With a punny title like Ghost in the Cell, one gets the sense that this will not be your typical horror movie. Upon learning that it comes from Indonesian chaos maestro Joko Anwar, it quickly becomes clear that you’re right. True to form, here he mashes up genres left and right creating one of the most enjoyably bonkers movies of the year.

Working late one night to finish his latest exposé before his deadline, journalist Dimas (Endy Arfian) winds up stumbling on the corpse of his brutally murdered boss, hanging from the ceiling fan in a gruesome tableau. It’s all too easy to pin the crime on him, so while his guilt should seem improbable at best, he still winds up convicted and sentenced to a high-security prison.

Once inside, he tries to attach himself to one of the more benevolent groups, led by Anggoro (Abimana Aryasatya), who has a predilection for sticking his neck out for others and as a result has come to be seen as a leader in his cell block, making him a prime target for tyrannical guard Jefry Hutama (Bront Palarae).

Shortly after Dimas arrives, prisoners start being murdered, their bodies once again mutilated and displayed as grisly works of art. Naturally, suspicion once again falls on the meek reporter, but Anggoro doesn’t think him capable of murder, and thanks to fellow inmate Six Nugraha’s (Yoga Pratama) ability to see other people’s auras, they are able to piece together that the real perpetrator may be a ghost, bent on revenge, that is targeting people in the throes of rage. Friend and foe alike will have to figure out what it wants and whether it can be stopped if they have any chance to make it through the ensuing ordeal alive.

The horror moments effectively blend atmosphere and gore to pump the film full of creeping dread, demonstrating that prisons are an underutilized environment in the “haunted house” genre. But Ghost in the Cell truly comes alive because of Anwar’s refusal to remain bound by any sort of rules or formula. Blending in social satire, slapstick comedy, intense action, and even a surprising amount of heart, the whole thing shouldn’t work—and at times even starts to feel like maybe it doesn’t—and by the end you’re left wondering what the hell you just watched. But also when can you watch it again?

That the movie speaks so strongly to the culture of its country only makes it stronger—it’s a pretty vicious takedown on Indonesia’s government, which is apparently more corrupt than most Americans might realize. The one queer character portrayed within comes dangerously close to a stereotypical caricature, but seeing his plight treated sympathetically by the inmates somewhat excuses it, and also makes it feel like another window into the nation’s attitudes.

This is cinematic madness the likes of which is rarely seen and even when it risks coming apart, it’s never less than compelling. When a filmmaker takes swings as big as this there are bound to be a few misses, but the end product is a thrilling, funny, unique, oddly sweet, and wildly entertaining work of pop art that is not to be missed. ★★★★

Not Rated. Contains graphic violence, gore, strong language, nudity, and sexual references.