Twenty-fifth review is for an Indonisian remake of the 1980s film of the same name. It was such a joy to watch because it blended so many things I love about demon possession/haunting movies but it did leave me with questions that have me a little stuck. Demon possession, grief, haunting, occult magic, zombies, family, Islam/religion, protection beyond the grave. Includes #spoilers :
•
Pengabdi Setan [aka Satan’s Slave] (2017) Pros: Mixing a new culture with a possession story, loved. That first scare with the mother screaming got me, I was petrified, and her make up and the way her eyes would just pierce into you reminded me of the man in Parasite. The red RetroViewer toy scene, I was a little annoyed with myself that it got me, but well done. Not all the scares had sound cues which I liked because it gave a little gift for paying attention. That twist that the youngest, Ian, is Satan’s offspring and the grandma and mother have been trying to take him out, nuts!
•
Cons: I was never suspicious of Ian, that just threw me for a loop but could be a good thing because not having hints just made it more surprising when he’s out in the field waving and talking with his “friends.” We never found out how much the father knew about what was going on, he seemed so surprised. The mom getting normal sick meaning they can’t have another kid makes sense, but since she showed more signs of possession than regular sickness and dies before the son turns 7 confused me too. The lore started building at the end with the couple but I was confused, why would they still need to follow this family? With the info the family knows, why are they not curious about searching to find out how deep this cult goes? Makes me think about The Night House, you got so close to answers, & just started doing some other shit.
•
I rate this a solid 7.5 because I really enjoyed that this was able to scare me and induce fear that I haven’t felt in a while. The questions I had caught me up at the end but I still had a good time watching.
Similar films: Insidious, Rosemarys Baby, Shelley, Hereditary.
#halloween #satansslaves #review #horrormovie #explorepage #new #haunting #indonesia