The Queen of Black Magic – Ratu Ilmu Hitam (2019)

Directed by: Kimo Stamboel | 99 minutes | horror | Actors: Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashid, Adhisty Zara, Muzakki Ramdhan, Ari Irham, Ade Firman Hakim, Sheila Dara Aisha, Tanta Ginting, Miller Khan, Imelda Therinne, Salvita Decorte, Giulio Parengkuan, Shenina Cinnamon, Yayu AW Unru, Ruth Marini , Gisellma Firmansyah, Putri Ayudya

Hanif, a fairly wealthy resident of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, is on his way with his wife and three children to the remote orphanage where he grew up as a child. What seems like a normal car ride, including the inevitable haggling between the kids, takes a different turn when they hit something on the way. A quick check reveals that the victim is a deer. What the family misses, however, is the dead girl lying in the ditch next to the road.

Once we arrive at the orphanage, we meet Hanif’s two childhood best friends (who grew up in the same orphanage), their spouses, the servants of the orphanage, two of the teenagers who now live there and the old, dying owner of the institute. Director Kimo Stamboel takes the time to introduce all the characters, so it takes a while before anything really happens in ‘The Queen of Black Magic’. After the first creepy stories about demons and a crazy woman locked in a room who was quite skilled at applying black magic, Stamboel pulls out all the stops and the horrific events follow one another in rapid succession.

Huge centipedes crawling in and out of bodies, a pretty explicitly portrayed case of self-mutilation and a bus full of dead and maimed children; the film regularly presents you with scenes that are not suitable for the faint of heart. The use of clever effects and sometimes surprising camera angles ensures that ‘The Queen of Black Magic’ succeeds in its intent: creating a sense of chaos, panic and horror that sends the protagonists to utter devastation. The lighting and location are also excellent: an old, dimly lit building where the paint is slowly peeling off the walls.

Although ‘The Queen of Black Magic’ is not innovative within the Asian horror genre, it is an effective, well-crafted horror film that strikes the right balance between suspense and body horror. A pleasant place for fans of the genre and a film that is clearly better than the average American or European horror production.