Jessica Mila
Alia
Overview
Working in an orphanage, Alia meets teen Nadia, who says she hears a strange voice in the walls. When they try to find the source, things go very wrong.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Orphanage That Whispers Back
I’ve always had a soft spot for horror films that treat their settings like characters—places that breathe, remember, and punish. The Third Eye 2 (2019) understands this instinctively. The orphanage at its center isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a living, rotting organism, its walls pulsing with something unseen but deeply felt. That’s the film’s most effective trick: it makes the space itself the monster.
The problem is, it never quite decides what kind of monster it wants to be.
Rocky Soraya, returning to the franchise he started with The Third Eye in 2017, leans hard into the tropes of Indonesian horror—jump scares, eerie sound design, and a reliance on the supernatural as both threat and metaphor. But where the first film (which, by the way, fared only slightly better with audiences) at least had the novelty of introducing its psychic protagonist, this sequel struggles to justify its own existence. It’s not that the scares are ineffective; it’s that they feel like they’re happening in a vacuum, disconnected from any larger emotional or thematic payoff.
The setup is simple enough: Alia (Jessica Mila), the psychic lead from the first film, now works at an orphanage where a young girl, Nadia (Nabilah Ratna Ayu), claims to hear voices in the walls. What begins as a supernatural mystery quickly spirals into something darker, though the film never quite clarifies what that darkness is. Is it grief?
Trauma? A literal haunting? The script keeps its cards close to its chest, which might work if the atmosphere weren’t so relentlessly oppressive.
Audience Opinions
Limited evidence
Audience 6.5/10
"A decent horror sequel with jump scares and eerie moments, but lacks the freshness of the original."
The sequel keeps the chilling atmosphere and has some genuinely creepy scenes, but many feel it doesn't move beyond the first film. The scares work but are predictable, and the tension sometimes sags.
What viewers praise
- Effective jump scares Reliable frights.
- Eerie atmosphere An unsettling tone that fits the supernatural theme.
- Strong lead performance Jessica Mila adds depth to the protagonist's struggle.
Common complaints
- Predictable plot Familiar horror tropes, few surprises.
- Uneven pacing Some scenes drag and sap the tension.
- Lacks originality It feels like a retread of the first film.
Recommended for
Horror sequel fans Jump-scare enthusiasts Indonesian horror lovers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of The Third Eye 2: Indonesia’s Horror Sequel Returns to the Orphanage
The Third Eye 2 (2019), the follow-up to Rocky Soraya’s 2017 supernatural horror hit Mata Batin, brought back Jessica Mila in the lead role while expanding the eerie orphanage setting that defined its predecessor. The film, known locally as Mata Batin 2, leaned into the franchise’s signature blend of psychological terror and ghostly folklore, latestnetflix.com argues, but its production and reception reveal a mix of ambition and mixed reviews.
A Familiar Cast, New Terrors
Jessica Mila reprised her role as Alia, the protagonist with psychic abilities, joined by returning co-stars Sophia Latjuba and Nabilah Ratna Ayu. The sequel introduced fresh faces like Citra Prima and Nicole Rossi, hinting at a broader ensemble to deepen the orphanage’s haunted lore. The trailer teased a darker tone, with jump scares and lingering dread—hallmarks of Soraya’s direction.
Sophia Latjuba, a veteran of Indonesian cinema, reportedly embraced the film’s supernatural themes, though no behind-the-scenes anecdotes about her experience surfaced in available sources. Meanwhile, Nabilah Ratna Ayu’s return suggested continuity in the franchise’s core narrative, though details about her character’s arc remain scarce.
Production and Reception: A Divisive Sequel
The Third Eye 2 clocked in at 116 minutes, slightly longer than the original’s 108-minute runtime, signaling an attempt to expand the story. However, critical reception was lukewarm. French review aggregator SensCritique gave it a 3.8/10 based on 28 votes, a drop from the first film’s 4/10 (78 votes). The sequel’s lower score suggests fans found it less compelling, though no specific critiques were detailed in the snippets.
Rumors of on-set tension or reshoots didn’t surface in the evidence, leaving the production process largely opaque. The film’s marketing leaned heavily on its trailer, which promised a return to the orphanage’s horrors, but whether it delivered remains a matter of debate.
Legacy and Unanswered Questions
Unlike its predecessor, The Third Eye 2 didn’t spawn a third installment, leaving its story unresolved. The franchise’s focus on Indonesian horror tropes—psychic visions, vengeful spirits, and cursed locations—kept it distinct from Western horror trends, but its commercial performance outside Indonesia is unclear.
One lingering question: Did the sequel’s expanded cast dilute its scares? With no confirmed box office numbers or in-depth reviews, the film’s impact is hard to gauge. What’s certain is that The Third Eye 2 remains a niche entry in Indonesia’s horror canon, overshadowed by its predecessor but still a curiosity for fans of the genre.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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