Santet (2018) User Reviews

Amber Alert

[nogodnomasters · 3/10 · 14 February 2019]

The film takes place in Indonesia. Randy's parents swan dive off of balconies as if they ate a lot of the brown acid. Odd things happen to the family as they see things and appear in danger. Mom (Kelly Brock) plays Nancy Drew to discover what her husband won't tell her...it is Santet, black magic.

The acting was rather bad, especially the shouting matches between the parents. Horror consisted of a woman with dark circles under their eyes attack people. The license plate they showed us for a second as if significant: B 1421 IN. Be one. For to win? Is this some sort of Indonesian Free Mason thing like "2B1ASK1."

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. So why is Kelly Brook in this again? She doesn't even pretend like she is going to shower.

WOW......

[Foutainoflife · 3/10 · 17 February 2019]

This is supposed to be a film about a son and his family returning to Indonesia to care for his sick mother. This happens not long after his father died at home from a fall off a balcony. There is more to the mother's ailments than simply being sick. It is black magic.

This film has some major issues. Let's start with the acting. I am not familiar with Kelly Brook and I don't know that I will ever have the desire to see her in anything else. Nothing about the way she acted came across as natural. It was very easy to see that she was forcing herself to play the part rather than make us believe she was actually her character. It was pretty bad. If I had to name the best actors it would have to go to the kids. They at least showed future potential.

The production quality may be debatable for some but I thought that it was filmed ok. The audio seemed a bit strange to me. I can't really pinpoint what the problem was but it was off. The special effects were not impressive yet there were times where there could've been some semi-horrific stuff thrown in to make this "Horror" movie an actual horror movie.

The story is a hot mess. I don't mind not understanding certain aspects of a story being elusive in as long as it either comes together in the end or it has been set up to add more horror by not understanding the whys.

I'll give my final thoughts on it here because pass this point I'll have some spoilers. This was a film that needed a lot of work. It could've been much better and it is disappointing to see films not reach their potential. It just didn't work for me.

*************************************SPOILERS***************************************

So, we find out that the reason for the black magic may have something to do with a former employe by the name of Amber who worked for the son's father. In the final climatic scene, we learn the family maid, Fatma,(I guess that's what she was or maybe a house manager.) had a relationship with the son's father and Amber was the product of that relationship. It is implied that the son had killed Amber, thinking that she and his dad were having an affair. Fatma had been the one using black magic to exact revenge for the death of her daughter. That's it. No more explanation than that.

Where was the rest of the story? Why did the son think that his dad was having an affair with Amber? How long ago did all this happen? Why did the son dig all the holes in the yard? Was she buried there?

Really?

Don't waste your time on this one.

[deloudelouvain · 3/10 · 16 February 2019]

Well I guess I have the honor to write the first review for this movie. Not that there is much to write about it, or at least nothing positive. I got drawn to watch this movie by the poster, that looked a bit creepy. Santet (or Black Magic) starts with the statement that it is based on a true story. After watching it I can already tell you this is a complete lie. The story could have been something if you replace all the actors by others as the acting was just terrible. Not only from Kelly Brook but also from the rest of the cast. You constantly have the feeling they took some random people from the streets to come play in a movie, it's just awful. Kelly Brook can't act, that's just a fact. The sound editor should also look for another job. The only thing that can pass for something else than mediocre is the evil spirit. All the rest is just garbage.

Only If it's Bargain Price .... Less Than a $1

[Moviereeeels12 · 1/10 · 25 August 2019]

Poor all round and on top of that Kelly Brooks stays completely covered up !!!!!

Horrible, just horrible...

[dongillette1 · 1/10 · 30 July 2019]

I got roped into this atrocity by one of those click-bait headlines promising to show you the "best horror movies you've never heard of." Wel, it certainly showed me several I'd never heard of, but none of them were anywhere close to "best," especially this clump. Evidently, the very strangely put-together star, Kelley Brook, has been in a few TV shows or something, but I don't know how or why. She can't act. She can't even act like she can act. She was even more lame than the poor Indonesian dude who played her husband. In fact, the only real actors in the film were the kids and I'm hoping being in this thing doesn't ruin their future. There's seriously no scares, no story, no magic, nothing supernatural, or anything else that would make this be called a horror movie. Avoid this at all cost.

I Don't Know Why They Make These!

[bgsmoove · 1/10 · 10 May 2019]

Another bad horror flick! They just don't make them like they used to..Horrible storyline and even worse acting. The scary parts are not scary, neither are the culprits portraying them.

Love Kelly Brook ; then don't watch this one.

[AucesG · 1/10 · 3 January 2021]

The movie begins nice, giving hope that by the end a big past mystery will be revealed. However, nothing such happens. Overall, the movie has negligible engagement, even Kelly Brook has been left unutilised to arouse excitement.

Skip this one!

Count the Westerners

[arfdawg-1 · 1/10 · 1 March 2019]

Wow a current low budget horror film made in the Philippines. Is Kelly Brook nuts? She must REALLY need the money. It's freaking dangerous over there. I guess she's too dense to read the news.

The movie's idea of possession is you scream and can't use your left foot.

No one in this film can act. AT ALL.

The one thing I can say in favor of it, they've learned to make sharp images since the 70's when those grainy, scratched grind house prints were churning out of the Philippines.

Where to start...

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 3 September 2020]

BLACK MAGIC is yet another cheap, boring, digital horror flick about a woman suffering from a black magic curse and the strain it puts on her family members. The only difference is that this one hails from Indonesia, but it's just as derivative and cliched as anything that Hollywood could throw up. It's a film severely lacking in insight, originality, entertainment and proper characterisation, and the casting is particularly bad here. I know that Western actors are always seemingly poor in Asian cinema, but Kelly Brook, as the lead's wife, is particularly wooden and stilted, her accent slipping between American and Essex at regular intervals. You have to feel for her.

Wow!!

[zacholiver-58270 · 10/10 · 18 December 2022]

Honestly the acting from the mum was a troll, she was just trying to modle the whole time. The little girl kelly carried the movie with great acting skills (trying to drown in a bathtub that frank says is impossible) Movie that I personally wouldnt watch again but would be keen to act in it if i had a chance, so would frank. Just way to confusing, they are trying to make it like shutter island and making it really confusing but just turns out they ruin the whole movie by doing that. End scene just ruined the whole thing and frank said that she should of grabbed the painting from the wall and smack it on the girls head.!!! 10/10 better than playing val.

A decent horror movie

[Squaredance51 · 6/10 · 3 March 2019]

This horror movie is set in Indonesia and has both English and Indonesian dialogue, with subtitles where needed. It's no better or worst than most other movies of this genre. In fact in my opinion probably a bit better than most. The worst criticism I can give it, is that the women and girls in it wear the daggiest clothes out, even Kelly Brook. But it will keep you entertained with the normal scares and suspense.

I've seen a lot worse than this.

[parry_na · 6/10 · 4 December 2020]

Reading some online reviews of this film, you would think it is the worst thing ever made, and that top-billed Kelly Brook is the worst thing in it.

I found 'Black Magic' (otherwise known as the more memorable 'Santet') well-made but run-of-the-mill, with a succession of unexplained horrors afflicting each member of the central family one by one. In-keeping with its rather generic title, there is little original here, but the setting of Indonesia for its main location gives the production a look unlike most other cursed family horrors of this type. Kelly Brook makes a fine job of the constantly horrified wife and mother Laura, and only Marcelino Lefrandt as her husband Rendy lacks a certain gravitas as the main male lead.

Well orchestrated twists and turns abound here, the only problem is that the succession of characters being mortally injured and then fighting fit before being mortally injured again, acting as if possessed and then coming round before being possessed again, has a certain repetition about it - but I've seen a lot worse than this.

Santest

[alankaboot · 6/10 · 27 September 2019]

A film that depicts a real event and it's good, although it's not so scary, but it's wonderful and wonderful, the most beautiful of Indonesia in it.