The Queen of Black Magic is an Indonesian horror film directed by Kimo Stamboel. It stars Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashid, Ade Firman Hakim, Sheila Dara Aisha, Miller Khan, and Muzzaki Ramdhan in the main roles and was released on 28th January 2021 on Shudder.
Hanif (Ario Bayu), his wife Nadya (Hannah Al Rashid) with their two sons and a daughter are heading to the orphanage where Hanif spend his childhood to visit the man who raised him and is ill now. On the way, he hit a deer who died on the spot and after reaching there, they are warmly welcomed by the couple Maman (Ade Firman Hakim) and Siti (Sheila Dara Aisha) and are joined by other two couples, Jefri (Miller Khan) and Lina (Salvita Decorte), and Anton (Tanta Ginting) and Eva (Imelda Therinne). This visiting and reuniting after so many years doesn't stay happy for long as Hanif realizes that it's not the deer he hit on the way, and discovers a bus full of dead children of the orphanage. Hanif, Jefri and Anton have a dark past related to Ms. Mirah who practiced black magic when they were kids and died in one of the rooms and it looks like she has returned seeking revenge and wants to kill them all.
Joko Anwar has penned the story and screenplay and I liked the setting overall, the base on which the film is standing. Three men heading to their orphanage to see the man who raised them. They reach there with their wives and Hanif with their three kids too. So there are many actors and a lot of time is spent in clearing the dynamics between them. Haqi is very curious about everything and takes interest in the story of Ms. Mirah and how she killed a girl Murni.
We don't know how they're in real lives but the writer successfully gives the idea about how they are from inside. A lot of time goes into character development so that the impact is created when they face the horrors and the flow of the film is so smooth that you'll feel like the writer didn't waste any time at all coming to the main track. When Hanif realizes that he didn't kill a deer on his way and when he goes to the same dark road with Jefri, that's where the real fun starts. There is a bus full of dead children, then Ms. Mirah who practiced black magic, there's also a dark past about Mr. Bandi (the man they are visiting) and Murni who was killed.
The children also get sufficient screentime, especially Muzzaki Ramdhan who played the adorable Haqi, who out of interest asks Siti about her burnt face without wasting time. The film gets brutal and gory as it reaches the finale, where Murni shows up and wants to kill every one of them as she thinks that watching someone dying is also a sin. The strong bloody violence and body horror are too much, millipedes going inside the mouth, one is slicing her skin with knives like fruit as she thinks she's fat, someone's eye is popping out - this is truly something all horror addicts should watch as it delivers everything, all the tropes of horror movies with bang-on execution.
Ario Bayu and Hannah Al Rashid as Hanif and Nadya are the central couples and they did an excellent job. Muzzaki Ramdhan as Haqi steals all the limelight with his innocent and amazing performance. He brings a lightness to the film in the first half with his beautiful presence and wins your heart. Miller Khan as Jefri is also natural, and Adhisty Zara as Dina, Ari Irham as Sandi, Ade Firman Hakim as Maman, Sheila Dara Aisha as Siti, Tanta Ginting as Anton, Imelda Therinne as Eva and Salvita Decorte as Lina have also given decent support.
The cinematography by Patrick Tashadian also plays a crucial role in lifting the impact of the horror elements. They work in giving you the chills because the camera work is effective in capturing the dark halls, rooms and forest, and everything. The camera is shaky where it's required and stable at other times. The art direction by Rico Marpaung is good, and the music by Yudhi Arfani and Fajar Yuskemal is terrific and the sound design is also worth mentioning. Sound plays a vital role and is the backbone of any horror movie and this one doesn't disappoint in this department. The editing by Arifin Cu'ink is reasonably good and tight.
The Queen of Black Magic is one of the best old school horror films I have seen in years. Last year Indonesia gave us Impetigore and this is something that stands the same, according to me. This is a treat for horror fans, there is black magic, blood, body horror, gore, violence, a creepy setup, and a strong base of the story and strong performance which many horror films lack. It scared me as I started watching it around 12:30 am in a dark room, alone, and I've to constantly watch around the corners and my back if Ms. Mirah is there or not (Ha ha). Stream it you won't be disappointed.
Rating:- 3.5/5
Now streaming on Shudder.
Hope you have liked this post. Follow and hit the bell button to Subscribe and tap on filmreviewsloop for more reviews and recommendations. Feel free to comment or to give any suggestions, I'm all ears.
0 Comments