Pact with the Forces of Darkness

Director - Sisworo Guatama Putra (Satan's Slave, Wolf)

Starring - Suzzanna (The Earth Gets Hotter, White Crocodile Queen), Elly Ermawati (Saur Sepuh: Satria Madangkara, Saur Sepuh 2: Pesanggrahan Keramat), and Piet Pagau (Revenge of the Ninja, Deadly Angels Strike Back)

Release Date - 1991

Genre - Horror

Format - Blu (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Several years back I was sent the 1982 Indonesian horror flick Satan's Slave from Vinegar Syndrome for review.  I had never seen it prior to that but it was a film I instantly fell in love with.  It's a movie that I've watched several times since then and I can see myself revisiting it again in the near future.  This unforgettable film was directed by Sisworo Guatama Putra who also helmed several other genre flicks.  Sometime back I was sent the Suzzanna: Empress of Darkness from my friends over at Severin Films.  When  I opened it up to watch the first film in the set, Pact with the Forces of Darkness from 1991, I noticed that Putra directed this one as well.  I couldn't wait to dig into this one and like always I want to thank Severin for sending this one over.

     The film with begins with a family preparing for the night when their home is invaded by goons who slaughters everyone before leaving.  The mother, with her dying breath, makes a pact with a demon to get revenge on those that slaughtered her family.  

     I went into this one completely blind and found myself enjoying this one.  It was unintentionally funny at times and the nod to Freddy Krueger was fun even though it did feel cheap.  I can see why this one doesn't get the international notoriety as Putra's other films but it ws fun.  The acting in this one was surprisingly well done.  A lot of the cast had very little, if any, acting credits prior to filming this one yet they all did pretty damn good.  The characters are fairly flat, even for a horror film, but the cast does a solid job with what was written for them.  The story for this one is nothing we haven't seen in horror before, especially by the time this one rolled around in the early 90s.  We have someone who kills off his opposition only for one of them to make a deal with a demon on their deathbed to get revenge.  I've seen similar stories in action, thrillers, and even sci-fi features but none had the Indonesian spin that these had.  Honestly, I enjoyed it.  It's not the most original film but the pacing works.  I may not revisit this one anytime soon but the story works for a first time watch.  Finally, this one doesn't shy away from the deaths but they are not that fun or memorable.  The effects are minimal and work for the gag but are nothing that stands out.  Overall, Pact with the Forces of Darkness is a solid entry in the world of Indonesian horror but it's not as fun or memorable as other films from Putra.  Check it out.