SATAN'S SLAVE (2017)

Critic - No.145
Director: Joro Anwar
Casts: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Endy Arfian, Dimas Aditya, Nasar Annuz, M. Adhiyat
Language: Bahasa Indonesia
Genre: Drama / Horror / Mystery

SYNOPSIS:
After dying from a strange illness that she suffered for 3 years, a mother returns home to pick up her children. 

REVIEW:
Indonesia is famous for its old school horror films that are based on famous folk lore characters and plot. Especially when majority of the population believes in the element of supernatural to a high extent, striking chords through the horror genre is not particularly an uphill task. Released in 1980, ‘Pengabdi Setan (Satan's Salve in English)’ became a beloved cult classic at that time which only stacked up the pressure to remake this old school horror with a touch of invention without spoiling the strong sentiment of mysticism the audience shared with the film. 

Joro Anwar takes the challenge quite swiftly by exploring familiar scares further by staging them with an increased tension that is engineered innovatively. From the start, the plot advances quite quickly and stabs our senses in fear in the pre-death scene of the mother who is bedridden. The clever use of sound from the help bell of the mother, echoes through the film and sets a strong platform of jump scares that serve as a major cheap thrill. 

The two boys who have played the last two children of the mother (Nasar Annuz & Adhiyat) steal the show among the cast ensemble with their innocent exchanges during fearful scenes especially during the night of their mother’s funeral. Joro Anwar injects lighter moments during these scenes and strategically scares us, seconds later. 

With a fair degree of technical discipline, ‘Pengabdi Setan’ offers a few interestingly shot scenes and detailed art direction to craft an authentic world of the 1980s. The sounds mixing and editing are quite detailed and enhances the numerous scares that rely heavily on the sense of sound than sight.
With a few modifications and additions of back stories, Joro Anwar baits us to a mysterious screenplay. 

However, the scares do become a little too predictable after a terrifying hour into the film. For people who fall easily for jump scares, this might work but the predictability and repetitiveness might irk a little for others. With a blink or miss climax revelation, ‘Pengabdi Setan’ leaves me with a little shock but not without a slightly underwhelming experience.

VERDICT: 
Adhering strictly to genre conventions, director Joro Anwar comes up with a faithful remake of Indonesia’s most horrific 1980s horror flick with a few imaginatively staged scares and solid performances.

CELLULOID METER- 3/5: 

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