Satan's Slave – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Indonesia, 1980
Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra
Writers: ESisworo Gautama Putra, Naryono Prayitno, Imam Tantowi
Cast: Ruth Pelupessi, W.D. Mochtar, Fachrul Rozy, Simon Cader, Siska Widowati, H.I.M. Damsyik, Diana Suarkom, Doddy Sukma

Release Date: May 26th, 2020
Approximate running time: 95 Minutes 49 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Indonesian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.98

"While mourning the death of his mother, a troubled teen discovers a nightmare world of restless spirits, supernatural vengeance and occult terror." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "now scanned from the original negative".

Satan's Slave comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.9 GB

Feature: 18.8 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape; colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels look solid throughout, and compression is very good. That said, there appears to be some digital noise reduction; fortunately, it is mild and never intrusive.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Indonesian, and included with this release are removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Range-wise, this track sounds very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, two short films inspired by Satan’s Slave: Jenny (11 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with removable English subtitles) and Don’t Blink (1 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles), an audio interview with Joko Anwar who directed Satan’s Slaves remake titled Satan’s Slave Obsession (9 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Imam Tantowi titled Indonesian Atmosphere (8 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles) and producer Gope T. Samtani titled Satan’s Box Office (9 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra whose other notable films include, Primitives, The Warrior, Sundelbolong and The Hungry Snake Woman.

The narrative revolves around a family overcome with grief after the death of their matriarch. From there, they are tormented by an evil entity that feeds off their lack of faith.

At the heart of Satan’s Slave is a tale about loss of faith and how it encourages darkness to overtake their lives. The narrative revolves around a family who renounces religion after the loss of a loved one. This action then puts them in the cross-hairs of an evil Lucifer-like entity hellbent on damning their souls.

Content-wise, though Satan’s Slave has many elements that have become synonymous with supernatural horror cinema, The result is a horror film that aims higher than your typical by-the-numbers horror film. And nowhere is this clearer than the role that religion plays in the story at hand.

Satan’s Slave is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere. Though the well-constructed narrative is overflowing with bizarre occurrences and eerie imagery that are best described as waking nightmares, Satan’s Slave saves its most outlandish moments for its last thirty minutes.

The performances range from adequate to good. The most memorable performance was Ruth Pelupessi's sinister portrayal of Darmina, a woman who poses as a housekeeper, when in reality she’s an evil incarnate.

The most surprising aspect is how well the special effects hold up. Another strength is the synth score, which perfectly sets the mood. Ultimately, Satan’s Slave is a well-made film that fans of supernatural horror cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Satan's Slave gets an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer