Satan's Slave (1980) User Reviews (18)

some spooky moments, and unusually Islam is used to fight evil rather than Xtianity

[FieCrier · 6/10 · 9 July 2006]

I've been finding Indonesian horror movies to be pretty enjoyable. This one was no exception, although it doesn't come close to Witch with Flying Head, for example.

This one involves the interplay between good and evil. The movie begins with a Muslim burial, a body in a white shroud being put on its right side facing Mecca, covered with wooden planks at an angle, then covered with dirt. A voice recites Arabic, probably verses from the Quran.

A family has suffered the death of the mother. The father, son and daughter live together with a wheezing old caretaker. The son is visited at night by a corpse-like woman with bulging white eyes lacking irises. In some respects, he thereafter acts possessed. He visits a fortuneteller for help, who says his family is in danger and he can protect them with black magic. He begins reading up on horror and other topics.

The fortuneteller shows up at the house as the new live-in maid, saying nothing of her fortunetelling. The son continues to act odd and see the woman in white, who his sister glimpses as well. The caretaker urges them to pray. The daughter visits an outdoor disco and has a friend who urges her to try a shaman.

There are additional deaths, and a mysterious man whose attempts to speak to the father at his work and at home are rudely put off.

As the DVD box states, the movie "use(s) Islamic beliefs in dealing with the subject of the undead." This makes it somewhat novel, although really one could substitute in a Christian and nothing would have changed much.

The DVD box also calls this "an Indonesian version of the cult horror film PHANTASM." This is a bit hard to figure. They're both low-budget horror movies. However, the most characteristic properties of Phantasm were the tall man, the dwarfs, and the spheres. There's nothing like that here, or the portal or embalming fluid. Some broken glass flies around, there's a scene with a motorbike in a cemetery, and there is an old hearse with relatively short men (but not little people) carrying a casket. Beyond that, I can't figure out what connection was seen.

Regrettably, there are several points in the movie where the DVD was poorly made and the entire screen, including the letterboxing is covered with large colorful pixels (though the subtitles can still be seen).

Scary Movie Back Then...

[empatmk · 7/10 · 14 April 2017]

Despite of the makeup that too ordinary for a horror film, the story plot was frightening enough until now. Perhaps if we watch this movie in the recent time, I'm sure it's nothing compare to any modern horror film. But when you watched this movie back in the 80s, inside the theater, it could gave you a nightmare.

A Battle Between Good and Evil

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 23 September 2023]

This film essentially begins with a funeral service being held for a woman who has left a husband and two nearly grown children behind. So, mourning the loss of his mother, "Tommy" (Fachrul Rozy) is advised by a friend to visit a local fortune teller who can help guide him through his grief by preparing him for future events. When he does, however, he is told that he and his family are in grave danger and that the only way to protect them is through the use of black magic. That said, he purchases some books and various other objects of an occult nature to help him in that regard. His sister "Rita" (Siska Widowati), on the other hand, chooses a more hedonistic approach to deal with her grief by going to parties with her boyfriend "Herman" (Simon Cader) instead. Not long afterward, both of them begin seeing apparitions of their mother which, as you might expect, begin to frighten them. Yet rather than address their concerns, their father "Munarto" (W. D. Mochtar) hires a housekeeper named "Darmina" (Ruth Pelupessi) to take care of them--and that's when things really get scary. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an interesting film due in large part to the manner in which the use of Islamic spiritualism was used to combat black magic. I say this because, of the horror films I have seen from the Far East, the remedies are typically of a Buddhist or Christian nature. So, this was rather new to me. On a totally separate note, although the plot and some of the horror scenarios were quite good, the special effects tended to be much too basic to really make them stand out. At least, that is how it seemed to me. Be that as it may, while I don't consider this to be a great horror film by any means, I suppose it was good enough for the time spent, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

"Rise, And Follow My Commands!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 19 September 2023]

SATAN'S SLAVE is a supernatural / occult film from Indonesia. After the family matriarch dies, a mysterious housekeeper (Ruth Pelupessi) moves in to put things in order. Horror, satanic shenanigans, and unexplained deaths ensue.

Utterly absurd from start to finish, this movie is a lot of fun to watch! It features: Ghosts, vampires, zombies, black magic, a flying, killer chandelier, and an ultimate showdown between good and eeevil. Some of the "terrifying" sequences and the not-so-special effects therein are genuine gutbusters!

Maximum praise must go to Ms. Pelupessi, whose skunk-eyed stare could curdle milk! She's the best part of this hilarious masterpiece...

All reviews are agreeing...Amazing

[chet19 · 7/10 · 28 January 2014]

Normally these IMDb reviews are all different, and the various reviewers criticize other reviews, etc. But not the case for Satan's Slave here. First of all, we all agree that the movie isn't much like Phantasm at all. Except for a scene or two of a teenager on a motorcycle and him visiting a fortune teller (neither of which affect the plot), there aren't many similarities. However, we all also agree that this is an enjoyable horror film. The house scenes at night were shot well and look pretty creepy. The evil maid was spooky. The story of finding God to help overcome the devil is not original, but it's done well in this film. All in all, it's worth renting or finding it for free on youtube.

Do Not Mess With The Evil.

[DarkSpotOn · 7/10 · 19 May 2023]

This is what horror should be. Movies that are upsetting but have a moral message and to be unique in it's own way. This movie nails both on the head, except the pacing on this movie could of been better. The movie does drag at times. But for the most part it's pretty good.

You know, i was never really a fan of Slashers like Friday the 13th, because both of those films are pointless, and it's just horror for the sake of being horror. Neither of those films have anything unique, it's just the same idea in circles.

This movie however, has a great message; Faith and do not mess with the other side. I would say that this is one of those movies that Teenagers should watch in school alongside Requiem for a Dream, and Apartment 407. All 3 films i just named have great messages, and they really make you think about life.

I can also say another a bit negative is the effects are kinda weak. But i did not really care because that's not the point what makes a good movie good is a good story, and pacing. Everything else can be passed.

Even the father becomes likeable in the end, the man realizes where he went wrong, and follows the footsteps of his daughter and son. I can totally recommend this, with other good horror movies like: Chucky, Martyrs, Cannibal Holocaust, Uzumaki, Hostel, Dead Alive, Reanimator, Cube, Saw 2 & 3, and many other great films out there...

Quite scary, if you're a Muslim-Indonesian living in late 80s - early 90s

[jep_zak · 3/10 · 25 December 2017]

First, the good stuff. The cultural background of the audience play huge role in creating the eerie atmosphere. For instance, in the first scene where people are mourning and gives their prayers, most Muslim-Indonesian would find it eerie, but for the other audiences this eeriness of the scene is lost in translation. However the shots of the house, particularly in night scenes, manage to give an universal horror-scary atmosphere regardless your cultural background.

Second, the bad stuffs. The plot is irritatingly slow, and there is lack of causation or logic within the story, and the antagonist is evil for evil sake, there is no motivation or whatsoever, or why she would want the family dead. I know the in-universe explanation is because the family is not religious but that's not enough. Also there are no likable characters, most of the time I wish they're all dead, but lo and behold, came some Ustad (an Islamic scholar/preacher) defeat the antagonist with no sweat at all.

When I reached the ending scene, I realized that this is not a horror movie, but more like a Religious-Islamist-propaganda type of movie with a message that if you don't want to be haunted by a crazy-evil witch, you must practice Islam diligently. A message that was relevant and (still) on demand in the Indonesian market.

Cult horror

[parkerbcn · 7/10 · 10 August 2021]

Indonesian cult horror that takes inspiration from American works of the late 70s like "Phantasm" or "Salem's Lot". It has a surprising Islamic religious side and quite spooky moments, especially for its time.

Killing the audience sloooooooooooowly

[udar55 · 1/10 · 7 September 2009]

Young Tommy and his sister are dealing with the death of their mother. After Tommy visits a psychic in order to contact his mother, the psychic - who is actually a vessel for Satan - shows up at their house as their new servant and, so slowly, all hell begins to break loose. This black magic flick from the director of Barry Prima vehicle THE WARRIOR is often described as an "Indonesian version of PHANTASM." Well, don't get your hopes up - it is only similar to PHANTASM in that it steals a few plots points. No Indonesian Tall Man or flying orbs so hopes are easily squashed. It also rips off SALEM'S LOT and the Langella Dracula. Unfortunately, nothing happens for the first hour. And I mean nothing! When the dead finally do rise, it is during the last half hour and, despite their cool looking design, it still sucks. If anything, this might be the only film you see where the devil is beaten down by guys chanting, "Allah akbar!" (or perhaps they were chanting for RETURN OF THE JEDI's Admiral Ackbar?) Man, I would hate to be the guy who I saw pay over $80 for the Japanese VHS on eBay for this.

A real stinker in slow motion

[rwagn · 1/10 · 22 June 2010]

I paid $5 for this DVD (which contains two movies -see Corpse Master) and still feel ripped off. The story has nothing to even remotely connect it to Phantasm. You can read the previous reviews for content and picture/print quality, I won't belay their point. But be aware that this is a real test of patience. The supernatural elements in this movie would fit in a good 3 minute trailer. The Islamic bend to the story is no great shakes. I did think it was funny when the caretaker stumbles across a huge incense spewing shrine to the devil in the governess' bedroom. He doesn't realize it is a shrine to evil until he notices a skull and a crucifix(!) hidden under the shrine table. Nothing more terrifying than the most holy symbol of the INFIDELS! Pass on this turkey-the companion Chinese movie, Corpse Master, is an even bigger piece of crap.

Forces of Satan's Storms

[dulmatin · 8/10 · 25 November 2012]

This is a film that signifies the horror cinema of Indonesia; it's cheap, it's cliché, it's scary, great fun.

A lot of people don't understand how his mother is resurrected in a form of ghost; in the opening scene where a funeral is held, you see the main antagonist standing amongst the mourning crowd. Therefore it is implied that she is the one responsible for bringing Tommy's mother back to life. Of course she does.

The slightly affluent family is shown to have lost touch with their religious beliefs, especially the father who arrogantly dismisses the advice from an ustaz. Their caretaker Pak Karto tries to remind them to pray constantly and read the Al Quran. This too is ignored. It doesn't help with the fact that Tommy begins to delve in black magic after he is influenced by a fortune teller (yes, Darmina). Karto discovers an altar of madness in Darmina's room and he is then killed off screen, apparently by Darmina satanic forces (some believe Karto committed suicide). Tommy's sister Rina is hopeful that her boyfriend Herman will hire a witchdoctor to get rid of demonic entities that are haunting their house. Herman later dies from a freak accident. Somehow, the zombified Herman now returns to give Rina another visit from beyond, which scares the daylight out of her. She asks her father to seek help from a shaman to perform a ritual cleansing of the house. The witchdoctor doesn't seem to survive the encounter. After witnessing his mother rise from the grave, Tommy tries to convince his father and Rina that Darmina is evil. After the family comes under siege by the zombie trinity, they eventually realised that it's their fault for not being Muslims enough. An ustaz and his followers immediately come to the rescue (strange though; how do they know what's happening inside the house?). Eventually, Darmina is set ablaze and the family is now born again Muslims.

If one is to observe the storyline from an Islamic perspective, it actually has some good message behind it. For long Indonesian films have been using elements of Hinduism and Christianity to exemplify the battle between good and evil. This goes on to show Indonesia's multi religious community and that evil does not restrict itself to one belief system. Verses recited by the ustaz are of course taken from the Quran, both in the original Arabic language and Bahasa Indonesia; a reminder for us to not follow in the footsteps of syaitan (also called Iblis) for he is the arch enemy of humanity. Sisworo cleverly depicts the family as neglecting their religious duties, such as Rina's going to discotheque just days after her mother's death. Darmina also musingly explains that we (Satan and demons) are ubiquitous as long as Islam is not actually practiced.

Perhaps one of the scariest moments in this film, for me, is always the first scene where Mawarti pays her son a visit at night. This makes classic Indonesian horror film a winner compare to any other cinema in the region. There is only one movie from Malaysia that can rival all the Indonesian horror titles; it is called 'Dendam Perawan Bunting' (Revenge of the Pregnant Virgin). The latter is no longer in print and nobody seems to have a physical copy of it, let alone watched the whole film when it first came out in 1989.

Back to Pengabdi Setan, it's hard to ignore Mawarti (the mother) ghostly whispering voices calling for Tommy; that alone is enough to send shivers down the spine. Whereas the zombie Herman and Karto are somewhat worthy of praise; they are also managed to maintain the devilish expression throughout the entire time which is a plus. It's just that I find it absolutely hilarious when fanged Herman first appears on screen; he looks ridiculous, as if he was sticking out two pieces of Twisties from his mouth. Talking about gore, I think this film has none, other than exposed bones and rotten meat. If you're looking for something gory, check out Bisikan Arwah (Whisper of the Dead), another Indonesian cult horror from 1988. That is, if you can actually get a copy of it.

In short, this is a mildly scary flick with average but praiseworthy acting, good makeup and, some laughable moments with overall positive message. At least this film doesn't rely on cheap-Brazzers-wannabe-sex-scene to get the audience attention, like what most nowadays titles. A good flavoured film I must say. Easy to understand (if you know Malay or Bahasa Indonesia). I'll probably be watching this again while eating spaghetti. A memorable classic!

a good chuckle

[ansirahka · 3/10 · 23 June 2022]

I forgot how absurd old movies were, but still, it's pretty interesting if you're in a mood for a chuckle. Plus the boy is cute, and sweaty like most of the time.

A Notable Eastern Horror Flick

[Alien_I_Creator · 8/10 · 14 December 2006]

This little known cinema rarity from Indonesia offers up a real treat for western horror buffs. Claiming to be an Eastern take on Don Coscarelli's Phantasm, it transposes Christian-based horror themes to the Muslim culture. Although, it lacks a bit of luster when compared to Phantasm, those able to look past that will find a very solid and intriguing blend of zombie horror, haunted house tale, and psychological thriller.

Satan's Slave tells the story of a family who, upon the loss of the mother, alienate themselves from religion. Of course, this leaves an open door for evil to come into their lives. It first comes in the form of the mother's nightly spectral appearances (mostly centering around the two youngsters of the household). When a terrorized servant commits suicide, he too makes a return. Then, a newly appointed housekeeper seems to work black magic and have secret diabolical intentions toward the family. After suspecting witchcraft, the children persuade the father to hire a shaman. However, that makes the haunting even worse and the wrath of the evil woman increases ten fold. With more lives claimed in the name of Satan, the evil forces at work get more and more powerful. It is up to the family to band together and accept God into their lives if they want to survive.

Yes, at the heart, this film is like an Islamic morality tale. But, that does not keep it from being an all-around good horror picture. This unique venture is worth a look by any fan of horror from around the world.

An eerie and interesting Indonesian supernatural horror shocker

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 3 June 2007]

Poor teenager Tommy isn't having a good time of it. His mother just passed away at a tragically young age. Tommy starts seeing a ghostly white apparition of her unrestful spirit. He also experiences scary nightmares of an evil devil cult. Plus a couple of close friends of the family meet brutal untimely ends. Could it be mysterious new housekeeper Darminah who's behind the freaky and troubling events that have befallen Tommy and his family? Director Sisworo Gautama Putra does an expert job of ably creating and sustaining a powerfully eerie and unnerving otherworldly atmosphere. Moreover, Putra does a totally convincing job of evoking a thoroughly believable mundane everyday reality that's ripped asunder by bizarre and inexplicable supernatural phenomenon. Better still, Putra keeps the pace slow, yet steady throughout, uses violence in a shocking, but restrained manner and gradually builds up a tremendous amount of harrowing tension before pulling out all the stops with a genuinely terrifying conclusion in which all hell quite literally breaks lose. This film even offers a rich, colorful and illuminating depiction of a fascinatingly different culture and its strongly held religious beliefs. An extremely solid and satisfying foreign fright feature.

Super!

[alessandronuel · 8/10 · 28 May 2019]

Indonesian horror films of the 80's had immensely spooky music.

The ghost and zombies are hilarious!

I wonder why fellow countrymen in the 80's were terrified. Although, there were terrifying instances, like the ghost of the mom visited the son by the window.

An unexpectedly strong horror classic, if sometimes heavy-handed and deliberate

[I_Ailurophile · 8/10 · 4 September 2023]

There are film-making and storytelling sensibilities of horror here that one will recognize in like fare from most any country's cinema; that in this case the proceedings are flavored with tinges of Indonesian culture is refreshing, not least as Islam is spotlighted over Christianity. Otherwise, the story bears familiar roots of eerie goings-on following the death of a member of the family, and we can just sit back and take in all that 'Pengabdi Setan' has to offer. There are perhaps points where the presentation is overbearing in some manner, whether it's especial clamor in a sequence or extra forcefulness in the acting; though such instances are obviously intentional, for my tastes they're too overt a choice. Yet otherwise I'm rather pleased with how good this is - it may not be an absolute must-see, but anyone who appreciates the genre will surely find much to like here.

The cast generally gives strong performances fitting for the material; if they are sometimes too heavy-handed, I think that's more a question of Sisworo Gautama Putra's direction. But excepting the few most overly pronounced instances, Putra's orchestration of every shot and scene is also commendably strong in accentuating the growing disquiet that pervades the scenario, and in making every moment matter. With that said, this is certainly a case where the dispensation of the most significant horror elements is more measured and deliberate, parsed out more sparingly as the length advances, and not necessarily doled out very subtly at that - but the incidence is more than enough to inculcate a robust, growing sense of Things Going Wrong in the household. Each such step along the way is realized with excellent stunts, effects, and special makeup, facets that are as admirably well done as in many like-minded titles, and by the time we're in the last third of the length the differences between this and other such titles are decidedly few.

And that's sort of the key here: while I don't think 'Pengabdi Setan' is remarkable in any one way, it's notable as an Indonesian feature that has achieved enough renown to be recognized to a degree that cannot broadly be said of other works of the country's industry. The closest points of comparison in terms of aesthetics and production values may be contemporary genre fare out of Hong Kong or Japan, and that arguably comes across above all in the cinematography, and in the approach toward specific genre elements. And whatever else one may say about where this 1980 film stands, it all looks pretty fantastic! As the course of events escalates the entertainment becomes ever more delicious, and while strictly speaking this may be a smidgen more modest than contemporary pieces out of Europe or the United States, that doesn't truly mark this as any lesser. In fact, for as excellent as the horror happenings come to be as the narrative develops, I rather believe this stands well above many more widely known flicks. All the component parts here, including the ambient soundscapes of the score, increasingly produce a layer of atmosphere over the affair that cements its strengths and overarching value - and when all is said and done, I believe this quite stands shoulder to shoulder among the upper middle (or is that lower upper?) echelons of any horror one may wish to watch.

Given the calculated pacing of all herein, reserving the most substantial aspects and intensity for the back end, I can understand that this won't appeal to all comers. This isn't a movie of major visceral thrills or chills, nor instant gratification. Moreover, as one particular criticism, I will say that this is very heavy-handed about its underlying themes, to an extent that's more than a little gauche. Still, for those who are receptive to all that the genre has to offer, and who have the patience for pictures that play their hand in their own time, I'm happy to say that ultimately there's enduring worth here that even some of the best known horror features can't always claim. It's not wholly perfect, and it's not an exemplar per se, but I sat to watch with mixed expectations and step away very satisfied with how enjoyable 'Pengabdi Setan' turned out to be. If you have the chance to watch, this is an underappreciated classic that deserves more attention.

Solid entertainment.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 8 October 2023]

The Munarto family has recently lost its matriarch, and the teenage son Tomi (Fachrul Rozy) is not dealing with it very well. He is seeing visions of his late mother (Diana Suarkom) on the property, and soon his older sister Rita (Siska Widowati) is likewise experiencing strange, supernatural things. It becomes clear that there are unkind spirits on the property, and the arrival of a new housekeeper, Darminah (Ruth Pelupessi), will not ease anybody's concerns since the viewer can tell that she does not have the best interests of this family at heart.

Overlooked by the mainstream audience in North America, this intense Indonesian horror film would make a good double feature with another picture from that country, "Mystics in Bali". This one lives up to the word "horror", with plenty of spooky, sinister atmosphere to spare. It does not take long for the bad stuff to start happening. Fortunately, this family is likeable enough (W. D. Mochtar, who's also in "Mystics in Bali", plays the father / widower) that one can easily root for them. Most importantly, in a country where peoples' faith is often quite strong, this isn't a particularly religious family, so outside forces urge them to find God in a hurry.

The cast is good (Pelupessi is a standout), the imagery is creepy, there is some effective gore on occasion, and the story steadily builds to a fantastic climax. There is even some amusing humor on occasion that never detracts from the overall seriousness of the tale.

If one is looking to discover Asian genre cinema, I would definitely recommend this one to interested parties.

Eight out of 10.

A fantastically entertaining genre effort

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 9/10 · 26 October 2022]

Following the death of their mother, a family grieving her loss is inundated with numerous hauntings and visions of her ghost coming back to haunt them, and as they try to investigate the cause of everything find themselves subjected to a malicious demonic curse and race to stop it before it consumes them.

This is easily one of the country's best genre efforts. Among the film's best aspects is the incredible atmosphere present which is impressive overall. The early setup involving the family grieving over her death and likely to be easy targets as is, there's some great work here bringing up the idea of the curse affecting them. Those first scenes later that night, with the silent house except for the ticking clock, the sudden appearance of the mother's ghost tempting the son out into the night creates an eerie quality to things. Seeing how he suddenly acts afterward towards the rest of the family or his friends which are highly uncharacteristic signaling something is wrong with him only helps to enhance the atmosphere as the idea of the normally calm and respectful son suddenly being non-responsive or even threatening towards others works really well. Those aspects all combine together to make the film quite creepy and chilling in the early stages to get off to a great start. This setup work helps to make the later aspects of the curse even more chilling. Once the fake psychic arrives to help with the household, it's no surprise that an increase in supernatural action occurs ranging from the small things like the closed gate or the nightmares to much more overt attacks including the ghost appearing to torment them even if nothing else occurs. The scenes of the cult members taking the family into the basement where they engage in the sacrifice rituals add a lot to the atmosphere which starts with the more obvious systematic dispatching of the family in what seems like accidents. These incidents all come into place for the wild finale which goes for crazy ghostly action including bungled exorcism efforts, a shockingly atmospheric resurrection ceremony in the local graveyard, and then the final attack using the zombified ghost bodies to attack the others. Given the cheesy nature of the effects here and the subtle religious dig to provide the motivation for everything, these factors provide more than enough to hold this up. There aren't too many flaws here but there are some issues with this one. One of the only drawbacks is the seemingly obvious nature of what's going on yet none of the family seems to be aware of what's really going on. It's plainly obvious that once the new housekeeper arrives there's an increase in supernatural accidents and maladies yet there's nothing done about it. The convenient matter in which she keeps showing up after everything has wrapped up with a knowing smirk creates a truly suspicious case against her, and with the family being as religious as they are not to sense or catch on to those antics much earlier strikes as somewhat illogical. As well, there's the aforementioned cheapness of the special effects which helps to add a deranged atmosphere but can come off cheesy at points including the make-up effects on the gore to the cheesy look of the prosthetics, and the rather sloppy way they matte the figures on-screen to showcase solid objects passing through them. While not completely detrimental, these provide the only features to bring it down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.