Srigala: Limited Slipcover Edition – Terror Vision (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Indonesia, 1981
Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra
Cast: Lydia Kandou, Rudy Salam, Barry Prima, Siska Widowati, Dorman Borisman, S. Parya, Mieke Wijaya

Release Date: July 14th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes 24 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Indonesian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $24.99

"A trio of treasure hunters venture to a remote lake in search of a submerged fortune but run into unexpected company in some vacationing college friends. The fortune trackers attempt to scare the coeds away with stories of ghosts and demons, but all end up in a fight for survival as someone, or something, is hunting them down one-by-one." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a new 2K scan of Putra’s original camera negative."

Srigala comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 20.1 GB

Feature: 17.1 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong throughout. That said, this transfer is on par with Terror Vision’s transfer for Escape From Hellhole.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Indonesian with removable English subtitles. This audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, this track sounds very good; the action sequences sound robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with producer Gope Samtani (7 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with non-removable English SDH), an interview with actor Barry Prima (7 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English SDH), an interview with actress Lydia Kandou (7 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English SDH), an interview with actor Dorman Borisman (3 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English SDH), and a limited-edition slipcover.

Summary:

Directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra, whose other notable films are Satan’s Slave and The Warrior.

Three friends and three treasure hunters staying at an abandoned, haunted lake house find themselves in a fight for their lives when an unseen killer hunts them.

The thing that seems to be brought up when discussing Srigala is how it is Friday, the 13th clone. Though there are a few elements in Srigala, notably an ending where a girl is floating in a boat before she is rescued, Srigala’s connection to Friday the 13th is not as concrete when it comes to other elements, like a lake location where campers are attacked by an unseen killer.

Despite a strong opening where a character's insides are exposed after being attacked by the killer, Srigala’s narrative actually does a 180 with the tone of the film. Outside of the kill in the opening sequence, the opening 40 minutes are essentially moments where the three friends and three treasure hunters get to know each other. Nothing scary really happens until around the 40-minute mark, when one of the girls has a dream where corpses rise from the dead. That said, the latter half of the narrative shifts into full-on horror territory, with one kill after another.

The most surprising aspect of Srigala is how well it employs humor considering the events that unfold. The humor is not jokes per se, as it is just a character acting silly and doing stupid things. That said, a character who feels neglected by his two female friends is the source of all of the humor.

From a production standpoint, Srigala is a film that does very well with its limited resources. Though the premise covers famailir ground, there is predictability to the events that unfold. Enthusiastic performances from the cast ensure there is rarely a dull moment. Also, when it comes to the kill scenes, they are sufficiently gory, and the special effects hold up well. Ultimately, Srigala is an entertaining blend of horror and humor that slasher film fans will get the most out of.

Srigala gets a definitive release from Terror Vision, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer