying—it’s evolving. Her spirit slips seamlessly into Karim’s daughter, Nadia, ensuring that evil never truly perishes; it just changes hosts.
It’s an ending that’s both chilling and darkly ironic. The lawyer who defended the witch loses his daughter to her legacy. Justice may have been served, but it tastes suspiciously like blood and irony.
Somewhere, Mona Fandey’s ghost is probably smiling, humming her old pop song, and lighting a cigarette.
Final Thoughts: A Masterpiece That Took Its Time
Dukun isn’t just a film—it’s a cinematic séance. Equal parts courtroom drama, social allegory, and occult nightmare, it’s a rare piece of horror that’s both intellectually engaging and wickedly entertaining.
It’s not perfect—some effects show their age, and the pacing occasionally drifts—but when a film spends twelve years locked in the vaults of Hell, a few scratches only add character.
Umie Aida’s powerhouse performance, combined with the film’s lush visuals and bold commentary, make Dukun a triumph of delayed gratification. It’s proof that you can’t keep good evil down forever.
Final Rating: ★★★★☆
(Four out of five sacred daggers — one for Umie Aida’s haunting performance, one for the fearless direction, one for the lush, infernal cinematography, and one for the sheer audacity of releasing a movie the government tried to bury alive.)
