Last November, we told you about the bonkers Indonesian supernatural horror flick, Mystics in Bali (1981). Well, dear readers, we’ve found the perfect companion film for you all to enjoy. We think you’ll agree that this one is a bloody good time.
Like the aforementioned film, The Queen of Black Magic (1979) is an Indonesian horror picture that deals with the supernatural, and features fantastic, often grotesque imagery. Both movies are filled with atmospheric shots, which are often pleasingly colorful.
The Queen of Black Magic concerns a young woman, Murni, who is believed to have sabotaged her former boyfriend’s wedding using witchcraft. Though she has no such power, her ex rounds up some of his friends, who kidnap Murni and throw her over a cliff. But Murni survives the ordeal, and will soon become what she was thought to be—a witch—so she can exact her revenge.
The actress known simply as Suzzanna is great in the lead role of Murni. The character is initially reluctant to engage in the dark arts, but once she becomes “the Queen of Black Magic,” she delights in her power to slay her enemies, which Suzzanna conveys with understated zeal.
There’s even some overlap in casting with Mystics in Bali, as W. D. Mochtar—he plays the hermit who trains Murni to be a witch—appears in both pictures.
The men who tried to kill Murni are all offed by her in unique fashions. In the first of these death, Murni makes the guy’s skins bubble and then burst, with blood spraying all over the place—truly gnarly stuff!
There’s lots of blood-spilling in other scenes, too, though those aren’t the grossest parts, if you can believe it. Okay, close your eyes:
The film is not perfect by any means. It has its share of plot holes and unintended comedy, but, really, that only adds to the fun.
The Queen of Black Magic was one of the first Asian horror movies to be distributed in the States on home video. Its shocking moments helped earn the film a cult following, though it’s less known today than Mystics in Bali.
More after the jump…