Pengabdi Setan

There are film-making and storytelling sensibilities of horror here that one will recognize in like fare from most any country's cinema; that in this case the proceedings are flavored with tinges of Indonesian culture is refreshing, not least as Islam is spotlighted over Christianity. Otherwise, the story bears familiar roots of eerie goings-on following the death of a member of the family, and we can just sit back and take in all that 'Pengabdi Setan' has to offer. There are perhaps points where the presentation is overbearing in some manner, whether it's especial clamor in a sequence or extra forcefulness in the acting; though such instances are obviously intentional, for my tastes they're too overt a choice. Yet otherwise I'm rather pleased with how good this is - it may not be an absolute must-see, but anyone who appreciates the genre will surely find much to like here.

The cast generally gives strong performances fitting for the material; if they are sometimes too heavy-handed, I think that's more a question of Sisworo Gautama Putra's direction. But excepting the few most overly pronounced instances, Putra's orchestration of every shot and scene is also commendably strong in accentuating the growing disquiet that pervades the scenario, and in making every moment matter. With that said, this is certainly a case where the dispensation of the most significant horror elements is more measured and deliberate, parsed out more sparingly as the length advances, and not necessarily doled out very subtly at that - but the incidence is more than enough to inculcate a robust, growing sense of Things Going Wrong in the household. Each such step along the way is realized with excellent stunts, effects, and special makeup, facets that are as admirably well done as in many like-minded titles, and by the time we're in the last third of the length the differences between this and other such titles are decidedly few.

And that's sort of the key here: while I don't think 'Pengabdi Setan' is remarkable in any one way, it's notable as an Indonesian feature that has achieved enough renown to be recognized to a degree that cannot broadly be said of other works of the country's industry. The closest points of comparison in terms of aesthetics and production values may be contemporary genre fare out of Hong Kong or Japan, and that arguably comes across above all in the cinematography, and in the approach toward specific genre elements. And whatever else one may say about where this 1980 film stands, it all looks pretty fantastic! As the course of events escalates the entertainment becomes ever more delicious, and while strictly speaking this may be a smidgen more modest than contemporary pieces out of Europe or the United States, that doesn't truly mark this as any lesser. In fact, for as excellent as the horror happenings come to be as the narrative develops, I rather believe this stands well above many more widely known flicks. All the component parts here, including the ambient soundscapes of the score, increasingly produce a layer of atmosphere over the affair that cements its strengths and overarching value - and when all is said and done, I believe this quite stands shoulder to shoulder among the upper middle (or is that lower upper?) echelons of any horror one may wish to watch.

Given the calculated pacing of all herein, reserving the most substantial aspects and intensity for the back end, I can understand that this won't appeal to all comers. This isn't a movie of major visceral thrills or chills, nor instant gratification. Moreover, as one particular criticism, I will say that this is very heavy-handed about its underlying themes, to an extent that's more than a little gauche. Still, for those who are receptive to all that the genre has to offer, and who have the patience for pictures that play their hand in their own time, I'm happy to say that ultimately there's enduring worth here that even some of the best known horror features can't always claim. It's not wholly perfect, and it's not an exemplar per se, but I sat to watch with mixed expectations and step away very satisfied with how enjoyable 'Pengabdi Setan' turned out to be. If you have the chance to watch, this is an underappreciated classic that deserves more attention.

I've been finding Indonesian horror movies to be pretty enjoyable. This one was no exception, although it doesn't come close to Witch with Flying Head, for example.

This one involves the interplay between good and evil. The movie begins with a Muslim burial, a body in a white shroud being put on its right side facing Mecca, covered with wooden planks at an angle, then covered with dirt. A voice recites Arabic, probably verses from the Quran.

A family has suffered the death of the mother. The father, son and daughter live together with a wheezing old caretaker. The son is visited at night by a corpse-like woman with bulging white eyes lacking irises. In some respects, he thereafter acts possessed. He visits a fortuneteller for help, who says his family is in danger and he can protect them with black magic. He begins reading up on horror and other topics.

The fortuneteller shows up at the house as the new live-in maid, saying nothing of her fortunetelling. The son continues to act odd and see the woman in white, who his sister glimpses as well. The caretaker urges them to pray. The daughter visits an outdoor disco and has a friend who urges her to try a shaman.

There are additional deaths, and a mysterious man whose attempts to speak to the father at his work and at home are rudely put off.

As the DVD box states, the movie "use(s) Islamic beliefs in dealing with the subject of the undead." This makes it somewhat novel, although really one could substitute in a Christian and nothing would have changed much.

The DVD box also calls this "an Indonesian version of the cult horror film PHANTASM." This is a bit hard to figure. They're both low-budget horror movies. However, the most characteristic properties of Phantasm were the tall man, the dwarfs, and the spheres. There's nothing like that here, or the portal or embalming fluid. Some broken glass flies around, there's a scene with a motorbike in a cemetery, and there is an old hearse with relatively short men (but not little people) carrying a casket. Beyond that, I can't figure out what connection was seen.

Regrettably, there are several points in the movie where the DVD was poorly made and the entire screen, including the letterboxing is covered with large colorful pixels (though the subtitles can still be seen).

Following the death of their mother, a family grieving her loss is inundated with numerous hauntings and visions of her ghost coming back to haunt them, and as they try to investigate the cause of everything find themselves subjected to a malicious demonic curse and race to stop it before it consumes them.

This is easily one of the country's best genre efforts. Among the film's best aspects is the incredible atmosphere present which is impressive overall. The early setup involving the family grieving over her death and likely to be easy targets as is, there's some great work here bringing up the idea of the curse affecting them. Those first scenes later that night, with the silent house except for the ticking clock, the sudden appearance of the mother's ghost tempting the son out into the night creates an eerie quality to things. Seeing how he suddenly acts afterward towards the rest of the family or his friends which are highly uncharacteristic signaling something is wrong with him only helps to enhance the atmosphere as the idea of the normally calm and respectful son suddenly being non-responsive or even threatening towards others works really well. Those aspects all combine together to make the film quite creepy and chilling in the early stages to get off to a great start. This setup work helps to make the later aspects of the curse even more chilling. Once the fake psychic arrives to help with the household, it's no surprise that an increase in supernatural action occurs ranging from the small things like the closed gate or the nightmares to much more overt attacks including the ghost appearing to torment them even if nothing else occurs. The scenes of the cult members taking the family into the basement where they engage in the sacrifice rituals add a lot to the atmosphere which starts with the more obvious systematic dispatching of the family in what seems like accidents. These incidents all come into place for the wild finale which goes for crazy ghostly action including bungled exorcism efforts, a shockingly atmospheric resurrection ceremony in the local graveyard, and then the final attack using the zombified ghost bodies to attack the others. Given the cheesy nature of the effects here and the subtle religious dig to provide the motivation for everything, these factors provide more than enough to hold this up. There aren't too many flaws here but there are some issues with this one. One of the only drawbacks is the seemingly obvious nature of what's going on yet none of the family seems to be aware of what's really going on. It's plainly obvious that once the new housekeeper arrives there's an increase in supernatural accidents and maladies yet there's nothing done about it. The convenient matter in which she keeps showing up after everything has wrapped up with a knowing smirk creates a truly suspicious case against her, and with the family being as religious as they are not to sense or catch on to those antics much earlier strikes as somewhat illogical. As well, there's the aforementioned cheapness of the special effects which helps to add a deranged atmosphere but can come off cheesy at points including the make-up effects on the gore to the cheesy look of the prosthetics, and the rather sloppy way they matte the figures on-screen to showcase solid objects passing through them. While not completely detrimental, these provide the only features to bring it down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.

Indonesian cult horror that takes inspiration from American works of the late 70s like "Phantasm" or "Salem's Lot". It has a surprising Islamic religious side and quite spooky moments, especially for its time.

SATAN'S SLAVE is a supernatural / occult film from Indonesia. After the family matriarch dies, a mysterious housekeeper (Ruth Pelupessi) moves in to put things in order. Horror, satanic shenanigans, and unexplained deaths ensue.

Utterly absurd from start to finish, this movie is a lot of fun to watch! It features: Ghosts, vampires, zombies, black magic, a flying, killer chandelier, and an ultimate showdown between good and eeevil. Some of the "terrifying" sequences and the not-so-special effects therein are genuine gutbusters!

Maximum praise must go to Ms. Pelupessi, whose skunk-eyed stare could curdle milk! She's the best part of this hilarious masterpiece...