Pengabdi Setan

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...

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.

Normally these IMDb reviews are all different, and the various reviewers criticize other reviews, etc. But not the case for Satan's Slave here. First of all, we all agree that the movie isn't much like Phantasm at all. Except for a scene or two of a teenager on a motorcycle and him visiting a fortune teller (neither of which affect the plot), there aren't many similarities. However, we all also agree that this is an enjoyable horror film. The house scenes at night were shot well and look pretty creepy. The evil maid was spooky. The story of finding God to help overcome the devil is not original, but it's done well in this film. All in all, it's worth renting or finding it for free on youtube.

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.

The Munarto family has recently lost its matriarch, and the teenage son Tomi (Fachrul Rozy) is not dealing with it very well. He is seeing visions of his late mother (Diana Suarkom) on the property, and soon his older sister Rita (Siska Widowati) is likewise experiencing strange, supernatural things. It becomes clear that there are unkind spirits on the property, and the arrival of a new housekeeper, Darminah (Ruth Pelupessi), will not ease anybody's concerns since the viewer can tell that she does not have the best interests of this family at heart.

Overlooked by the mainstream audience in North America, this intense Indonesian horror film would make a good double feature with another picture from that country, "Mystics in Bali". This one lives up to the word "horror", with plenty of spooky, sinister atmosphere to spare. It does not take long for the bad stuff to start happening. Fortunately, this family is likeable enough (W. D. Mochtar, who's also in "Mystics in Bali", plays the father / widower) that one can easily root for them. Most importantly, in a country where peoples' faith is often quite strong, this isn't a particularly religious family, so outside forces urge them to find God in a hurry.

The cast is good (Pelupessi is a standout), the imagery is creepy, there is some effective gore on occasion, and the story steadily builds to a fantastic climax. There is even some amusing humor on occasion that never detracts from the overall seriousness of the tale.

If one is looking to discover Asian genre cinema, I would definitely recommend this one to interested parties.

Eight out of 10.