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Dead Mine
Dead Mine
Dead Mine
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Dead Mine
Film poster
Directed bySteven Sheil
Written byZiad Semaan
Steven Sheil
Produced byMike Wiluan
Nick North
Daniel Davila
Catherine Davila
StarringArio Bayu
Joe Taslim
Mike Lewis
Jaitov Tigor
Miki Mizuno
Sam Hazeldine
Les Loveday
Carmen Soo
James Taenaka
CinematographyJohn Radel
Edited byAzhar Ismon
Music byCharlie Mole
Production
company
Distributed byHBO Asia
Release dates
  • September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) (Singapore)
  • January 3, 2013 (2013-01-03)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryIndonesia
LanguageEnglish

Dead Mine is a 2012 English-language Indonesian horror film directed by Steven Sheil and starring Ario Bayu and Joe Taslim.[1] The film was produced by Infinite Frameworks, the production house before working on the musical animated film Meraih Mimpi (Achieved a dream) in 2009. Filming and production of the film was done in the filming facility integrated in Batam Island.

Plot

[edit]

The film opens with a group of pirates resting and relaxing after a successful raid. One of the pirates wanders off to relieve himself and stumbles upon a cave. While exploring it, he suddenly falls through a concealed hole in the floor into a hidden tunnel network.

Warren Price (Les Loveday), the son of a millionaire, is on a mission to explore a former Japanese military bunker on the island of Una-Una, Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi, together with Japanese scientist Rie (Miki Mizuno), and Price's girlfriend Su-Ling (Carmen Soo). They are escorted by a team of mercenaries, including Captain Tino Prawa (Ario Bayu), Djoko (Joe Taslim), Ario (Mike Lewis), and Sergeant Papa Snake (Jaitov Tigor). Also along on the mission is Stanley (Sam Hazeldine), a former military engineer turned mercenary attached to Captain Prawa’s unit.

The team arrives at the site of a formerly Dutch operated mine, which had been taken over by the Japanese when they occupied the island in 1942, and turned into a bunker. After being ambushed by pirates, the group are forced inside the bunker where they become trapped after one of the pirates tosses a grenade into the mine entrance, wounding Ario and causing a collapse.

Unable to radio for help, and desperate to escape, they descend into the mine in search of a way out. It is revealed that Price actually wants to search for Yamashita's gold in the mine. Another expedition led by his father’s company had discovered a similar bunker on an island near Sumatra discussing coded messages; Price, working with Rie, had been trying to decode those messages, which he assumed referred to Yamashita’s gold.

As they progress deeper into the mine, lights suddenly flash on (revealing a Rising Sun Japanese war flag) and a propaganda song begins blaring over the internal communication system, startling the explorers. The group assumes that there’s a second entrance and the pirates have followed them into the mine. They continue exploring the seemingly abandoned Japanese base, discovering protective Hazmat suits, maps, and disturbing photographs. Sergeant Papa Snake, standing guard outside the communications center, is spied upon by a mysterious figure wearing a Hazmat suit and gas mask; however, when he turns, the figure has vanished without a trace.

Their search leads to some surprising findings; Rie reveals that the bunker was used as a chemical and biological weapons research facility (based on Unit 731) where the Japanese used prisoners of war as subjects for experiments. The group is stalked by the hazmat suit wearing figures as they progress through the mine. The group breaks up into two separate units; Captain Prawa, Sergeant Papa Snake, Price, and Su-Ling go to search for a way out(and, of course, the gold in the process) while Djoko, Stanley and Rie remain behind to protect Ario.

Ario, resting on a pallet bench, is attacked and killed by a monstrous creature, and pulled into the tunnels in the process. Djoko, Stanley and Rie frantically pursue it. Meanwhile, Captain Prawa’s team discovers medical notes detailing the sort of experiments the Japanese conducted at the bunker. Djoko discovers a chamber filled with human remains, including the horrifically mutilated corpse of the pirate from the beginning of the film. He kills one of the creatures, only for numerous others to emerge from the surrounding chamber. After losing his rifle to one attack, Djoko narrowly manages to fight off a second one, only for his pistol to jam; surrounded, he is promptly slaughtered by the creatures.

Rie and Stanley, meanwhile, are captured by the gas mask wearing figure, a Japanese soldier who refuses to admit the war is over. Stanley manages to disarm the soldier and Rie shows him footage of the Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri on her iPad, causing the soldier to break down. Captain Prawa’s group is attacked by one of the creatures, which stabs Price, being shot several times in the process without effect, before Sergeant Papa Snake kills it with an improvised spear. The Japanese soldier reveals that a type of gas Unit 731 was experimenting with had driven the prisoners insane and mutated them into monstrous creatures, and he and his fellow soldiers had likewise been mutated as part of an experiment to create “super soldiers”.

Price discovers that the gold had been sent to the base in order to be used as part of the mutagenic formulas they’d injected the prisoners with, and desperate to avoid leaving with nothing he and Su-Ling try and sneak a sample out as the formulas can be sold for huge money as biological weapons in the black market. Captain Prawa and Sergeant Papa Snake discover a shrine filled with dozens of creatures dressed in samurai suits of armor—soldiers from the Japanese Imperial Guard given the same mutagenic compound. Sergeant Papa Snake stays behind and tries to hold the Imperial Guardsmen off, being stabbed repeatedly and finally killed as a result. Captain Prawa, Price, and Su-Ling continue to flee, eventually stumbling upon the chamber in which Djoko was killed. They discover Djoko’s corpse and then are attacked by the creatures, and are forced to use improvised knives to fight them off. Fleeing again through the tunnels they are finally reunited with Stanley and Rie. Price is badly wounded, and desperate to try to save him Su-Ling injects him with the formula they’d taken from the lab. The Imperial Guardsmen storm through the tunnels, executing the gas mask wearing Japanese soldier as the rest of the group flees. They are ambushed again by the mutated former POWs—who are now allied with the Imperial Guards—, and although they manage to kill several Su-Ling abandons them, dragging Price through a doorway and locking it behind her.

Captain Prawa is killed after making a heroic last stand in order to allow Rie and Stanley to escape. Su-Ling drags Warren all the way to the edge of the cave, but he has been driven insane by the formula and promptly kills her. Rie and Stanley flee the mine via an underwater tunnel system, but the Imperial Guardsmen are in hot pursuit; only Rie manages to escape from the tunnels. An exhausted Rie attempts to defend herself as more and more Guardsmen emerge from the lake, but it’s no use; the film ends as a Guardsman swings his sword at Rie’s midsection, presumably killing her.

Cast

[edit]

Home media

[edit]

The film was released on DVD on May 28, 2013.[2]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Dead Mine

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Dead Mine is a 2012 English-language Indonesian action-horror film directed by British filmmaker Steven Sheil. Produced by Infinite Frameworks Studios in association with as the network's first original film, it stars as Captain Tino, alongside as Djoko, as Rie, as Stanley, and Les Loveday as Warren Price. The plot follows a group of treasure hunters searching for who become trapped in an abandoned Japanese bunker in the Indonesian jungle, facing human and supernatural threats. With a runtime of 87 minutes, the film blends elements of and historical thriller, emphasizing claustrophobic tension. Filmed in , Dead Mine was released in on September 27, 2012, and theatrically in select Asian markets before expanding to international streaming and home video platforms. Critically, it holds a 16% Tomatometer score on from 27 reviews, with praise for its atmospheric setting and action sequences but criticism for pacing and character development. On , it has a 4.5 out of 10 rating from 3,474 user votes (as of November 2025), reflecting its niche appeal among horror enthusiasts.

Story and characters

Plot

In Dead Mine, treasure hunter Warren Price assembles a multinational team including mercenaries led by Captain Tino Prawa, along with historian Rie, Warren's partner Su-Ling, and other experts, to locate the legendary hidden on the remote Una-Una Island in . The group navigates the dense , facing initial hostility from local who their camp, forcing a tense standoff and retreat toward their target. Upon reaching the site, the expedition enters an abandoned Japanese bunker, a of dark tunnels and forgotten chambers that once served as a secret military outpost. As they delve deeper in search of the treasure, a sudden structural collapse seals the entrance, trapping the team inside and cutting off their escape route amid rising panic and dwindling supplies. Exploring the bunker's depths, the survivors uncover horrific evidence of experiments conducted by the Japanese army during the war, including gruesome laboratories filled with remnants of human and biological testing that produced mutated creatures and zombified soldiers. Escalating deaths occur as grotesque mutants—twisted hybrids of human and animal forms—emerge from the shadows, attacking the group in brutal ambushes within the experimental chambers and flooded lower levels. The central conflict intensifies with revelations tying the site's horrors to wartime atrocities, as the team desperately attempts survival through improvised defenses and desperate searches for an exit. Key plot twists reveal hordes of zombified Japanese guardsmen, reanimated by the failed experiments, guarding the gold's chamber, leading to a climactic confrontation where the remaining survivors battle the undead forces in a bid for escape. The narrative culminates in a frantic push through collapsing tunnels, with the jungle's oppressive humidity and isolation contrasting the bunker's claustrophobic terror, underscoring the futility of greed amid supernatural retribution.

Cast

The principal cast of Dead Mine features an international ensemble of actors from , , the , and , reflecting the film's multicultural narrative set in an Indonesian . This diverse casting choice enhances the story's exploration of a multinational treasure-hunting team. Key performers include:
ActorRoleNotes
RieJapanese actress portraying the historian in the expedition group; known for her roles in Japanese action and horror genres.
StanleyBritish actor as a and former engineer in the expedition team; brings experience from television and film productions.
Captain Tino PrawaIndonesian actor playing the captain of the mercenary team; recognized for his work in Indonesian cinema.
Les LovedayWarren PriceBritish actor as the treasure hunter leading the group; contributes to the film's tense ensemble dynamics.
Su-LingMalaysian actress as Warren's partner; adds to the international flavor with her regional background in film and television.
DjokoIndonesian actor and martial artist portraying a key team member; his expertise and background in action films like The Raid (2011) informed the movie's intense fight sequences.
Mike LewisArioAmerican-Indonesian actor as a team member; known for bilingual roles in Indonesian media.
Yanda Djaitov (Jaitov Tigor)Sergeant PapaIndonesian actor as the local sergeant and guide; supports the film's authentic regional elements.
Jimmy Taenaka (James Taenaka)RyuichiActor in the flashback role as a doctor figure; contributes to the historical horror aspects.

Production

Development

The concept for Dead Mine originated from the legend of , the fabled treasure hidden by Japanese General during , which provided the foundation for the film's treasure-hunting premise set in an abandoned Indonesian mine. To infuse horror elements, the story incorporated references to Japanese wartime biological experiments, drawing on the historical atrocities of , the Imperial Japanese Army's covert research unit that conducted lethal human testing on prisoners. These real-world inspirations allowed the creative team to merge with supernatural terror in a confined, claustrophobic setting. The was co-written by Ziad Semaan and director Steven Sheil, who crafted to emphasize tense and escalating dread within the WWII-era bunker. Developed as an English-language co-production, the project aimed to broaden its appeal to international audiences by leveraging Indonesian settings and talent while delivering a blend accessible beyond local markets. The film was co-produced by Infinite Frameworks, an Indonesian studio, and , marking the latter's inaugural original feature production with a focus on Southeast Asian storytelling. Financing targeted a low-to-mid-range budget suitable for an independent horror-action film, prioritizing practical effects and location authenticity over high-cost spectacle. Steven Sheil, a British filmmaker with prior experience in horror through his debut feature (2008), was chosen to direct for his ability to build psychological tension in low-budget environments. Sheil's vision sought to intertwine action sequences, , and historical undertones, creating a narrative that explored the lingering consequences of wartime secrets.

Filming

Principal photography for Dead Mine commenced on November 28, 2011, in , , and wrapped by the end of the year, spanning approximately four weeks. The production was shot primarily at Infinite Studios' facility on Island, which served as the main hub for simulating the film's jungle exteriors and II-era bunker interiors, with some on-location filming enhancing authenticity through the island's tropical terrain and abandoned structures. To capture the underground mine setting, the crew constructed multi-tiered sets including sandy cavern areas and labyrinths, allowing for controlled replication of the confined, labyrinthine environment central to the story. Cinematographer John Radel employed tight framing and low-light techniques to emphasize the claustrophobic tension of the bunker's narrow passages and dim chambers, contributing to the film's atmospheric dread. The production highlighted practical effects for the mutant antagonists and explosive action set pieces, complemented by stunt work that showcased the physicality of the international cast, including Joe Taslim's sequences informed by his background. An international crew, blending Indonesian and overseas talent, collaborated on the shoot, marking HBO Asia's inaugural original feature and leveraging Batam's facilities for efficient logistics despite the region's humid climate.

Release

Premiere and distribution

The world premiere of Dead Mine took place at the Singapore International Film Festival on September 27, 2012. This event marked the film's initial public screening as an English-language Indonesian production co-produced by . Following the , the film received a limited theatrical release in starting in late 2012, with screenings in , followed by a release in the on November 7, 2012, and subsequent rollout to markets including on January 3, 2013. Distribution in regional Asian markets was handled by , leveraging their network to target Southeast Asian audiences interested in genre s. Internationally, sales rights outside were acquired by Celluloid Nightmares and promoted at the European Film Market in 2012, facilitating deals for further global exposure. In the United States, the film saw a limited release in 2013, primarily through video-on-demand platforms starting May 2 via XLrator Media. Marketing efforts positioned Dead Mine as an action-horror hybrid drawing on World War II history, particularly the legend of and abandoned Japanese bunkers. Trailers emphasized jungle adventure elements and underground terror to appeal to horror and thriller enthusiasts in and international genre markets. The film runs 87 minutes and received an NC16 rating in for and horror content.

Home media

The film received its DVD and Blu-ray debut on May 28, 2013, distributed by XLrator Media under their Turbo label. The release featured a high-definition video presentation for the Blu-ray edition, with the only supplemental material being the theatrical trailer. Internationally, the UK DVD edition premiered on May 13, 2013, via Entertainment One, including extras such as cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and deleted scenes. saw a DVD and Blu-ray release on May 15, 2013, while the German Blu-ray followed on June 28, 2013. No 4K UHD editions have been widely released as of 2025. As of 2025, Dead Mine is accessible on various digital streaming platforms, including Prime Video for rental or purchase, for free viewing with advertisements, and Screambox via subscription. In regions across , it is available through services such as Max.

Reception

Critical reception

Dead Mine received generally negative reviews from critics, earning a 16% approval rating on the Tomatometer based on 27 reviews. Critics praised the film's atmospheric setting in the Indonesian jungle and abandoned WWII bunker, which created a tense, claustrophobic environment for the horror elements. The use of practical effects for the mutated creatures and zombie-like soldiers was highlighted as effective in building dread, while the action sequences were noted for their intensity. Cast chemistry, particularly between and , was commended for adding emotional depth to the ensemble. However, common criticisms centered on the predictable plot and slow pacing, which failed to maintain momentum throughout the 87-minute runtime. Characters were often described as underdeveloped, relying on horror tropes such as soldiers without sufficient innovation. Reviewers frequently compared it unfavorably to superior films like , citing clichéd elements and an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion. In a 2013 review, Warped Perspective noted the "compelling and well acted" performances but lamented the "generic story" that undermined the promising setup. Shockya described it as "slow and unoriginal," with little significant action until the end, assigning it a D grade. A 2019 retrospective from Far East Films acknowledged the high-concept potential of the bunker horror but critiqued its unrealized execution, calling it a "fun, albeit silly" B-movie.

Audience response

Dead Mine has received mixed responses from audiences, reflected in its user ratings across major platforms. On , the film holds an average rating of 4.5 out of 10, based on 3,473 votes. Similarly, users rate it 2.6 out of 5, drawn from 794 logs, indicating a polarized reception. Viewer feedback frequently highlights appreciation for the film's exotic Indonesian locations, which enhance its atmospheric tension, and the martial arts action delivered by in his supporting role. Conversely, many criticize the low-budget CGI used for the mutant creatures and the film's reliance on formulaic elements, often comparing it unfavorably to similar entries like . Despite these shortcomings, a portion of audiences embrace it as enjoyable B-movie entertainment, suitable for casual viewing. The movie has developed a minor primarily through its availability on streaming services, including free platforms like and rental options on . Its niche release limited theatrical success, but sustained video-on-demand views underscore ongoing interest among fans of Asian horror and action genres. In recent years, including 2025 re-reviews, some viewers express for its early style of genre filmmaking.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/
  2. http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/blogs/singapore-showbiz/dead-mine-action-horror-film-hbo-asia-first-110834972.html
  3. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dead_mine_2012
  4. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2171847/
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/plotsummary/
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/fullcredits/
  7. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dead_mine_2012/cast-and-crew
  8. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3029144/
  9. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/joe-taslim-46322.php
  10. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/20/dead-mine-hunting-yamashita-s-treasure.html
  11. https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/dvd-review-dead-mine/
  12. https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/behind-the-lens/steven-sheil/
  13. https://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2013/05/dead-mine-out-now-to-rent-and-buy/
  14. https://www.campaignasia.com/article/hbo-gets-to-work-on-first-asia-made-feature/281589
  15. https://www.cinema.com.my/articles/news_details.aspx?search=2011.n_hbofirstasianfeature_6900
  16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/locations/
  17. https://horrorbeard.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/dead-mine-2012/
  18. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/reviews/
  19. https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2012/01/07/765257/dead-mine-features-international-cast-crew
  20. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/news?ref_=tt_nwr_sm
  21. https://letterboxd.com/film/dead-mine/
  22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xon6FAAss0U
  23. https://www.imdb.com/news/ni22542582/
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8eeI_oIoMc
  25. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/parentalguide/
  26. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dead-Mine-Blu-ray/66496/
  27. https://cityonfire.com/dead-mine-dvd-blu-ray-xlrator/
  28. https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/8761/dead_mine.html
  29. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171847/releaseinfo/
  30. https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/44475/dead-mine-uk-dvd/
  31. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dead-Mine-Blu-ray/71786/
  32. https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mine-Steven-Sheil/dp/B0D6RDCBLR
  33. https://tubitv.com/movies/497329/dead-mine
  34. https://reelgood.com/movie/dead-mine-2012
  35. https://www.hbomax.com/mn/en/movies/dead-mine/aae92f37-90c3-4033-b5ed-98e3fe9dea00
  36. https://warped-perspective.com/2013/05/dvd-review-dead-mine-2012/
  37. https://www.fareastfilms.com/?review_post_type=dead-mine
  38. https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/dead-mine-review/
  39. https://www.shockya.com/news/2013/05/13/dead-mine-movie-review/
  40. https://www.punkrocktheory.com/movie_reviews/dead-mine
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