The Queen of Black Magic comes exclusively to Shudder in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on January 28th, 2021.
Synopsis
Childhood friends Hanif, Jefri, and Anton take their families on a trip to the orphanage where they grew up to pay their final respects to the man who raised them. But they’ll soon discover that the secrets from their past refuse to stay buried.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9hXp2F3yoReview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eKdGRKMsg4&feature=youtu.beIn sitting down to watch The Queen of Black Magic and write this review I learned that Indonesia has been crafting some of the genre’s best movies. A fact which had sadly been lost on me until the closing moments of this film, whilst collecting my jaw (and my lunch) off the proverbial floor.
The Queen of Black Magic is a deftly clever story which points the audience in a number of telling directions before absolutely tearing up the rulebook and diverting somewhere unexpected.
Writer Joko Anwar clearly has a keen eye for details as there appears to be no moment which doesn’t portent to coming doom of our fair cast. It’s never a good sign when you’ve already potentially struck an innocent young girl on the way to film’s central location. The omens are bad here people and they are profound.
Underneath the horror – and there’s a lot of horror – there’s still a beating emotional heart. These characters are all chosen family rather than blood relations. It all ties back in to the orphanage where male leads Hanif (Ario Bayu), Anton (Tanta Ginting) and Jeferi (Miller Khan) grew up. Returning there with their significant others and, in Hanif’s case, adopted children. They’re returning as the orphanage owner, Bandi (Yayu A.W. Unru) is dying.
At the outset it feels like a coming together of family. There’s the unease of a family which has grown distant and strong emotions at the impending loss of Bandi. But bubbling under the surface, almost from the outset, there’s something darker.
There are violent and abusive secrets hiding in the orphanage. But thanks to countless twists I could never quite tell where The Queen of Black Magic was going to end up. Anwar’s script has some strong pacing throughout, it also has enough skin-crawling, gut wrenching moments to keep me on the edge of my seat and hiding behind the biggest pillow I could find.
The Queen of Back Magic is definitely a film for those with a strong stomach. Especially where creepy crawlies are concerned. Thankfully there were no spiders otherwise this reviewer would be sleeping with the lights on.
But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t gore and guts for the sake of it. There’s an important story to tell and it’s executed brilliantly between Kimo Stamboel’s steadfast direction and some inspiring cinemtagoraphy from Patrick Tashadian. The film oozes atmosphere. Interior shots are bathed in rusty browns and dusty, shadowy corners whilst exteriors more colourful but equally immersive.
The Queen of Black Magic has a lot of old school horror thinking under the hood. Though there are a number of VFX shots they are few and far between. Instead the filmmakers opt for some excellent practical effects which are as convincing as they are, at times, sickening. It’s the kind of horror which is screaming to be watched with a gang of friends, all clamouring to be less scared than the other.
But what’s worth remembering is that underneath all the gore there’s an important and impactful story of child abuse which deserves to be told.
Verdict
Fiendishly scary but profoundly thought provoking, The Queen of Black Magic is an international horror which deserves global attention.
Directed by Kimo Stamboel, The Queen of Black Magic stars Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashid, Miller Khan, Salvita Decorte, Muzakki Ramdhan and Imelda Therinne.
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