‘Alarming’ film poster sparks debate on child mental health in Indonesia

Promotional posters for the horror film Aku Harus Mati (“I Must Die”) have been taken down in parts of Indonesia

after sparking backlash from child protection experts, who say the campaign’s stark language and imagery are especially alarming amid what officials have called a “child suicide emergency”.

The row has struck a nerve in a country where concerns over child mental health and suicidal ideation have been mounting, turning what might otherwise have been dismissed as provocative horror marketing into a much wider debate over harmful public messaging.

The posters had been displayed since the end of March ahead of the film’s April 2 release in cinemas and other public spaces, including billboards across Indonesia.

They depicted a close-up of a snaggletoothed blue demon with red, bloodshot eyes appearing to cry tears of blood, alongside the title “I Must Die” and the tagline “Sell my soul for wealth”.

“This poster should be an ‘alarm’ for all parties, including those in the creative industries, who have a responsibility to ensure that public messaging does not have a dangerous impact on children,” Dewi Sri Sumanah, brand and communication manager for Save the Children Indonesia, told This Week in Asia.

“This is not a trivial issue but a very serious one. Since January 2026, there have been three cases. We are now facing a situation in Indonesia where children’s mental health is becoming an increasingly serious issue.”