Everyone loves a good movie about a witch. They always seem to be the anti-hero gone too far. When you sell your soul to the devil or demons for power, generally it is far easier to become the bad guy and there is always a good bit of collateral damage. Like films of the same ilk such as The Autopsy of Jane Doe, the Queen of Black Magic, or Ratu Ilmu Hitam, has a scorned woman getting sweet and dark revenge on the people that wronged her.
We start the film following a family who is arriving at an orphanage to visit their dying father figure. Once all the pieces are in place, the strange happenings begin and the story unravels. I will say that despite some pretty predictable elements, this plot did have a few nice little twists up to the end! The story is pretty easy to follow even with the cultural difference that exists in various types of storytelling across the world. This is an Indonesian film, and yes, this is one of the "Efrit tries to expand his foreign film love" movies, and frankly, I am impressed again.
Despite some pretty terrible CG at times, this movie does have a decent amount of practical effects and the horror isn't relegated to only jump scares. There are scenes that build suspense by watching people mutilate themselves as the witch messes with their minds. Other times we get to see Ring-style haunting scenes. Or maybe it is just a good-ol' jump scare, but it isn't just one thing over and over again like some movies have done before (I am looking at you, James Wan).
This movie is also a remake of a 1981 film with the same name, so if you're into (or not into) remakes, then it is worth looking into to compare and contrast the changes. I have not seen the older, film but I am interested now that I know it exists!
At an hour and a half, this is a great film to get your friends spooked and to give you those horror vibes we know you all crave! Thanks again to Fantastic Fest for letting us check out so many great movies and Alamo on Demand for hosting all this for FREE!!!
Horror Rating System
Horror Qualifier: 9/10 Horror Quality: 8/10 Film Quality: 6/10
#fantasticfest #queenofblackmagic #jameswan #theautopsyofjanedoe