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Sabrina (2018) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Sabrina (2018) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 98 mins · Indonesian
Echo score 38
Directed by
Rocky Soraya
Starring
Luna Maya, Jeremy Thomas, Christian Sugiono, Rizky Hanggono, Sahil Shah, Richelle Georgette Skornicki

A toy manufacturer and his wife are terrorized by a demon after their orphaned niece tries to call her late mother’s spirit.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Characters explained (7)
  2. 2 Where & when it takes place
  3. 3 Themes & meaning (3)
  4. 4 Character & meaning questions
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Every angle

7 main characters · contains spoilers

Sabrina Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Sabrina (2018), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Maira (Luna Maya)

    Vanya's aunt who provides stability after Andini's death. She balances warmth with caution about the paranormal and helps guide Vanya through the haunting. She gifts Sabrina to Vanya for her birthday, a moment that deepens their bond and accelerates the unfolding events.

    • 🏡 Family
    • 💖 Care
    • 🧭 Guidance
  • Aiden (Christian Sugiono)

    Vanya's uncle who runs Kev Toys, whose hidden ambition and jealousy threaten his family. His decision to seek power leads to tragic consequences, including consulting a shaman and the death of his brother. He is arrested as the truth about the acts comes to light. The backstory about control of Kev Toys adds a layer of corporate betrayal to the haunting.

    • 🏭 Ambition
    • 😠 Jealousy
    • ⚖️ Justice
  • Vanya (Richelle Georgette Skornicki)

    A bereaved child who gravitates toward the paranormal and becomes a focal point for the haunting. Her curiosity drives the investigation and her bond with Maira anchors the emotional core. She experiences possessions and plays a key role in the eventual exorcism.

    • 👧 Child
    • 👻 Paranormal
    • 🫶 Bond
  • Andini (Asri Handayani)

    Vanya's mother who is deceased but returns as a spirit. She interacts with the living and guides the exorcism, though her presence reveals the danger and complexity of the haunting. Her memory drives the emotional arc and the eventual revelation about Baghiah.

    • 💔 Loss
    • 🕊️ Spirit
    • 👩 Mother
  • Baghiah (Sahil Shah)

    A malevolent demon seeking hosts to commit ritual killings, using loved ones as bait. He manipulates events, escapes confinement, and bends the rules of ritual to prolong the haunting. His true nature is revealed through the exorcism and the struggle to banish him.

    • 👹 Demon
    • 🗝️ Possession
    • 🧭 Escape
  • Laras (Sara Wijayanto)

    A demonologist who partners with Bagas to exorcise the house. She provides expertise and leads ritual attempts to restore Andini's spirit and end the possession sequence. Her professional stance contrasts with the emotional stakes faced by the family.

    • 🧪 Investigations
    • 🧭 Exorcism
    • ⚖️ Law
  • Bagas

    Demonologist partner of Laras, whose role in the exorcism is referenced but not deeply explored in the summary. He contributes to the ritual attempts and helps coordinate the plan to banish Baghiah.

    • 🧭 Teamwork
    • 🧩 Ritual
    • 🗝️ Strategy

Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 23:02

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Setting

Where and When Does Sabrina Take Place?

The setting of Sabrina (2018): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Present day

Set in modern Indonesia, the story blends everyday family life with supernatural occurrences. The events move quickly from a birthday gift to spiritual disturbances and exorcism, all within a contemporary timeframe. The tone relies on current social dynamics and familiar urban settings.

Location

Bandung, Kev Toys factory, Aiden's home

The film unfolds in contemporary Indonesia, centered around a family home and a toy company setting. Key locations include the urban city of Bandung, the Kev Toys factory, and the house where Vanya lives with her aunt and uncle. These places frame the supernatural events and the search for a resolution.

  • 🏙️ Bandung
  • 🏭 Toy industry
  • 🏡 Family home

Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 23:02

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3 major themes

Sabrina Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Sabrina (2018) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Family Loss

    Andini's death triggers grief and upheaval in the family, forcing Maira and Aiden to confront their past and their shared responsibilities toward Vanya. The story uses Vanya's perspective to explore how love and memory shape a family's ability to cope with tragedy. The consequences of unresolved guilt echo through the plot as the haunting unfolds.

  • Paranormal Threat

    The Sabrina doll becomes a vessel for spirits, blurring the line between play and danger. Possession sequences reveal how intimate spaces can be invaded by the supernatural when rituals are neglected. The exorcism rituals underscore the limits and risks of ritual intervention.

  • Crime & Guilt

    Aiden's jealousy over family fortune and business control drives him toward violent acts, endangering loved ones. The revelation of the bequest and the murder exposes the high cost of envy and secrecy. The narrative culminates in accountability and consequences as Aiden faces arrest, while the truth about Andini's death comes to light.

Last updated: February 18, 2026 at 23:02

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Character & theme questions

Sabrina Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Sabrina (2018): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie Sabrina set?

Sabrina is set in contemporary Indonesia, primarily in the urban city of Bandung. The story unfolds across key locations including the family home where Vanya lives with her aunt and uncle, and the Kev Toys factory where Aiden works. These settings ground the supernatural events in a familiar, modern Indonesian urban environment.

  • bandung indonesia
  • kev toys factory
  • setting
  • family home
Q2

What time period does Sabrina take place in?

Sabrina takes place in the present day, set in modern Indonesia. The story's events unfold within a contemporary timeframe, using current social dynamics and familiar urban settings to blend everyday family life with supernatural occurrences.

  • present day
  • modern indonesia
  • contemporary setting
Q3

Who is Baghiah in Sabrina?

Baghiah is the malevolent demon at the center of the film. He seeks hosts to commit ritual killings and manipulates events throughout the story, using loved ones as bait. He escapes confinement, bends the rules of ritual to prolong the haunting, and his true nature is revealed through the intense exorcism sequence.

  • baghiah
  • demon
  • villain
  • antagonist
Q4

What is the significance of the Sabrina doll in the movie?

The Sabrina doll becomes a vessel for spirits, blurring the line between play and danger. This supernatural object serves as the catalyst for the possession sequences and the central haunting. The doll represents how intimate spaces can be invaded by the supernatural when rituals are neglected.

  • sabrina doll
  • possession
  • ritual
  • haunting object
Q5

What are the main themes in Sabrina?

Sabrina explores three interconnected themes: Family Loss, which centers on grief and how love and memory shape a family's ability to cope with tragedy; Paranormal Threat, which examines how possession and exorcism reveal the limits of ritual intervention; and Crime & Guilt, which reveals how jealousy over family fortune leads to violence and exposes the high cost of secrecy.

  • family loss
  • paranormal
  • crime
  • guilt
  • themes
Q6

Who is Maira in Sabrina and what is her role?

Maira is Vanya's aunt, played by Luna Maya, who provides stability for the family after Andini's death. She balances warmth with caution about the paranormal and helps guide Vanya through the haunting. Her gift of the Sabrina doll to Vanya for her birthday deepens their bond but also accelerates the supernatural events.

  • maira
  • luna maya
  • aunt
  • caretaker
Q7

What drives Aiden's actions in Sabrina?

Aiden's motivation stems from jealousy over family fortune and business control. As the operator of Kev Toys, his hidden ambition threatens his family and leads him to consult a shaman, which ultimately results in the death of his brother. His envy and secrecy drive the central crime that haunts the family.

  • aiden
  • christian suggiono
  • jealousy
  • motivation
  • villain
Q8

Who is Vanya in Sabrina and why is she important?

Vanya is the bereaved child at the center of the story, played by Richelle Georgette Skornicki. After losing her mother Andini, she becomes drawn to the paranormal and becomes the focal point for the haunting. Her curiosity drives the investigation while her bond with Maira anchors the emotional core of the narrative.

  • vanya
  • child
  • protagonist
  • grief
Q9

What happens to Andini's spirit in Sabrina?

Andini is Vanya's mother who is deceased but returns as a spirit throughout the film. She interacts with the living and guides the exorcism process. Her presence reveals both the danger and complexity of the haunting, and her memory drives the emotional arc that eventually exposes the truth about Baghiah.

  • andini
  • mother
  • spirit
  • ghost
Q10

What role do the demonologists play in Sabrina?

Lara and Bagas are demonologists who partner together to exorcise the house. Lara, a demonologist played by Sara Wijayanto, provides expertise and leads the ritual attempts to restore Andini's spirit and end the possession sequence. Their professional stance contrasts with the deeply emotional stakes faced by the family.

  • laras
  • bagas
  • demonologist
  • exorcism
  • ritual
Q11

Does Sabrina have a happy or sad ending?

Sabrina's ending is mixed. While the demon Baghiah is vanquished and Vanya finds a maternal figure in Maira, the resolution comes at the cost of a revealed murder and Aiden's arrest. The truth about Andini's death comes to light, leaving a lasting sense of consequence rather than pure victory.

  • ending
  • resolution
  • mixed ending
  • arrest

Movie threads

More Movies Like Sabrina, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Sabrina tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Ritual Horror Movies Like Sabrina

Movies where a simple act invites a powerful and malevolent supernatural force into a family. If you liked Sabrina's premise of a seance that unleashes a demon, you'll find more terrifying stories here. This list features movies where characters inadvertently summon evil through rituals, leading to intense supernatural horror and desperate fights for survival within a family setting.

  • supernatural
  • rituals
  • demonic
  • consequences
  • family terror
  • escalating horror
  • Tone: dark, ominous, desperate
  • Pacing: steady escalation
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern follows a clear cause-and-effect structure: a character or family, often grappling with grief or curiosity, attempts a ritual. This act successfully summons a supernatural entity that initially manifests as minor disturbances, then systematically escalates its terror and physical threat, forcing a final, often costly, confrontation.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share the core idea of supernatural consequences stemming from a specific human action. They create a sense of dread by showing how quickly an attempt to control the unknown can backfire spectacularly, leading to high-intensity, family-centered horror.

Grief Horror Movies Similar to Sabrina

Stories where profound loss creates a vulnerable state, exploited by supernatural or psychological horrors. Fans of Sabrina's focus on a child's grief being manipulated by a demon will appreciate these emotionally heavy horror films. Explore movies where the pain of loss opens the door to supernatural terror, blending genuine sadness with intense, frightening consequences.

  • grieving
  • emotional horror
  • supernatural
  • tragic
  • desperate
  • psychological trauma
  • Tone: dark, melancholy, tragic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows characters in the raw aftermath of a death. Their grief—whether through seances, hallucinations, or a breakdown in reality—creates an opening for a malevolent force. The horror intertwines with the emotional journey, often forcing the character to confront their loss in a twisted and dangerous way before finding any resolution.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their core theme: using grief as the primary engine for horror. They are similar not just in their dark tone and high intensity, but in their heavy emotional weight, making the supernatural threat feel more poignant and terrifying because it preys on genuine human suffering.

Every angle

Sabrina (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Sabrina in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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