Indonesian horror is set to return to the international spotlight with Satan’s Slaves: Origin, the international title for Pengabdi Setan 3: Origin.
The third film in Joko Anwar’s acclaimed horror franchise has officially entered production and is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2027.
The film follows Pengabdi Setan (2017) and Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion (2022), continuing a story that has left audiences with questions about the mysterious cult, its origins and the forces behind the events of the first two films.
Rather than simply continuing the previous storyline, Satan’s Slaves: Origin will work as a standalone prequel, taking audiences back to the beginning of the mythology.
Joko Anwar returns as both writer and director. According to Anwar, the story was never intended to be completed in a single film.
“Since the first Satan’s Slaves, this story was never designed to end in one film. There are many things that were deliberately left untold and many questions left for the audience,” he said.
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Satan’s Slaves: Origin Explores the Origins of the Cult and Curse
The new film will expand the world established in the first two instalments, with the story exploring the origins of the cult and the demonic pact connected to the events of the franchise.
It is also expected to shed more light on mysterious figures including Darminah and Batara, whose stories have fuelled theories among fans since the earlier films.
The scale of Satan’s Slaves: Origin is also expected to be broader than its predecessors. The story begins in 16th-century Strasbourg, France, drawing inspiration from the historical mass hysteria recorded there in 1518.
It then moves to the southern coast of Java in the 17th century, where a haunted lighthouse becomes an important setting in the story.
Production is set to span two continents and seven languages, including Indonesian, Javanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Latin and Alsatian. The international scope reflects the film’s ambition to take an Indonesian horror story to a wider global audience.
Anwar described the project as the film that will finally address some of the franchise’s biggest questions.
“This film is everything I didn’t know I was building toward, the one that finally answers where the curse came from, why it never stopped, and what it’s really after,” he said.
The film is also receiving a major international push. South Korean entertainment company Barunson E&A, known internationally for producing the Oscar-winning Parasite, has joined the project as its international sales agent.
The company is set to introduce Satan’s Slaves: Origin to international buyers at TIFF: The Market in Toronto in September 2026.
For international audiences, the film offers an opportunity to discover one of Indonesia’s best-known modern horror franchises while exploring mythology rooted in both European history and Java.
With its international title, expanded setting and seven-language production, Satan’s Slaves: Origin is positioned to bring Joko Anwar’s horror universe to audiences well beyond Indonesia when it reaches cinemas in 2027.
