Satan's Slave

Director - Sisworo Gautama Putra (Savage Terror, The Warrior)
Starring - Ruth Pelupessi (Mistery in Hongkong, Rosita), W. D. Mochtar (Fighting the Storm, Operation X), and Fachrul Rozy (The General's Daughter)
Release Date - 1982
Genre - Horror
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I get a lot of stuff in for review.  Honestly, I get in more stuff to review than I have time to review it.  I always look at each release as it's own instead of the company behind it.  I know some people get excited by brands and, to an extent, I do too.  However, I know that all companies are capable of releasing hits, as well as, duds.  Sometime back I got Satan's Slave in for review and put it on my review stack.  The artwork wasn't speaking to me and I just assumed it was going to be one I didn't care for.  I was so fucking wrong.  Over the last two days I've watched this 1982 Indonesian classic twice with a third spin in my near future.  I'm so sorry I slept on this release.
     The film follows a family that is well off financially but is struggling after their mother dies.  The father is a dedicated businessman and is often gone for work leaving his daughter and son home to cope with the loss of their mother.  They hire a new caretaker to look over the home but she is harboring a dark secret.  She practices black magic and is using her powers to reanimate the dead with plans on killing the entire family.  
     The artwork on the Severin blu release is solid artwork but it doesn't pull the viewer in or peak curiosity.  My first impression of this one was that it was going to be a bland and boring Asian horror film but I was so fucking wrong.  This movie has some of the greatest atmosphere to come out of 80s horror along with a great story and fantastic sets.  I absolutely loved it.  The acting in this one is pretty damn good.  The cast does a fantastic job at establishing their characters and creating memorable personalities.  Their scenes are extremely smooth and they do a fantastic job with their character interactions.  The story for this one is simple but it works.  The gothic atmosphere and gloomy sets really work for the film.  It added another layer to the simple story making it work better than it should have.  It does slow down in a few spots but the scenery helps hold the viewer's attention.  Finally, there is blood with some practical effects but they are far from perfect.  In fact, compared to modern films they are rather laughable.  With that being said, the make-up effects are my favorite aspect of the film.  I love how the dead look in this one.  Simple white and gray paint with standard contact really gave the dead a skin crawling look.  Overall, Satan's Slave is a must.  Fans of Night of the Living Dead and Asian horror will need to see this one.  The blu from Severin looks crisp and nice with some of the scenes really popping.  I highly recommend this one for collectors.