Sundelbolong

SUNDEL BOLONG is yet another in a long line of black magic/occult focused horror movies that were made in 1980's Indonesia. While many of these are truly unique and psychotronic fare due to their colorful violence, amusing dialog, enthusiastic effects, and bizarre sights. SUNDEL BOLONG contains all of these elements, to some degree, but it is horribly padded in between the scenes that most viewers are actually tuning in for. The film is plauged with scenes that go nowhere, characters that are developed only to become completely irrelevant, and side stories that more a frustratingly slow pace. The film does feature some quality scenes here and there but its hard to recommend this to anyone who isn't already a die hard fan of either this sub genre or the two principal actors Barry Prima (THE DEVIL's SWORD) and Suzzanna (QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC).

Oh boy, this does NOT start off well. It's one matter to lean on themes of the hypocrisy, injustice, and misogyny of a "criminal justice system" that echoes the values of a broken society and blames victims, and casts unfair judgments on sex workers. It's another matter for the exposition to fill more than first whole third of the length, with no meaningful movement in the story in that time, and no small amount of tiresome fluff on top. Worse yet is the emphatic expression of values that are inappropriate, dangerous, and antiquated no matter the culture or context - the abject denial and subjugation of bodily autonomy, the refusal of essential medical services on the false grounds of treating them as a moral issue, and horrid, unscientific misinformation that aims to frighten people who can become pregnant into willingly abjuring their reproductive rights and surrendering their autonomy. Long before the core plot ever starts to surface the movie asks a lot of us as an audience, and the viewing experience is trying.

'Sundelbolong' does pick up more thereafter, telling the tale of a vengeful spirit, though pacing remains a concern. It often seems that the tone is curiously, inappropriately light, though in the very least there are many specific moments and inclusions that are tawdrily, cartoonishly exaggerated. The storytelling ranges from drama, to mystery, to horror, to martial arts action that's rather embarrassingly sped up, to romance, and the result feels imbalanced and unwieldy. The narrative is complete and compelling, and I did enjoy this, but both as written and definitely as realized on film some beats, scenes, or ideas are distinctly stronger or weaker than others. For example, the action is both overdone and possibly just out of place, but well done in and of itself; the practical effects and tangible creations that adjoin the more horror-oriented moments are terrific. In the very least those behind the scenes turned in consistently fantastic work, for the sets and filming locations are outstanding, not to mention costume design, hair, makeup, and the stated stunts and effects. I just surely wish the picture had a more cohesive feel to how it told its tale, and greater tonal consistency.

Despite the issues that trouble it in one manner or another, I still think the feature is much better than not. I think Sisworo Gautama Putra's direction is admirable and firm in orchestrating every shot and scene, for example, and in guiding the cast, and F. E. S. Tarigan's cinematography is smart, smooth, and crisp. At its best this is a rich, striking spectacle, in some small ways bringing to mind more well-known effects-laden fare like 'A nightmare on Elm Street' or 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre.' The cast is swell, and some moments are earnestly creepy in how they present. There's also just no denying how much the flaws and weaknesses weigh on the proceedings, dampening the overall value that 'Sundelbolong' has to offer; exactly how much is up to each individual viewer to assess. The strength it boasts in the back end outweighs the problems that dog it; would that there weren't anything to compensate for in the first place. The title is entertaining and worthwhile on its own merits, if you ask me, but is not something one needs to go out of their way to see. When all is said and done 'Sundelbolong' is a superb piece of Indonesian horror, a classic that stands taller than some of its kin, but just be aware of its faults before you sit to watch.

Following her wedding night, a woman upset that her husband has to work instead of being with her afterward soon comes into contact with her old prostitute Madam but is soon abducted and raped by her henchmen, and after killing herself upon the news of her pregnancy returns as a vengeful ghost to kill them one by one.

Overall, this one has quite a lot to enjoy about it. One of its main selling points is a strong setup that weaves together a pretty impressive revenge storyline. The opening half focusing on her past and the revelations that emerge which threaten her marriage does quite well at setting everything in motion. Not only does this become quite a driving sympathetic force towards her as the sleazy nature being directed towards her while the feisty nature that allows her to fight back against them who are forcing it upon her helps even more to generate the kind of sympathy required for the story to work. As we get into the second half and realize that she's become the titular being through what's happened to her previously, the justification for everything and how it all comes into focus adds quite a lot to like to the film. As well, once the truth about the pair's involvement in her death, the whole thing comes together for a fully realized and justified rampage. That provides this with all the justification necessary for the second half to be filled with enjoyable supernatural-fueled revenge scenes. Operating more with a comedic tone to the ghosts' appearances knocking off the henchmen that initially assaulted her, there's a sense of fun to be had with these scenes. The mugging and interactions on display do veer towards the goofy side but the impact of the scenes still works quite nicely as the ghost being able to move amongst them undetected and employ those enhanced powers of hers still comes off quite well, especially in the finale when the wild scenes at play allow this the opportunity to let loose with some creative and over-the-top scenes without being out-of-place. The cheap effects only help to make it feel more cheesy than it should but there's still enough cruelty on display to be enjoyable as the catharsis is far more important with how everything is handled and treated. These factors all come together to provide a lot to like although there are some minor drawbacks on display. The main detriment featured is a staggered and somewhat sluggish pace that comes about making the film feel a bit longer than it needs to be. The opening to this is a big culprit because it features way too much on the interpersonal family dynamics after the wedding where she's left alone and gets caught up in the scam that sells her into the prostitution business. When it comes about that was her former profession and the torment it causes as a result of the trial for the incident, the whole thing slows to a crawl as it dwells on the psychological ramifications more than anything. It gets even worse when the twin shows up as the need to explain what happened might be justified but is again more time being utilized on areas that don't need it and can cause the feeling that it's a bit longer than it needs to be with these other factors coming in and eating up the running time as it does. There's also the other factor with this one where the cheesy effects and goofy scenarios are tonally at odds with what's going on, as the seriousness of the scene conflicts with the slapstick being used to accomplish it. It's distracting and is somewhat enough to hold this down slightly.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Language, and Rape.