The Influence of Consumer Perception on Purchase Intention: Case Study of Kuasa Gelap, the First Indonesian Exorcism Film

Abstract

Kuasa Gelap, an Indonesian movie that launched last October, offered a promotional message as the first Indonesian exorcism movie. Given that creativity and novelty are rarely successful, we aim to investigate how the creative narrative concept draws viewers to watch an Indonesian movie, using Kuasa Gelap as a case study. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving a quantitative method (a public questionnaire) and a qualitative method. The quantitative method was used to gather feedback from individuals who had seen the movie and its promotional materials, while the qualitative method involved a range of methods, including field observations, brief content analyses of the movie itself, and the formulation of research conclusions. For the initial qualitative research with field observation and content analysis, we concluded that the cultural discount could really be seen the other way around, not as an obstacle, but as the movie gives a cultural discount for the Indonesian audience. As Indonesian movies with Indonesian actors could have been the way for locals to absorb the story more easily, including for the audience who are distant from the practice. Secondly, even though it might be distant for some of its audience, the reference and its portrayal have offered a familiar portrayal for the audience visually and verbally on the popular culture product; for example, the portrayal of the demon itself and the exorcism practice.