Santet / Santet 2 – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Indonesia, 1988 (Santet), Indonesia, 1989 (Santet 2)
Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra (Both Films)
Cast: Suzzanna, Joice Erna, K. Arief Raduma, Busiti, Dorman Borisman, Karsiman Gada

Release Date: January 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 94 Minutes 6 Seconds (Santet), 92 Minutes 12 Seconds (Santet 2)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Indonesian (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.98

Santet: "After poisoning his wife, local gangster Bisman blames her death on the village cleric and instigates an outraged mob to burn down his hut, killing him in the process. The cleric's wife Katemi (Suzzanna) escapes into the jungle, eventually meeting Nyi Angker, a half-crocodile half-witch who gives Katemi diabolical powers, thus allowing her to commence a bloody revenge…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Santet 2: "Katemi is trying to live a pious life in her village, but most of the villagers shun and curse her on account of her previous murderous deeds. When the mentor of Nyi Angker finds Katemi and curses her, the madness in the village starts anew as Katemi turns into a vicious tiger every night, ripping the townspeople from limb to limb!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Santet, Santet 2)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from their 35mm original camera negative."

Santet and Santet 2 come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 23 GB (Santet), 22.3 GB (Santet 2)

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.

Audio: 4/5 (Santet, Santet 2)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Indonesian. Both films come with removable English subtitles. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, range-wise, they can be limited at times.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an audio commentary with film historian Dr. Ekky Imanjaya for Santet, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to 6,000 units), and a 16-page booklet with an essay titled Suzzanna - Black Magic Woman written by Thomas Barker.

Summary:

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

Santet: A woman turns to black magic when an angry mob murders her husband.

Black magic is at the heart of Santet, whose title translates to witchcraft. Also, black magic is a staple of countless Indonesian horror films. And though the initial event that sets in motion the narrative involves a man who is falsely accused of black magic and murdered, What occurs after his death is deeply rooted in black magic when the wife uses it to avenge her husband's death.

When Santet focuses on black magic it is at its best, when it makes it shifts towards offbeat humor things are on shaky ground. Also, the black magic moments feature some well-executed practical special effects that are overflowing with gore, while most of the humor revolves around a bumbling cop named Bokir. Besides humor, when one of the characters breaks into a song and dance, that is another area where Santet comes up short.

For most fans of Indonesian horror cinema, the main reason to check out Santet is Suzzanna in the role of Katemi, the wife who turns to witchcraft. She is known as the queen of Indonesian horror, and once again, she delivers a captivating performance as a woman driven by vengeance. The rest of the performances are best described as serviceable.

Most of the Indonesian horror cinema that I have sampled so far has one thing in common: it is filled with WTF moments, and their narratives have many moments that defy logic. When it comes to these two elements, Santet delivers in spades. Ultimately, Santet is a well-made revenge-themed black magic horror film that fans of Indonesian horror cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Santet 2: Katemi is trying to live a life free of black magic when the mentor of the one who taught her black magic puts a curse on her.

Don’t let the pre-credit sequence that opens Santet fool you. Despite having a vibe that mirrors its predecessor, after this sequence, Santet 2 becomes a film that is the polar opposite of its predecessor.

Though many horror films often use humor, there is a fine line, and when things lean more heavily towards humor, a film devolves into a parody. With Santet 2, it is a case of way too much humor and not enough black magic. Most of the narrative revolves around inept police searching for a shapeshifter.

Though Suzzanna returns in the role of Katemi, her role is greatly reduced, and her portrayal is not as potent, lacking the menace that made her performance in Santet so memorable. Once again, the rest of the performances are best described as serviceable.

Released a year after its predecessor, Santet 2 has the same director and most of the same cast. And though its narrative picks up where its predecessor left off, the result feels more like a rehash than a sequel. Another area where Santet 2 comes up short is its pacing, which tends to drag where Santet’s pacing moved along briskly. Ultimately, Santet 2 is an inferior successor to Santet.

Santet and Santet 2 get a solid release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with strong audio and video presentations and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer