It’s been 14 years since mega meta-hit The Cabin in the Woods. This time, Indonesia gives us horror-comedy The Draft!, exclusively on Screambox.
5 typical college students spend their weekend in a typical old villa only to find that they have to survive in a battle of wits against an absolute all-mighty all-powerful terror that is seemingly undefeated.
The Draft!, IMDB
Fight for your fate!
We start off with a standard horror movie introduction: friends arrive to a secluded jungle villa, camera in hand. Immediately something feels off — there are strange objects around the house, the friends keep referencing typical horror tropes, one of the friends is murdered during the night. It doesn’t take long for them to realize they may be part of some unseen writer’s movie script. Days pass with each death seemingly undone, followed by new possessions, new murders, and a new set of scares. The Draft! lives up to its namesake by cutting scenes of the frantic friends as a faceless writer struggles to come up with the ultimate plotline.
Laced throughout the smart writing and nicely-done kills are strong bits of comedic dialog that make The Draft! stand out from other meta horror films. Whereas films like the aforementioned Cabin in the Woods, Scream, and even Until Dawn lean heavily into the horror side, The Draft! is a great reprieve from the terror; it still gives scares but the all around feeling is lively and playful.
Ani: This is my little sister… who died a long time ago.
The Draft!
Wati: Oh my god. Ani. Why did you separate the sentence like that?
The Draft! is full of fun gimmicks and allows the viewer to wonder along with the friends as they plan for an escape. When one avenue doesn’t work, they try another, learning more and more about this unseen author’s thought process. What I think is the coolest aspect of The Draft! isn’t really in the movie at all, but rather how it was made; like the concept of the film itself (a writer jotting down idea after idea on how to progress this horror story) The Draft! mirrors the filmmakers involving 200 students and lecturers in the production. While I don’t know if that involved the script or storyline, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few elements from those vocational school students slipped in somewhere. You just can’t get any more meta than that!
The Draft! is Indonesia’s answer to the mega need for meta tropes in horror. It’s a look into the writing process and how that might translate on-screen, including how those characters might feel about each draft. It’s a funny, energetic flick that creates a million possibilities, both on-screen and off.
The Draft! is available to stream on Screambox today!
