Murders in the Rue Morgue: Limited Edition - Hammer Films (UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1971
Director: Gordon Hessler
Writers: Christopher Wicking, Henry Slesar
Cast: Jason Robards, Christine Kaufmann, Herbert Lom, Adolfo Celi, Michael Dunn, Lilli Palmer, Maria Perschy, Adolfo Celi, Inma de Santis

Release Date: July 20th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 98 Minutes 23 Seconds (Director's Cut), 87 Minutes 11 Seconds (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (Director's Cut), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English (Both Versions), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Director's Cut)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £22.99 (UK)

"Loosely based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this meta murder mystery stars Jason Robards and Herbert Lom, spinning a chilling tale where the line between performance and reality blurs, and the players become the real-life victims." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Director's Cut, AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Held by Pro-Tek Vaults in Burbank for MGM, the 35mm original negative for the theatrical cut of Murders in the Rue Morgue was scanned in 4K resolution (16 bit) and restored extensively using Phoenix and Resolve software. In addition to the usual dirt and defects, the main issues with the image were general instability and density/color fluctuations causing flicker throughout. By careful processing, these effects were minimized, allowing for a more even, stable picture. The director's cut is a different edit using alternative shots, different end titles, and around eleven minutes of additional footage—the negative picture scans were used where possible, but any different material was taken from alternate scenes and restored to match. HDR grading (with Dolby Vision) was carried out on the Resolve system."

Murders in the Rue Morgue comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 89.7 GB

Feature: 46.3 GB (Director's Cut), 39.2 GB (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)

This release comes with multiple versions, which look excellent. Flesh tones look healthy; colors are nicely saturated; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Mono English), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (posters/lobby cards/advertisments/stills), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 50 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Gordon Hessler titled Stage Tricks and Screen Fights (11 minutes 39 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film critic Kim Newman titled A Crazed Resurrection (21 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with filmmaker and former Fangoria editor-in-chief, Chris Alexander.

Other extras include an O-Card slipcover and liner notes and information about the transfer on the inside cover.

Summary:

Gordon Hessler directed Murders in the Rue Morgue. He’s known for The Oblong Box, Scream and Scream Again, Cry of the Banshee, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

A theater performing Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue is besieged by a psychopath who’s killing off cast members.

11 years after it began with House of Usher, AIP would end their Edgar Allan Poe film cycle with Murders in the Rue Morgue. AIP’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, like most of their Edgar Allan Poe films, is a loose adaptation of its source story. That said, what makes AIP’s Murders in the Rue Morgue such an interesting adaptation is how it reapproaches the source material.

While Murders in the Rue Morgue incorporates elements associated with the macabre, it is more of a detective story like Edgar Allan Poe’s short story than it is a horror film. Another possible influence of Murders in the Rue Morgue is Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. Rene Marot, the masked madman in Murder in the Rue Morgue, has more than a passing resemblance to Erik, the phantom of the opera.

The opening setup, which features a clever moment of misdirection, does an excellent job setting the tone. The well-crafted narrative quickly grabs you, and it effectively builds momentum to a finale that serves as a perfect coda. The narrative's use of flashbacks, which reenact Madeleine’s past trauma and nightmares caused by her trauma, to heighten the mood, is another area where Murders in the Rue Morgue excels.

Murders in the Rue Morgue features a solid cast of recognizable faces from European cinema of the 1960s and 70s. The standout performance is Herbert Lom's (99 Women) portrayal of Rene Marot, a former lover of Madeleine’s mother, thought to be dead, who faked their death. Another performance of note is Christine Kaufmann (Terror After Midnight) in the role of Madeleine. She delivers a performance that perfectly captures a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Other cast members of note are Jason Robards (Once Upon a Time in the West) in the role of Madeleine’s husband, Maria Perschy (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll) in the role of a prostitute who has acid thrown at her face, Adolfo Celi (Danger: Daibolik) in the role of a police inspector, and Inma de Santis (Forbidden Love Game), who portrays a young version of Madeleine.

There are two versions of Murders in the Rue Morgue, and the clear winner is Gordon Hessler’s director’s cut. That said, it is not just additional footage that fleshes the story out; there is a dramatic tonal difference between the two versions. Gordon Hessler’s direction for his preferred version is rock solid; it is arguably his best film. The visuals, which at times veer into gothic horror and Waldo de los Ríos’ (Who Can Kill a Child?) an exemplary score greatly heighten the mood. Ultimately, viewers need to see Murders in the Rue Morgue in its director's cut to fully appreciate this underrated film.

Hammer Films gives Murders in the Rue Morgue its definitive home media release. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Frankenhooker – Synapse Films (4K UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1990
Director: Frank Henenlotter
Writer: Frank Henenlotter, Robert Martin
Cast: James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, Louise Lasser, Joseph Gonzalez, Joanne Ritchie, J.J. Clark

Release Date: October 13th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $49.95

"When medical student Jeffrey Franken's fiancée Elizabeth is accidentally decapitated by a remote-controlled lawnmower, his grief drives him to attempt the impossible. Using questionable medical expertise and body parts harvested from Manhattan street prostitutes lured by his homemade explosive drug "Super Crack," Jeffrey reconstructs Elizabeth, only to discover that her resurrected mind has become dangerously unstable." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Frankenhooker (4K Ultra HD) brings Frank Henenlotter's outrageous cult horror-comedy to 4K Ultra HD in a stunning new Dolby Vision restoration created from the archival uncut original 35mm vault materials."

Frankenhooker comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.3 GB

Feature: 57.7 GB

The source mostly looks excellent; there are a few very minor moments of imperfections that remain. Flesh tones look correct, colors look vivid, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic appearance.

Audio: 5/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. While the 4.1 track does an excellent job opening things up, I still prefer the stereo track. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Jennifer Delora's Frankenhooker Photo Scrapbook (11 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled A Stitch in Time: The Make-Up Effects of Frankenhooker (20 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Jennifer Delora titled Turning Tricks (19 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Patty Mullen titled A Salad That Was Once Named Elizabeth (8 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with director Frank Henenlotter and make-up effects designer Gabe Bartalos.

Summary:

After the tragic death of fiancé Elizabeth, who died due to a freak lawnmower accident, Jeffery Franken dreams up a way to bring her back to life. He will give her a new body, taking the best body parts from various prostitutes. Unfortunately, when he reassembles Elizabeth, he gets more than he bargained for; she takes on the personas of the prostitute whose body parts now make up her body. From there, Elizabeth escapes his lab and goes on a rampage through the streets of New York looking for dates and attacking men who take her up on the offer.

Frankenhooker is a variation of Bride of Frankenstein. While there have been other films that played off of Bride of Frankenstein, notably Young Frankenstein and Weird Science, they are tame in comparison to Frankenhooker. The humor in Frankenhooker fits firmly into black humor with its sexually laced and subversive political, ironic dialogue and situations.

Who hasn’t dreamed of putting together a perfect woman? Unlike these other firms that explore a similar idea, the protagonist Jeffrey Franken wants to bring his dead girlfriend Elizabeth back because he misses her and not to advance science. Instead of restoring Elizabeth’s original body, she battled a weight problem; Jeffery creates for her the perfect body.

All around, the cast are excellent in the roles, especially Patty Mullen's (Doom Asylum) portrayal of Frankenhooker. Her character repeats lines of dialogue that the prostitutes said earlier to Jeffery, and the result is some hilarious one-liners. James Lorinz delivers a delirious portrayal of the prototype mad scientist and his characters' enthusiasm for his work is infectious. The most colorful and charismatic character in the file is a pimp named Zorro who brands his ladies with a Z that he burns into their arms.

Without a doubt, the main attraction of Frankenhooker and its most durable asset are the special effects. The most memorable special effects moment is the scene where a group of prostitutes are auditioning for Jeffery, who’s looking for the perfect body parts. Things go awry when one of the girls discovers super crack in his bag, and they start smoking it. By the time the scene concludes, all of the girls have exploded into many pieces from smoking the super crack. That said, moments like this scene remind me why practical special effects were so special and superior to modern CGI.

Part of Frankenhooker’s charm is that the film never takes itself seriously. Frankenhooker might underwhelm some viewers expecting violence and gory set pieces on the same level as the Basket Case films and Brain Damage. That said, Frankenhooker relies more on comedy than Frank Henenlotter’s other films. Ultimately, Frankenhooker’s subversive humor and outrageous premise make for a highly entertaining film.

Frankenhooker makes its way to 4K UHD via an excellent release from Synapse Films. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Bride with White Hair: Ultimate Edition – Plaion Pictures (UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1993 (The Bride with White Hair, The Bride with White Hair 2)
Directors: Ronny Yu (The Bride with White Hair), David Wu (The Bride with White Hair 2)
Cast: Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Leila Tong, Francis Ng, Elaine Lui, Yammie Lam, Joseph Cheng, Eddy Ko, Law Lok-lam, Pau Fung, Jeffrey Lau (The Bride with White Hair), Sunny Chan, Joey Meng, Christy Chung, Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Eddy Ko (The Bride with White Hair 2)

Release Date: March 10th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 58 Seconds (The Bride with White Hair), 80 Minutes 37 Seconds (The Bride with White Hair 2)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 (The Bride with White Hair), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Bride with White Hair), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Bride with White Hair 2)
Rating: FSK 16 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Cantonese (Both Films), DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese (The Bride with White Hair), DTS-HD Mono German (Both Films), DTS-HD 5.1 German (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films), German (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: OOP

"A violent, mystical time ruled by the power of swords: The brave Yi-hang (Leslie Cheung) falls in love with the beautiful fighter of an enemy clan (Brigitte Lin) - but one day her love can only be fulfilled by the Flower of Immortality ..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3/5 (The Bride with White Hair - 4K UHD, The Bride with White Hair - Blu-ray), 4/5 (The Bride with White Hair 2)

The Bride with White Hair comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 39.2 GB

Feature: 37.7 GB

Plaion Pictures' release uses a German source and it looks nowhere as great as Eureka Video’s 2020 Blu-ray does. The image looks soft, and there appears to be some digital filtering going on.

The Bride with White Hair comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.4 GB

Feature: 29 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

The Bride with White Hair 2 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 25.5 GB

Feature: 24.5 GB

Unlike its predecessor, The Bride with White Hair 2 comes from a Hong Kong source and it looks really good. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - The Bride with White Hair, DTS-HD Mono Cantonese - The Bride with White Hair 2), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese - The Bride with White Hair)

The Bride with White Hair comes with four audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in German, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in German. For this review I only listened to the Cantonese language tracks, and they both sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the 5.1 Cantonese track sounds more robust. Included are removable English and German subtitles.

The Bride with White Hair 2 comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Cantonese, a DTS-HD mono mix in German, and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in German. For this review I only listened to the Cantonese language track, and it sounds clean, clear, and balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English and German subtitles.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a German-language theatrical trailer (1 minute 1 second, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), a Cantonese-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with Ronny Yu, in English.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with The Bride with White Hair include a German-language theatrical trailer (1 minute 1 second, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), a Cantonese-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with director Ronny Yu, in English.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc with The Bride with White Hair 2 include Cantonese-language theatrical trailer #1 (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles) and Cantonese-language theatrical trailer #1 (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese, no subtitles).

Extras on a third Blu-ray include an archival interview with Ronny Yu (23 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM stereo English with non-removable German subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Jason Lam Kee-To (46 minutes 41 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with non-removable German subtitles), an archival interview with Cherogpoaher/stunt double Jackie Yeung (14 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo Cantonese with non-removable German subtitles), an archival interview with French film critic Julien Seveon titled Portriat of Filmmakers Ronny Yu (40 minutes 4 seconds, LPCM stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview titled From book to film with author Brigitte Duzan (16 minutes 12 seconds, LPCM stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview titled The Fantasq Cinema Hong Kong with Julien Seveon (23 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM stereo French with non-removable German subtitles), and an archival Making Of featurette (12 minutes, LPCM stereo Cantonese with non-removable German subtitles).

Other extras include an 84-hardback book with a text piece titled The Bride with White Hair 1 & 2: Die Eine Rose, Auf Ewig Am Blümchen (The One Rose, Forever On the Blooming), a text piece titled Die Filme (The Films): The Bride with White Hair 1, a text piece titled Die Filme (The Films): The Bride with White Hair 2, a text piece titled Eine Weitere Einordnug Die Hongkonger Filmindustrie Anno 1993 (Another classification: The Hong Kong film industry in 1993), a text piece titled Das Wuxia-Genre (The Wuxia genre), a text piece titled Das Filmpersonal (The film crew): Ronny Yu, Leslie Cheung, and Brigitte Lin, and still photos.

Summary:

The Bride with White Hair: Ronny Yu directed The Bride with White Hair. Notable films he’s directed include The Postman Fights Back, Legacy of Rage, and The Phantom Lover. The Bride with White Hair marks a high point for Ronny Yu as a filmmaker. In 1997, Ronny Yu, like many of his contemporaries, would transition from Hong Kong to Hollywood cinema, directing films like Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason.

The narrative revolves around a young swordsman named Zhuo Yihang, who’s been groomed since birth to become the leader of his clan, falling in love with a swordswoman named Lian Nichang from a rival clan. Their love is soon put to the test when Lian Nichang gets framed for killing Zhuo Yihang’s master.

At the heart of The Bride with White Hair is a story about two enemies who become lovers and how they try to navigate their doomed romance. The narrative moves along briskly, with just enough time devoted to character development. It should be noted that the opening sequence also serves as the moment that opens The Bride with White Hair 2.

While the narrative is solid, the most striking aspect of The Bride with White Hair is its visual style. The visuals are breathtaking, as they flawlessly mix dreamlike and nightmarish imagery. Standout moments include the scene where Zhuo Yihang spies on Lian Nichang, who’s bathing, and the scene that shows their love’s evolution before they are each confronted by their clans about their forbidden love.

Brigitte Lin's (Police Story) and Leslie Cheung’s (Farewell, My Concubine) performances are the heart and soul of The Bride with White Hair. They have a tremendous amount of onscreen chemistry. Another performance of note is Francis Ng’s megalomaniac portrayal of the male half of psychopath Siamese twins.

Hong Kong cinema is known for its elaborate action set pieces that often defy gravity, and when it comes to action set pieces, The Bride with White Hair delivers and then some, with each one somehow topping the last. Weapons are another staple of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Brigitte Lin’s character, Lian Nichang, uses her hair as a weapon and a whip that cuts bodies in half. Ultimately, The Bride with the White Hair is a haunting story about a doomed love affair that perfectly mixes drama and action.

The Bride with White Hair 2: David Wu directed The Bride with White Hair 2. He’s most known for his work as an editor for John Woo and Tsui Hark. The Bride with White Hair 2 was quickly rushed into production after the success of The Bride with White Hair and released four months after its predecessor. 

Framed for murder, Lian Nichang exacts her revenge by killing all the members of the eight clans. It has been ten years since Zhuo Yihang saw Lian Nichang. He has been waiting for a rare flower to bloom, which has the power to end the curse he has put upon her for killing his master. Will Zhuo Yihang be able to break the curse that has been placed upon Lian Nichang or will her lust for revenge be too powerful to overcome?

While The Bride with White Hair 2 uses the two main characters from its predecessor, Zhuo Yihang and Lian Nichang, their love affair is not the focal point. The bulk of The Bride with White Hair 2’s narrative revolves around Zhuo Yihang’s nephew and his bride. That said, where Zhuo Yihang is resigned to moments at the beginning and end, Lian Nichang is front and center as the leader of a clan of men hating women who she uses to exact her revenge.

When it comes to the performances, Zhuo Yihang and Leslie Cheung, who portrayed him, are greatly missed. His onscreen chemistry with Brigitte Lin is what made The Bride with White Hair work so well. That said, in Leslie Cheung’s absence, Brigitte Lin is given a considerable amount of screentime and she delivers a performance that perfectly captures her character's lust for revenge. Out of the new cast, the most surprising performance is Christy Chung’s (The Bodyguard from Beijing) portrayal of Ling Yue'er, a tomboy character who more than holds her own against any of her male counterparts.

Where love was central to The Bride with White Hair, revenge takes over for The Bride with White Hair 2. The opening setup does an excellent job laying the foundation and the narrative is very effective as it builds momentum. The narrative's only shortcoming is how much it favors action set pieces over exposition. Ultimately, The Bride with White Hair 2 is another sequel that does not live up to the high bar set by its predecessor. That said, the result is a film that is always engaging and never fails to entertain.

Plaion Pictures' The Bride with White Hair is hugely disappointing considering it bills itself as an ultimate edition.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Suzzanna: Empress of Darkness – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Indonesia, 1991 (Pact with the Forces of Darkness), Indonesia, 1988 (White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro), Indonesia, 1986 (Kliwon Friday Night), Indonesia, 2008 (Ghost Ambulance)
Directors: Sisworo Gautama Putra (Pact with the Forces of Darkness, Malam Satu Suro, Kliwon Friday Night), H. Tjut Djalil (White Crocodile Queen), Nayato Fio Nuala (Ghost Ambulance)
Cast: Suzzanna (All Films), Elly Ermawati, Piet Pagau, Yenny Farida, Clift Sangra, Soendjoto Adibroto (Pact with the Forces of Darkness), Soendjoto Adibroto, Vera Magdalena, Ruth Pelupessy (White Crocodile Queen), Fendy Pradana, Nurnaningsih, Soendjoto Adibroto, Johny Matakena, Karsiman Gada (Malam Satu Suro), Alan Nuary, Bokir (Kliwon Friday Night), William Alvin, Dimaz Andrean, Fitri Ayu, Gianina Emanuela, Ratna Galih, Clift Sangra (Ghost Ambulance)

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 85 Minutes 25 Seconds (Pact with the Forces of Darkness), 98 Minutes 16 Seconds (White Crocodile Queen), 83 Minutes 55 Seconds (Malam Satu Suro), 88 Minutes 20 Seconds (Kliwon Friday Night), 88 Minutes 16 Seconds (Ghost Ambulance), 87 Minutes 52 Seconds (Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, Kliwon Friday Night), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Interlaced / MPEG-4 AVC (Ghost Ambulance)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Indonesian (All Films Except Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic), DTS-HD Stereo Indonesian (Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A (All Films Except Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic), Region Free (Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic)
Retail Price: $79.95

"The Queen of Indonesian horror” (Collider) stars in two classic films from the latter part of her legendary career featuring three of her most provocative performances of all: Suzzanna has the time of her life as a woman who returns from the dead – complete with eye-popping special effects and Freddy Krueger-style razor glove – to avenge her family’s massacre in PACT WITH THE FORCES OF DARKNESS from writer/director Sisworo Gautama Putra (SATAN’S SLAVE, MALAM SATU SURO). In WHITE CROCODILE QUEEN, directed by H. Tjut Djalil (MYSTICS IN BALI, LADY TERMINATOR), Suzzanna triumphs in a dual role as a malevolent reptile empress who possesses the body of her sexually uninhibited twin sister to unleash savage retribution on the men who murdered their parents.

In her most iconic role of all, “Indonesia’s greatest scream queen” (Whitlock & Pope) stars as folkloric ghoul Sundelbolong – literally ‘ghost with hole’, the vengeful spirit of a rape victim whose long black hair hides the maggot-infested opening in her back through which her baby was born – in these two classic ‘80s shockers: In MALAM SATU SORO, Suzzanna brings supernatural carnage to the big city when a violent kidnapping unlocks Sundelbolong’s maternal fury. In KLIWON FRIDAY NIGHT, Suzzanna is an agoraphobic author whose haunting by Sundelbolong triggers a nightmare of dark secrets and demonic mayhem. 

She starred in 42 movies and is still hailed as ‘The Queen of Indonesian Horror’. But who was Suzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, beloved by the Asian world as Suzzanna yet virtually unknown outside it? In this “stellar” (Hi-Def Digest) Severin Films documentary from director David Gregory (ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE, BLOOD & FLESH: THE REEL LIFE & GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON), discover the enigmatic horror star best known for portraying vengeful spirits from Indonesian folklore, demons whose supernatural retribution are widely believed to have influenced her controversial life and mysterious death. Through exclusive interviews with family, colleagues, filmmakers and historians, as well as “gloriously over-the-top” (Gizmodo) clips from her classic films, Gregory unearths the legacy of “Indonesia’s eternal queen of darkness” (Vice), complete with over 3 hours of revealing Special Features that include Suzzanna’s final film, GHOST AMBULANCE." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, Kliwon Friday Night), 1/5 (Ghost Ambulance)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, and Kliwon Friday Night are now scanned in 2K from their original camera negatives in English-friendly versions for the first time ever in America.

The following presentation of Ghost Ambulance is sourced from the producer's only usable file of the feature, as the original master is apparently lost.

While it suffers from baked-in interlacing and other digital abnormalities, it is the best possible version available of Suzzanna's final film."

Pact with the Forces of Darkness and White Crocodile Queen come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 20.6 GB (Pact with the Forces of Darkness), 23.7 GB (White Crocodile Queen)

Malam Satu Suro and Kliwon Friday Night come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.5 GB

Feature: 20.3 GB (Malam Satu Suro), 21.3 GB (Kliwon Friday Night)

Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic and Ghost Ambulance come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 19.5 GB (Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic), 20.7 GB (Ghost Ambulance)

Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, and Kliwon Friday Night is on par with the best-looking transfers for Indonesian films that have been released in North America on Blu-ray. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity is strong, black levels fare well, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction. That said, Ghost Ambulance looks considerably worse; the image is interlaced and digitized.

Audio: 3.75/5 (All Audio Tracks)

Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, Kliwon Friday Night, and Ghost Ambulance each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Indonesian with removable English subtitles. While all tracks sound clear and balanced, they are limited range-wise.

Extras:

There are no extras on the disc with Pact with the Forces of Darkness and White Crocodile Queen.

Extras on the disc with Malam Satu Suro and Kliwon Friday Night include Hantu Retribution: Female Ghosts Of The Malay Archipelago—an interview with filmmaker Katrina Irawati Graham and Dr. Rosalind Galt, author of Alluring Monsters: The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization (28 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic include a trailer (2 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles), David Gregory’s introduction at the Jakarta Film Week Screening, October 2024 (3 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a conversation with director/co-producer David Gregory and co-producer Ekky Imanjaya (18 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Extras for Ghost Ambulance include a trailer (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles), promo clips (24 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles), a Ghost Ambulance Silet interview with Suzzanna and Clift Sangra (14 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles), ShowBiz on Location interviews with the cast and crew (20 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles), and an archival featurette titled The Making of Ghost Ambulance (28 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic is an exemplary documentary about the life and career of Indonesian actress Suzzanna. Not only does it feature comments from Suzzanna via archival interviews, it provides a well-rounded overview of her from those who knew and worked with her. While most will be drawn to the discussion of the films she appeared in, the strength of the documentary is her personal life and the tragedies she experienced, notably the death of her son. Ultimately, Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic is a must-see documentary for fans of Indonesian cinema.

Sisworo Gautama Putra directed Pact with the Forces of Darkness, Malam Satu Suro, and Kliwon Friday Night. He’s most known for Primitives, Satan’s Slave, The Warrior, Sundelbolong, Srigala, Santet, and Santet 2.

H. Tjut Djalil directed White Crocodile Queen. He’s most known for Mystics of Bali and Lady Terminator.

Pact with the Forces of Darkness: A greedy businessman murders his rival and his family. The dead rival's wife returns as a vengeful ghost that avenges their deaths.

White Crocodile Queen: A curse is put on a man who steals an amulet that subdues crocodiles.

Malam Satu Suro: A vengeful ghost is given a second chance to live a normal life. Her happiness is short-lived when men change her back to a vengeful ghost and kill her child.

Kliwon Friday Night: An author questions her sanity after moving into an old house inhabited by a vengeful ghost.

There is a lot of overlap between Pact with the Forces of Darkness, White Crocodile Queen, Malam Satu Suro, and Kliwon Friday Night. Commonalties they share are characters driven by greed, curses, and vengeful ghosts. Another commonality is that all of these stories begin with opening setups that capture the audience's attention. A man and his family are murdered in Pact with the Forces of Darkness, a woman dies in childbirth in the White Crocodile Queen, a man summons a vengeful spirit and gives her life in Malam Satu Suro, and a child bursts out of its mother's back in Kliwon Friday Night.

All of these films are a mix of supernatural horror and exploitation, and some have martial arts thrown into the mix. When it comes to carnage, these moments are gory and at times jaw-dropping. While their use of practical special effects mostly works, there are times when the effects call attention to themselves like people in crocodile rubber suits. All of the narratives, except for Malam Satu Suro, move briskly, while that film feels padded and at times momentum drags. Of course, the main draw of these films is Suzzanna, who always outshines the rest of the cast.

Ghost Ambulance: A pact with a malevolent demon returns to haunt a family when a son returns to his family's ancestral home, where the deal was struck.

Although Ghost Ambulance has all of the elements that one expects from an Indonesian supernatural horror film, a curse, revenge, and a vengeful ghost, its execution leaves a lot to be desired. The narrative does a good job balancing scares and exposition as it effectively builds to a climax that perfectly puts everything into focus. Ghost Ambulance’s use of sound and jump scares, while effective at first, loses some of their bite from overuse. The main draw of Ghost Ambulance is Suzzanna, Indonesia’s most iconic horror film actress, making her final film. Unfortunately, her screentime is limited.

Suzzanna: Empress of Darkness is an excellent release from Severin Films that gives each film their best presentations to date and insightful extras, notably Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer