The Queen of Black Magic

This film begins with a young bride by the name "Baedah" (Siska Widowati) preparing to marry her future husband named "Kohar" (Alan Nuary). But as Kohar approaches his new bride, Baedah has a hallucination which so terrifies her that she runs inside the house to escape. While this is happening, a terrible storm suddenly develops which wreaks havoc upon the wedding feast and sends the guests into a panic. Not long afterward, Kohar becomes convinced that a past lover by the name of "Murni" (J. P. Suzzanna) has done this through black magic, so together with several young men from the village, they march out to kill her. Meanwhile, Murni just happens to be at home with her mother and doesn't know anything about what has happened until the mob reaches her house where they drag her out and subsequently throw her off a cliff. As luck would have it, however, she is rescued by an evil wizard (played by W. D. Mochtar) who takes her to his small hut where he nurses her back to health. And it's then that he teaches her the art of black magic and fills her with a terrible rage so that she can exact her revenge. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an interesting film which benefited greatly from the performance of J. P. Suzzanna, who was not only beautiful, but played her part extremely well. Likewise, the exotic scenery aided this film to a certain degree as well. On the flip side, however, the suspense was lacking, and the script could also have used some improvement. Be that as it may, while this wasn't a great movie by any means, it wasn't necessarily that bad either and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

Contemporary horror flicks coming out of Hong Kong, including from such esteemed studios as The Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, tended to draw significantly on black magic for their material. In what could have been and were intended to be gnarly effects extravaganzas, however, it didn't always feel like the full potential was being met. Thankfully, the same is not true of this Indonesian classic. It comes across in no small part that filmmaker Liliek Sudjio and/or screenwriter Imam Tantowi conjured the scenario particularly with a mind for filling it with as much striking imagery and as many effects sequences as they reasonably could. Working from the premise of a woman who was horribly mistreated, and who is taught black magic to exact revenge, 'Ratu ilmu hitam' ("Queen of black magic") is flush with imaginative, wild visions to keep us entertained. It isn't necessarily absolutely perfect, yet there is superb, enduring value here that shows Indonesia isn't to be counted out as a source of terrific genre cinema.

The practical effects and stunts are uniformly outstanding, from blood and gore to wire work, fire, explosions, and more. Even setting aside such specific, twisted violence, however, we're given an array of splendid, creative sights that lend tremendous dark flavor to the tale. From art direction to props, even the costume design, and not least the casting of spells, in the spectacle is represented a bounty of vibrant, colorful delights, all equally fantastic. Everyone working behind the scenes is to be congratulated for conjuring such a great treasure, to say nothing of the filmmaker and writer who give the proceedings such obvious, welcome focus. There's a point to be made that just as like-minded fare out of Europe or the United States leans on opposition to Christianity, this is a tad heavy-handed in how it weaves in Islam as a panacea for the ills facing the village, though as far as that goes it's not as gawky about it as some other Indonesian horror. One might also argue that the picture isn't as dark as it could have been, and maybe in turn not as satisfying, but as far as I'm concerned 'Ratu ilmu hitam' is so strong that any such questions are resolved for me.

With the film being given such a strong center, everyone involved is able to gladly do their part to bring it to vivid life. The cast are to be commended for their admirable performances of nuance and range, with Suzzanna obviously standing out most as beleaguered protagonist Murni. From editing and cinematography to Sudjio's direction, the title is shaped in every manner to let the story play out meaningfully, but more so to elevate the intended spectacle - to superb results! The filming locations are gorgeous, the hair and makeup are lovely, the sets in general are swell, and in every regard this is well made and enjoyable. We're all here for one thing, though, and the participants knew it, and 'Ratu ilmu hitam' does not disappoint. As a matter of personal preference this won't appeal to all comers, but I'm inclined to believe anyone who appreciates the genre will find something to like here, even if they're not as wholly taken with it as I am. In my opinion this meets or surpasses the standards set by some similar works, and it's a pity that it's not more well known. This is one horror classic that's well worth seeking out, and I'm pleased to give it my heart recommendation!

'The Queen Of Black Magic (1981)' is an Indonesian horror film in which a woman is accused of using black magic to ruin the wedding of her ex-lover and, after being thrown off a cliff, is subsequently taught black magic by a mysterious stranger who wants her to get revenge on those that did her harm. It's a bit of an odd film, with a serious tone that's offset somewhat by its often silly surrealistic visuals. Still, it works well enough for what it is. What it lacks in atmosphere and compelling characters it makes up for with pulpy special effects and a straightforward plot. It more or less just sees its protagonist pick off her wrongdoers one by one, until it moves into its final third and it starts to focus more on the fact that she doesn't want to keep hurting people. There's a really weird and unnecessary plot twist near the end that doesn't do anything other than make things really uncomfortable and, in general, the picture is only ever so compelling. However, it's generally enjoyable and features some entertaining special effects. It's a solid effort. 6/10.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently after disliking the remake.

Weird scene : Murni already told her mother about losing her virginity n her lover breaking his promise about marrying her and we as audiences became aware of this situation but was it necessary to the show the scene wher she loses her virginity and that too without any sex or nudity.

Another lol aspect is Murni doing naked karate moves in the middle of the night. That is how her mentor taught her black magic.

Her jumps on a hilltop and a sparking moon as the backdrop can only be applauded.

Murni bathes naked in a river n no nudity.

Ther is this smoke coming out from the top of Murni's head n at the background we have this pressure cooker music/sound.

All thru the rituals Murni is naked but we dont get to see anything.

A man is charged 200 for a coffee n that too in the 80s. I dont kno whether it was rupees or dollars.

Two fried bananas n a cup of coffee for 500. But can someone tell me the currency?

Wtf man, Murni is able to lactate n breastfeed a baby without getting pregnant.

And watch out for the scene where a body gets smashed as if someone firing bullets at the body along with shooting sound.

A guy repeatedly does karate jumps, cheeks turn into puss filled balloons and last but not least Murni is able to get herself inside the earth without any digging.

When Baedah,daughter of the wealthy village headman, is plagued by horrifying visions on her wedding day,her husband Kohar suspects that black magic is at work.Convinced that the source of the hallucinations is Murna played by '70s Indonesian horror queen Suzzanna,the poor girl he seduced and then abandoned for Baedah,Kohar rallies a mob to burn down her house and throw her into a ravine.Murna is rescued by a magician,who helps her seek revenge by teaching her the black arts.She then returns to her village and gruesomely kills several of her persecutors,saving Kohar for the last and most hideous death."Queen of Black Magic" is a classic of Inodnesian horror.The dubbing is terrible and the acting is pretty bad,but it offers some gory deaths including the demise of Kohar,who pulls off his own head in a fountain of arterial gore.If you enjoy watching wild Indonesian cinema "Black Magic Terror" is a blast.