Simulacrum and Mystical Logic in the Commodification of Communication in the Narrative of the Film "Ghost In The Cell"”
Keywords:
commodification, simulacrum, mystical logic, intertextuality, narrativeAbstract
This research focuses on supernatural entities, religion, satire, parody, and codes, through simulacrum and mystical logic in the commodification of communication in the narrative of the horror-thriller genre film entitled "Ghost in the Cell" which takes place in Labuhan Angsana prison. In this film, it is narrated that prison is not only filled with evil and greedy people, but also people who are actually innocent. In prison there is also an invisible ghost figure, then incarnates and duplicates itself to resemble a potential victim who will be killed sadistically and aesthetically. This research uses the concepts and theories of Commodification (Vincent Mosco), Simulacrum (Jean Baudrillard), Intertextuality (Julia Kristeva), and Binary Opposition Narrative Analysis (Vladimir Propp and Claude Levi-Strauss). The use of several concepts and theories to reveal the entity and narrative of the film contained in the characters and a number of scenes. The results of the study show that simuacrum and mystical logic in the horror genre continue, when an invisible ghost enters someone's body and appears, and presents something that is not real to be real (simulacrum) which is arranged into a narrative (intertextuality), and is represented functionally by the characters - a binary opposition narrative structure - as an attraction and interest for the majority of the audience through capitalist logic (communication commodification) and mystical logic.
Downloads
References
Andra, P. (2025). Logika abjeksi dalam memori kolektif dan kuasa komodifikasi ketakutan. Borobudur Writers & Cultural Festival. https://borobudurwriters.id
Ardhana, N. Y. (2020). Telaah atas fenomena mimetika kekerasan di ruang maya dalam terang pemikiran René Girard. MELINTAS, 36(2). https://doi.org/10.26593/mel.v36i2.5377
Ardhana, R. (2020). Representasi logika mistika dalam budaya populer Indonesia. Jurnal Kajian Budaya, 12(2), 45–60.
Astari, A. R. (2025). Komodifikasi budaya tradisional oleh media massa. SEMIOTIKA: Jurnal Komunikasi, 19(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.30813/s:jk.v19i1.8318
Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. Hill and Wang.
Barthes, R. (2009). Mitologi. Kreasi Wacana.
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simulacra and simulation. University of Michigan Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2020). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.
Culler, J. (1975). Structuralist poetics. Cornell University Press.
CNN Indonesia. (2025). Laporan box office film Indonesia 2025. https://www.cnnindonesia.com
Dahlan, A. F. (2025). Deconstructing presence in Stranger Things 4: Trace, supplement, hauntology, and iterability. Metahumaniora. https://doi.org/10.24198/metahumaniora.v16i1.63925
Dahlan, F. (2025). Intertekstualitas dalam film Indonesia kontemporer. Jurnal Media dan Budaya, 8(1), 77–90.
Dawkins, R. (1976). The selfish gene. Oxford University Press.
Eriyanto. (2013). Analisis naratif. Kencana.
Fahmi, A. (2025). Strategi intertekstual dalam film populer Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 10(1), 55–70.
FilmIndonesia.or.id. (2023). Statistik penonton film Indonesia. https://filmindonesia.or.id
Heider, K. G. (1991). Indonesian cinema: National culture on screen. University of Hawaii Press.
Hoed, B. H. (2011). Semiotika dan dinamika sosial budaya. Komunitas Bambu.
Ida, R. (2014). Metode penelitian studi media dan budaya. Kencana.
Kamaruddin, S. A., Adam, A., & Chakti, A. G. R. (2024). Komodifikasi media sosial dalam perspektif Jean Baudrillard: Studi kasus TikTok Indonesia. Bosowa Journal of Education, 5(1), 177–180. https://doi.org/10.35965/bje.v5i1.5462
Kamaruddin, R., et al. (2024). Hyperreality in digital media culture. Journal of Digital Culture, 6(2), 101–118.
Kompas. (2024). Tren industri film Indonesia pasca pandemi. https://www.kompas.com
Kristeva, J. (2009). Intertekstualitas dan teori teks. In Martono (Ed.).
Kurniawan, D. (2024). Semiotika media dalam budaya populer. Jurnal Komunikasi, 15(1), 33–49.
Lestari, C. (2025). Transformasi perfilman Indonesia: Dinamika dan adaptasi dari tahun 2000 hingga 2023. Profilm: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Perfilman dan Pertelevisian, 4(1), 139–146. https://doi.org/10.56849/jpf.v4i1.77
Lestari, N. (2025). Ekonomi politik media digital di Indonesia. Jurnal Komunikasi dan Media, 9(1), 1–15.
McKee, A. (2011). A beginner’s guide to textual analysis. SAGE.
Medcom. (2022). Kaleidoskop film Indonesia 2022. https://www.medcom.id
Mosco, V. (1996). The political economy of communication. Sage Publications.
Mosco, V. (2009). The political economy of communication. Sage.
Piliang, Y. A. (2012). Semiotika dan hipersemiotika. Jalasutra.
Screen Daily. (2025). How local films fuel Indonesia’s box office boom. https://www.screendaily.com
Sen, K. (1994). Indonesian cinema: Framing the New Order. Zed Books.
Susanto, A. (2020). Mistika dalam budaya populer Indonesia. Jurnal Filsafat, 30(2), 88–102.
Susanto, S. C. (2020). Logika mistika dan kemerdekaan berpikir masyarakat Indonesia. ITS Online Journal.
Sutrisno, A. (2024). Sinematografi dalam film horor modern: Realisme dan simbolisme visual. Jurnal Kajian Film.
Sutrisno, H. (2024). Representasi ideologi dalam film kontemporer Indonesia. Jurnal Kajian Media, 11(1), 40–58.
The Guardian. (2024). Golden age for Southeast Asian cinema. https://www.theguardian.com
The Jakarta Post. (2025). The bitter truth behind Indonesia’s box office boom. https://www.thejakartapost.com
Van Kessel, C., Manriquez, J. D., & Kline, K. (2025). Baudrillard, hyperreality, and misinformation in social media. Journal of Communication Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2024.2439302
Van Kessel, P., et al. (2025). Visual culture and hyperreality in digital society. Media Studies Journal, 14(1), 120–135.
Widodo, R. (2023). Representasi supranatural dalam film horor sebagai kritik sosial. Jurnal Media & Budaya.
Wibowo, B. S., Rubiana, F., & Hartono, B. (2022). A data-driven investigation of successful local film profiles in Indonesian box office. Jurnal Manajemen Indonesia, 22(3), 333–344. https://doi.org/10.25124/jmi.v22i3.4106
Zed, M. (2020). Metode penelitian kepustakaan. Yayasan Obor Indonesia.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 A.Yudo Triartanto, Tuty Mutiah, Syarif Fitri

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
