Mystics in Bali

Finally tracked down a copy of this gruesome horror story about a young woman who wants to learn the black arts of Bali. She does and becomes a vampire in the process.

To be honest this isn't a very good film. Its okay, and were it not for the vampire, this film would be long forgotten. The first 40 or so minutes are mostly endless talk as the woman finds a teacher and then learns the magic. When the master sends her out in her vampire form to get the blood of newborns for her, all hell breaks loose. These sequences are the reason the movie exists, the very non-western vision of a vampire on the prowl. They are creepy. There is something disturbing about the sequences even when you can see how they were done (which is very obvious).

After this the film plods along for another 50 minutes as teacher uses her pupil for vile ends while her boyfriend and his family try to free her from the evil.

That sounds more interesting then it is. Its rather dull with only the magic/vampire scenes being of any real interest. Frankly while they are low or no budget, they are effective and make this film worth renting for those who love horror films. Just don't expect to be feeling scared or singing the praises of anything other than the beasties.

6.5 out of 10

'Mystics in Bali' - sometimes known as 'Leák' - this Indonesian horror film focuses on an American woman whose research into black magic leads her Bali where she gets more than she bargained for upon befriending a local witch. With her constant cackling, unusually long fingernails and snake-like tongue, the local witch makes for a genuinely creepy character and all her scenes are divine. The low budget special effects also work more often than not, with gooey transformation effects, lots to like in the sheer bizarreness of a floating human head with entrails attached and a highly unsettling bit in which the said head confronts a pregnant woman. Whether the film has much to offer beyond its sheer weirdness is debatable. The protagonist's romance with a local Bali man lacks sparks and comes off as under-developed (does she really love him or is she just using him since he can help her with her research?). The acting is hardly top notch here either. There is, however, enough zany and offbeat imagery on hand that the film engages the whole way through. Quite a few aspects of the plot resonate too, especially how quickly she becomes a victim of the very black magic that she is trying to disprove and how her sheer skepticism makes her all the more vulnerable. The film almost in fact works as a cautionary tale regarding the risks of dabbling in things that one does not properly understand.

A great piece of foreign obscure. Complete with laughing witches, black magic, flying heads, gore, percussion tunes and Indonesian people running around with traditional clothing.

Plot line: This Australian girl, expert in voodoo, want to learn more about the original Indonesian black magic called ""leák"", the strongest en most dangerous form of black magic known to mankind. When she arrive she's been helped out by this local citizen guy. He introduced here to the master of the leák, the ugliest and having the most nasty laugh of them all. Pretty soon the local town is experiences all kind of strange voodoo things attacking them.

8 out of 10

American author Catherine travels to Bali to learn the art of "Leák" – some kind of black magic. Her native boyfriend Mahendra introduces her to a shady Leák mistress. The witch teaches Catherine strange rituals including (but not limited to) maniacal laughter, erratic dancing and pig transformations. Pretty awesome, isn't it? Well, unfortunately the witch turns out to be evil. She takes control over Catherine's head at night and forces her to gather blood. Mahendra tries to cut the bond between Catherine and the witch, but that's easier said than done.

"Leák" (better known as "Mystics in Bali") is an Indonesian horror movie about the mythological figure Leyak: a flying head floating trough the night and sucking the blood of newborn babies, with the entrails of its former body still hanging from it. For Indonesians, this legend might be familiar, but for us westerners it's decidedly weird, especially because the director H. Tjut Djalil doesn't feel the need to explain what's happening on screen. But regardless of our cultural background, I think we can all agree that this movie wonderfully crazy trip which will conjure a smile on the face of every trash fan out there.

The plot is strange from beginning to end, and there's no point in me listing all the lunatic scenes - you have to experience them first-hand. What makes "Leák" so funny is the fact that neither Catherine nor Mehandra seem to be bothered by the outrageous events. They're like: "Let's meet with this disfigured witch and learn black magic! You can't go wrong with that, can you? Oh, could it be that Catherine killed someone?! Ah well, whatever. Let's kiss and be all lovey-dovey!" Those two might be the most carefree couple in film history.

Amidst all the chaos there are some quite effective scenes. The cheap special effects are disturbing at times. But "Leák" seldom is truly scary. The story is told roughly. The ending is an overhasty jumble: Things seem to happen at random, and then the movie ends abruptly.

All in all, "Leák" is an interesting yet clumsy introduction to Indonesian mythology. The shocks are few and far between, but the movie amuses with obscure ideas and visuals.

Adventuresome film lovers looking for the most warped stuff from around the globe would do well to check out this terminally weird Indonesian horror film. "Leak", a.k.a. "Mystics in Bali", is a real trip, one where you won't believe what you're seeing. It's equal parts cheesy, creepy, silly, and mysterious, and establishes an interesting lore. It's this lore that intrigues an American named Cathy (Ilona Agathe Bastian), who seeks to know more about the powerful magic known as Leak, supposedly more powerful than any other form of magic. Well, she really gets in over her head, as the female Leak cult member whom she meets (Sofia W.D.) is willing to mentor her in all things Leak, but the horrific old crone mainly wants to use Cathy for her own ends. It's up to Cathy's good friend Mahendra (Yos Santo) to help save the day. The special effects in this thing may not always be terribly slick, but it's this very crudeness that makes them so endearing and, sometimes, hysterical. The audience may howl with appreciative laughter seeing the way that the crone manipulates Cathy's body, separating her head from her body on occasion and sending it out on killing missions. There are also a couple of transformations, as Cathy is shown how to become lower animals, such as a pig and a snake. The music, by Gatot Sudarto, is very atmospheric, as is the jungle setting; director H. Tjut Djalil handles everything with a certain degree of panache, ensuring that the stupefied viewer will keep watching. As can be expected, the actors performing the dubbed in voices are hilariously bad, while the people on screen gamely perform this material with the straightest faces imaginable. It's worth sticking with this just to see how this wild story will resolve itself. While it was a big hit in Asia back in its day, it never got a proper release stateside as it was thought North American audiences wouldn't be able to appreciate its weirdness. Of course, now we can watch it on the DVD from Mondo Macabro and soak up its ambiance and flair. Anybody who's a fan of strange cinema is advised not to pass it up. Eight out of 10.