The Queen of Black Magic (2019) User Reviews

RIDE TO HELL START HERE

[Herlinda_Marlina · 8/10 · 7 November 2019]

One of the horror movie that was long i anticipated for its presence in 2019. For lovers of the movie genre "heart sports" like myself. The duet between Kimo Stamboel and Joko Anwar, is like pairing Guillermo del Toro with Quentin Tarantino or John Wick with Robert McCall, well my point is this is what i call "Wish come true".

At the beginning of the movie, there were surprises, like a breath of a quarter had to be immediately exhaled. then as the movie goes it feels terror that is presented as if carrying you running around the football stadium. Well, you can still breathe but struggling. Since I personally almost immune to horror movie, I try to relax a little bit, so I can enjoy this movie without set my usual high expectation. As a result the effect is pretty good, although still often laughing even though people around and my friends occasionally scared and covered their faces when watch this movie. There are some successful scenes that make me scream because i get shocked by the terror that must be experienced by the characters in this movie and I am very happy, because after all this time finally there is a Indoneisa horror movie that is able to make me scream. As for the story itself, the twist formula is pretty good, because halfway through I can only feel who the "The Queen of Black Magic" actually is, there are some plot holes, but very forgiven with the overall outline of the story which is stable and not loose the grip, where usually the story line suddenly loose in some scene was usually a classic problem at Indonesian movie in general.

In the matter of acting, I am personally amazed by the little actor Muzzaki Ramdhan who plays the youngest Haqi, his acting feels natural and flowing, even surpassing his "older siblings", personally I feel the characters of Sandi and Dina as unnecessary wasteful characters , Why? Because their presence or absence does not feel so important to the strength of the whole story, the most basic reasons may be that both Ari Irham and Zara JKT48 were drawn to capture the youth markets, because their fanbase is quite promising. The rest of the acting quality from Ario Bayu, Imelda Therinne, Hannah Al Rashid, and the "Adults" here no need to be doubted, they are quite balanced and stable to the end of movie.

For the quality of CGI itself, this is an Indonesian horror movie with the best CGI quality in my opinion for 2019, smooth, in proportion, and very important role in spreading terror tingling horror that occurred during the movie. Special makeup effects also deserve more appreciation for succeeding in giving soul to the horror of the film "Ratu ilmu Hitam". Then for the music scoring, in my opinion, was quite good, though not as good as "Impetigore" that released at the same year and both being in the same movie genre.

So the bottom line, for those who are not used to watching horror films flooded with blood might be shocked for watching it. But for those who already watch many movie in this genre, it might feel a bit generic and predictable, although judging from the reference to the quality of Indonesian horror movie in the mainstream market, "The Queen of black magic" was still count as good quality horror movie and can still cause quite a creep sensation.

A bunch of horror scenarios threaded together

[sophaljonesy · 6/10 · 2 February 2020]

Following a similar plot of haunted orphanages in horror movies, where an old wrong must be corrected to stop evil wreaking havoc, this movie goes for gore and blood. The frames are well shot, and the gore is quite effective. The acting is quite decent but the little boy comes off as most natural. Despite the gore, the movie fails plotwise and completely drops the supporting characters entirely at the end of the movie. It is basically a bunch of horror scenarios threaded together to make a movie. Scary for kids, but mildly entertaining for above average horror moviegoers.

Balls to the wall grossfest

[youngcollind · 7/10 · 6 January 2022]

It lures you in making you think it's gonna be a low key haunting flick, before taking a sharp turn and turning everything up to 11. From there it's a roller-coaster of blood, bugs and people screaming in agony. Approaching the excess of Evil Dead without the cartoonish sense of humour. It's certainly the most extreme of the Joko Anwar films that I've seen, maybe letting someone else handle directing duties this time around allowed things to run amok. There's some unfortunate CGI that should have been practical, and don't go in asking for too much character depth. It's just a ghost movie on steroids, gleefully ridiculous in all it's squeamish excess.

When "Perempuan Tanah Jahannam" meets 2018's "Kafir"

[hiraishinnojutsu · 7/10 · 8 November 2019]

Another revenge plot, another past-mysteries-that-need-to-be-solved-in-order-to-stop-the-evil-guys-from-wreaking-havoc-and-end-the-suffering-of-the-seemingly-good-guys kind of Indonesian horror movie. Not that I say it's bad or mediocre among national films, that depends on who's directing it and how serious they take on the job. in this case, Kimo Stamboel did what a few directors like Joko Anwar has successfully implemented. If you had watched the latter's previous work and 2018's "Kafir" by director Azhar Kinoi Lubis, you will notice some reused elements like the journey to a some remote location, the use of black magic, the leading evil woman figure who does most of the damage, the past sins that pushes the said figure to do what they do, three dead young girls that kinda have a major role in triggering all of those ruckus, etc. So far, those are the right formula (well, not all) to produce a relatively high rated, successful Indonesian horror brand that leads to the creation of a fan base, whether around the movies itself or the directors, or maybe both. But will this trend keep going without problem in the long run? My personal problem with these kind of work of art in Indonesian cinema, is that it lacks a good quality resolve, and they're in general, being too loud to make the viewers feel uncomfortable on their seats. These days are no longer an age for jumpscare, gore, and loud noises ghost horror story/movie/film anymore, even for Hollywood standard (heck, don't even look in Holywood for great horror movies today, feast your eyes to the eastern film industry for that). A director in Joko Anwar and Kimo Stamboel's caliber need to realize this if they are still hopping for international horror movie market penetration. Take 2016's "The Wailing" for example, or this year's "Midsommar", they have a strong conclusion of the story that echoes the message that "Like the force of good, evil never dies and sometimes wins, one cannot exist without it's opposite other". Don't rely to much on people's desire to see a happy ending, don't try to live up their fantasy, twist it instead to the direction that will disturb their faith and normative sense of the world. Disrupt them on their comfortable seat, not with loud screaming or shocking sudden high volume score, do it more with plot twists and challenging mind-provoking sequence of visual and auditorial presentation of humanity's most twisted side.

Proper horror

[richardwworkman · 7/10 · 3 February 2021]

Absolutely loved this film.

It's quite refreshing to see a simple story of spiritual revenge.

Some great gross out gory creepiness scenes with relentless dread. My only disappointment was how easily the bad guy went down.

A vision of hell on Earth. Brilliant film.

Bugs, Gore and Magic

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 7/10 · 10 January 2022]

I found this movie to be very successful for what it was.

Solid story and the pacing was quite good, kept you on your feet and never got slow. There were a couple of blatant continuity issues that bothered me and I feel like it was lacking a bit in character development and depth. There were a lot of characters in this, but a lot that goes unexplained as far as their background/ intentions go.

Sometimes the special effects looked good and sometimes they really did not, a bit inconsistent on that front. Acting seemed... fine, from what I could tell as an English speaker and it certainly wasn't distracting. Felt like they were setting it up for a sequel, which I would for sure watch and also interested in watching the original.

With all that said, over all I was thoroughly entertained with a solid, quite creepy witch/supernatural/gorefest horror. Would definitely recommend to horror fans.

Brutal Paranormal Movie

[mextwin2 · 6/10 · 30 December 2021]

A family and other people are invited back to the orphanage they were in when they were younger but past secrets arise when sinister events unfold.

You mostly care for the characters. I couldn't believe the things the characters had to endure because in most paranormal movies, the characters don't really get hurt.

Gory and brutal but the story was lacking in my opinion.

Great Horror!!!

[emprisupriatna-62075 · 9/10 · 7 November 2019]

Great collaboration between Kimo Stamboel and Joko Anwar presents a barrage of terror throughout the film. Coupled with a fairly solid story for the size of horror movies. Ratu Ilmu Hitam adds to the list of indonesian horror films that should be apreciated.

What is it all about?

[nomodusproject · 6/10 · 15 November 2019]

For me, this movie is confusing - importance and emphasis are placed in wrong characters and scenes. It also offers nothing special, everything is i-have-seen-before. But acting is mostly very good, only ironically the main witch character is so stiff.

Squirmy n crawly movie with no genuine scares and what's the obsession with the centipedes, black puke n hyperextended joints.

[Fella_shibby · 5/10 · 2 February 2021]

I saw this only cos of Joko Anwar's name and aft having enjoyed few Indonesian horror movies - Impetigore, May the Devil take you 1 n 2, Satan's Slaves, The 3rd Eye part 1, Macabre and Killers, i was anticipating much more but somehow i got disappointed. The settings are almost similar to most Indonesian horror movies, abandoned orphanage/house in the middle of nowhere, the mumbo jumbo stuff is also similar to most Indonesian horror movies but the black vomit n demons walking as if their joints are hyperextended are getting monotonous.

One of the worst thing is the film's editing. There is no suspense or tension apart from the repetitive bugs.

The ending is very lame. I mean aft people getting seriously tortured/wounded by supernatural stuff, they still survive.

Dark and chilling Indonesian black magic remake

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 10/10 · 30 December 2020]

Traveling out to the country, a man and his family reunite with former friends at the orphanage he grew up in to wish their ailing owner the best, but when a series of dark events and accidents befall them realize that a vengeful spirit is haunting the area with black magic and must figure out the secret behind their rampage.

This one has quite a lot to like about it. The main aspect to be had here is the strong setup that offers quite an enjoyable amount of action to come. Constructed as the former group coming together to pay respects to their ailing owner while serving as the substitute reunion between everyone and their families, the familiarities and greeting give way logically into the revelation of the ghost who haunts the building. This revelation and setup about the group being at the orphanage give the viewer a glimpse into the friendly nature of the group and how they're all genuinely friends with everyone while still planting the seeds of what's to come later on. This setup then allows the burgeoning supernatural terror to be all the more chilling and creepy. Not only are the stories told a great starting point to get the initial backstory laid out, but the launching into things from the discovery of the bodies in the forest nearby also offers some utterly terrifying scenes here. The revelation about the bus filled with dead bodies and the swarm of insects left inside offers a wholly impressive set-piece that turns into the fun attacks on the house later on. The seemingly relaxed manner that they start falling under the spells being cast on everyone there creates a disturbing quality as the intensity is increased over time. The barbaric quality of the spells featured in this one has a lot to do with the enjoyment into the finale half. As the group is slowly whittled down through the graphic sequences throughout the orphanage, the slowly-dawning realization of the true assailant becomes clear. After seeing their friends rip their throat open, vomit up bugs and staple their lips together from black magic influence, the true extent of what's going on comes about as a complete surprise when everything is given as to the motivation and reasoning which is truly appropriate and offers a great deal of sympathy for the main villain. This trope of what she becomes in the pursuit of revenge is a fine one and works quite well here. The one slip-up is the scattershot finale which is both enjoyable and slightly problematic. The good parts come from the continuance of the over-the-top action and retribution being carried out over the various participants, keeping up the stellar effects work and torment that is quite chilling and innovative. Given a satisfactory wrap-up and victory over the evil figure attacking them, there's quite a lot to like here. However, the few flaws come about in some unnecessary exposition that didn't need to be there, either focusing on the actions against the children or the owner of the orphanage's past getting spelled out in full. These events are more than enough to know what's going on simply stating them, so these few elements are a bit disconcerting to have happened.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and threatening actions towards children.

Indonesian (B+ Movie) My Ratings 7.5 /10

[THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA · 7/10 · 11 November 2021]

This is a good horror. Enjoy the novelty of an Indonesian horror, It touches on childhood trauma, family tragedy, vanity, and so much more with stunning visuals and phenomenal acting.

I didn't like the film

[Neptune165 · 4/10 · 4 October 2021]

The character development was rushed and there's no focus to a single character. Never has a film so taken me out of the moment because of horribly done, cheap CGI. There were a million ways they could have shot a lot of scenes using workarounds or minimal practical effects. Really disappointing because the film had potential. CGI aside, which I hate, along with the poor character development and non-sensical focus on the wives.

lone Mo Brother

[killercharm · 6/10 · 1 May 2022]

This movie by a lone Mo Brother is actually better than the Mo Brothers movies. What's more, it's better than the original The Queen of Black Magic 1981. A bunch of adult orphans returns to the orphanage where they were raised for a visit. People both without and within the house start getting destroyed magically. What transpires is a supernatural fest of great effects as long as they are not CGI. There's some great acting, too, especially Muzakki Ramdhan as Haqi.

Very enjoyable Indonesian horror romp

[namstonk · 7/10 · 20 March 2021]

If you're looking for a slasher, wham bam thank you mam, let's get killing movie then this isn't that type of film. The main 'horror' kicks in around forty mins in but does give a precursor of the dread to come from early on, you just don't get any gore. As for the gore lover's well you do get some later and what is nice is that everyone is fair game, including the kids. As for the rest, well the cast are all believable, the director clearly knows what works and it all comes together nicely. Enjoyable silly horror as it should be.

Good production quality and a great start, but failing towards the end

[siderite · 7/10 · 20 April 2022]

This is a surprising film. First of all, it starts really well, with a family going to a remote orphanage, hitting something on the road, then meeting with childhood friends and reminiscing about the past, then weird stuff happening. Acting is mostly good, production quality high, gory horror effects quite disturbing, good atmosphere. But then it goes nowhere. People are getting hurt by impossible magic, mind control and disgusting implacable insects, but there is no real purpose to it all. And the ending is inconsequential. Story wise, this film fails miserably. Characterization starts detailed, but then none of the characters actually evolves in any way, making the start a failed investment and a waste of time.

If you're into tension and gore and dead children and devouring insects and that stuff, this is right up your alley. If you want the story to make any kind of sense, teach you anything about people, yourself or the world, then look elsewhere.

Bottom line: perfect start, slow middle and dramatically epic finale that resolves nothing. Mostly torture porn with special effects or long meandering discussions leading nowhere.

Surprisingly good

[Horror_Flick_Fanatic · 7/10 · 13 July 2021]

It's not a bad film. It gets off to a slow start and the acting is mediocre but as the film takes off, the story has a few twist and turns that grabbed my attention. I particularly like the mirror scene with the pretty anorexic girl. I won't go into details but I thought it was an original idea how the director shows the distorted view in which the girl saw herself. I think the film could have had better editing and lighting. It's definitely worth watch. 7/10.

Solid and Creepy Remake from Indonesia

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 9/10 · 23 February 2021]

This was a movie that I didn't even realize I talked about when I was going through the works of writer of Joko Anwar. I brought up this film due to him writing and directing 2020 release of Impetigore and stated he had this one that he written as well. When I saw his name attached, I knew I had to see this one. I will admit I heard some buzz as Marknado had this as one of his favorites for January and Exploding Heads Horror Movie Podcast also covered it on an episode. I've now given it a second viewing to see how it holds up for me. The synopsis here is families are terrorized at an orphanage. Someone wants them dead, apparently with black magic that is very deadly.

We start this movie off with an interesting set up in my opinion. We have a father of Hanif (Ario Bayu) driving his wife, Nadya (Hannah Al Rashid) and his three children to the orphanage he grew up in. Their only daughter is Dina (Adhisty Zara), their oldest boy is Sandi (Ari Irham) and their youngest is also a boy of Haqi (Muzakki Ramdhan). The man who runs the place is sick and they want to make his limited time on Earth better, if possible. Hanif has done well for himself after leaving the orphanage. His children are complaining about the lack of cellphone reception, but they look like they're happy overall. Things get a bit dower when he hits something while not fully paying attention to where he's going. It does appear to be a deer, but we see it could have been something else.

They then arrive at the orphanage. Hanif meets with a couple that he grew up with in Maman (Ade Firman Hakim) and Siti (Sheila Dara Aisha). They never left and are caring for Pak Bandi (Yayu A. W. Unru) who is the sick man in charge of this place. Also coming are Hanif's closest friends from his time living here of Anton (Tanta Ginting), his wife of Eva (Imelda Therinne) as well as Jefri (Miller Khan) and his new bride of Lina (Salvita Decorte).

Also living at this orphanage is Hasbi (Giulio Parengkuan), who is a lot like Hanif. He's had chances to get adopted, but elected to stay and help. There is also Rani (Shenina Cinnamon). She is interesting in that she was dropped when she was ten as her mother could no longer watch over her. She still believes she will come back for her. The rest of the children who are orphaned are away on a trip, but due back soon.

We learn soon after, this place has a checkered past despite how fondly the trio of guys remember it or how it is presented by the two teens living there. There is a locked room where Ibu Mirah (Ruth Marini) died. Haqi is curious about what happened to her. Hanif notices something on his car and goes back to see what he really hit at kilometer marker 81. It is there that he makes a grisly discover that really gets this night of terror started.

That is where I want to leave my recap for this movie. It gets you up to speed without really spoiling anything. I would also say this is about the end of the first act as well. What this movie really does well is atmosphere. The movie doesn't really have to lean in too much that we're in the present. It deals with cellphones where the children all have them, but this place is so far out in the middle of nowhere, they don't work. Rani doesn't know what WiFi or the internet is. This is partially being in how remote the orphanage is located, but it is also she is poor. I get the feel that we're mixing the modern world here with Hanif, his family along with Anton and Jefri with their wives coming back to this place that is a bit more traditional. That really works where the true horror comes from as it is something that a more rational mind cannot fathom as well. It falls into Anwar's style for the two movies I've seen from him as a director.

If you've read my reviews of Anwar's films of Satan's Slaves or Impetigore, then you know I love how he gives us a look into the lives of people from a country that is much different from where I live. We see that there are religions like Muslim that are practiced there, but a good portion are following more pagan beliefs that are indigenous to the area. Seeing how these rituals and things play out interests me for sure.

That is where I want to go to next. Again, without spoiling things the title of this movie gives away that there is going to be black magic and witchcraft going on. This movie doesn't waste any time in getting into it and on top of that, I think it does an excellent job in introducing characters to us. We have a large cast here. I figured this would either have characters that would flee or they were there as body count. It takes a darker turn after Rani reveals what she says happened to Mirah and then when Hanif realizes what he really hit. This movie doesn't pull any punches and gets pretty horrific. Children aren't completely safe here and I think that is what ramped up the horror for me. What I also like is that we don't know what the truth is and we get multiple variations of it as things happen.

There is a brief bit I want to go into here having now seen this a second time, I love the idea that characters remember things the way they want to. When pressed for the truth, they have to come to terms with it. Mirah is presented as a villain, but maybe she wasn't. Bandi seems like a benevolent man, but that might not be the case. The reason for what is happening here, there might be some deserving people to be punished. It is quite an interesting idea and how it unfolds.

I think the effects are where I want go next. We get quite a bit of practical ones, which if you know me, I love that. There are some scenes in this movie that made me cringe and call out along with having my hands go numb from what I was seeing. That is effective for me to believe what I am seeing for sure. There are torture elements here and there are also some interesting things that characters reveal that are used against them later. I'll be honest, that is good writing to me. They build up some of the set pieces and I was on board for it. We also get some CGI here. I'll be honest, some of it works for me or at least I didn't mind it, especially when it enhances some of the sequences. There are also some that didn't necessarily work either. The insects you can tell are CGI. I get it up, but it didn't look great. Regardless, this movie has some great cinematography as well.

Going along with the good writing is good acting. Bayu is solid as our defacto hero. He had the chances to get adopted from what we hear, but elected to stay and help those he became close with. This makes for an interesting character of Hanif as the reveals in the movie are made. I also love the duality we get with the character of Hasbi and I think Parengkuan plays that well. Rashid is really good as Hanif's wife and I love the growth of her character. We learn that he hides things from her to not upset her, but she's amazingly strong by the end. Zara, Ramdhan and Irham are all good as their kids. I like the rest of the cast that rounds this movie out for the characters that we need for sure.

Then the last thing to go into before closing this out would be the soundtrack and sound design. I think for the former, the selections made were good. They fit the scenes and help to ramp up the feel that we need for them. I did find it interesting that they tended to go a bit louder at times where it actually distorted the sound on my speakers. I'm not sure if that was intended, but it worked for me. The other part here is the sound design. I love that they play with hearing someone off screen that draws characters while also hearing their agony was quite effective for the atmosphere.

In conclusion here, I think this is an effective movie. I like the setting that we're given, how the characters are introduced and the dark atmosphere that is built here. If I really have any issues after this first viewing, I don't think some of the CGI works for me. This isn't to say that it ruined things, but it did affect me a bit. The story keep me interested, the reveals worked and this movie really did make me cringe at times for where they took things. I would say that this is a good movie, just missing out on being great.

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Sins of the father.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 16 October 2021]

A loose remake of the 1981 movie of the same name, 'The Queen Of Black Magic (2019)' focuses on a family who return to the orphanage in which the father grew up because its owner is dying and they want to say goodbye. Once there, they begin to uncover secrets from the past that may just be the death of them. The first forty minutes are largely devoid of horror, though there are moments of mounting dread, and instead focus on the dynamics between the various families who are tied together by the orphanage. It does a good job of getting you to care about its characters, all while hinting towards the dark deeds of their past. Once the horror finally kicks off and the eponymous Queen comes into play, the picture feels as though it rushes through to its conclusion. There isn't much escalation in this segment, which more or less maintains its high tension throughout. Though it would've been better if the latter half felt more involved and, even, impactful, the picture is still successful at what it's trying to achieve. It features a few successful surprises and some rather intense scenes of supernatural torture (some of which involves children). The cinematography is crisp and aesthetically pleasing, lending the affair a good amount of portentous atmosphere, and the visual effects typically convey the flick's horrors convincingly. There are some gags that are genuinely horrible, although the movie itself isn't exactly unbearable overall. Ultimately, it's an effectively creepy horror film that follows a relatively generic plot but injects it with some distinct terrors that often get under your skin. 7/10.

Nothing special

[marshall_peaced · 4/10 · 7 November 2019]

Nothing special. The story is fine, but not special, because we've seen stories like this in many horror movies. If there's no character who named Murni (who appeared only in two or three scenes), it only deserves for 3 stars.

ONE OF THE BEST HORROR OF 2019

[andrewchristianjr · 8/10 · 12 November 2019]

Anjirr. Beberapa scene bikin gue menggeliat di kursi penonton. Film yang sangat menegangkan. Namun beberapa adegan butuh penjelasan lebih lanjut. 8.5/10

Recycled plot for many horrors with gore.

[HotDoggyBoomBooM · 6/10 · 23 August 2021]

The plot was boring kinda expected if you are a horror junkie nevertheless the gore scene and the witch herself was scary . It's fun to watch once do try it.

Nothing special.

[kenzohang-37628 · 5/10 · 7 November 2019]

I will soon forget this "regular" story because nothing special on it. Without the character of "Queen of Black Magic" (named Murni), its only worth for 3 stars.

Alasan gue suka film ini

[akundiscord · 7/10 · 10 May 2022]

Film ini menyajikan cinematography yang cantik, serta visual effects yang rapih, para pemeran nya juga lumayan natural nggak kaku ketika berinteraksi.

Likeable horror, but the climax is a bit letdown

[daryopeek · 7/10 · 11 August 2022]

As usual, Anwar's writing is a top notch to introduce the characters and build the plot with good amount of mystery and horror. Stamboel didn't forget to put big efforts on his gory materials and nice visual effects.

I like all of them. However, when the story begins to take a hike, I feel all the characters and the plot aren't cohesive. I'm prepared for more gory details like the director's previous work Rumah Dara or Sebelum Iblis Menjemput, but the story resorts to one-man explanation and brief blood scenes.

The 7 star is because I know both the writer/director could do more than this. I really recommend it for fellow horror lovers though.