Satan’s Slave

An Islamic burial, in sharp contrast with the wealthy — and secular — Indonesian family that mourns the buried matriarch. The following night, Tommy, the younger of her two children, is awoken by a ghost at his bedroom window. His sister Rita, on the other hand, seems to handle her mother’s death with a lot more levity, angering her father when she turns to partying instead of sulking grief. Furthermore, upon consulting an astrologer, Tommy becomes fascinated with Western images of the occult, prompted to work through the pain with the aid of a little harmless, fictional (?) black magic. But soon, strange phenomena seem to truly afflict the family: phone and doorbell pranks, falling photographs, and other telltale signs of the supernatural, coinciding with the tumultuous arrival of the new help…

Hugely influential to a generation of filmmakers, and somewhat of a cult item to fans of bizarro cinema (as previously only available in this part of the world on VHS-quality transfers), Sisworo Gautama Putra’s SATAN’S SLAVE (PENGABDI SETAN) was remade last year by Joko Anwar, to great success and acclaim. Now, don’t miss the chance to discover Rapi Film’s stunning 2K restoration of the influential 1982 film — previously only seen in Asia, and now made available in North American by the most excellent folks at Severin Films! Whereas Anwar’s version built to something more in line with recent retro-style haunted house horror such as THE CONJURING, Putra’s original film provides atmospheric chills more in keeping with the supernatural slasher, slowly building, however, to a schlocky and zombie-rific finale. It’s a clash of faith and a fascinating joust of old-school moralizing that gives Western viewers much insight into the societal tensions of the times — the uneasy cohabitation of Balinese mythology, Western-styled secularism and Islamic faith still very much a component of the complex fabric of Indonesian society today. – Ariel Esteban Cayer