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The Hungry Snake Woman – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Indonesia, 1986
Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra
Cast: Suzzanna, Advent Bangun, George Rudy, Nina Anwar, Dorman Borisman, Rita Supardi, Torita Murni, Bokir

Release Date: March 10th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Indonesian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Burhan, desperate for wealth and glory, decides to visit the Snake Woman, a mysterious and powerful deity who can confer instant riches on those who obey her commands. She tells Burhan he must kill three women, feast on their blood and eat their breasts. Transformed into Dracula, with cloak and fangs, he sets off on his mission. One killing is all he can take before abandoning the task.

He encounters Nyi Lajang, the Snake Woman’s enemy, a half human/half snake creature. Nyi Lajang offers Burhan a way out of his contract with the Snake Woman. She gives him a silver pin that he must stab Snake Woman with during sex while she is in human form. This will turn her back into a snake and neutralize all her magical powers. This is what Burhan does. But his problems are far from over…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2k transfer from film negative, digitally restored."

The Hungry Snake Woman comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB

The source looks great; only a few minor instances of debris remain. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, there are no issues with compression, and there do not appear to be any issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Indonesian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Indonesian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks have some sibilance issues; fortunately, in both instances, it is not intrusive. That said, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, both audio tracks sound very good. Included are removable English subtitles for the Indonesian language track.

Extras:

There is no extra content.

Summary:

Sisworo Gautama Putra directed The Hungry Snake Woman. He is also known for making Primitives, Satan's Slave, Sundelbolong, and The Warrior. The Hungry Snake Woman is a sequel to The Snake Queen. Sisworo Gautama Putra directed both films.

A man’s lust for wealth and power leads him to a half-human/half-snake creature who offers him all he seeks if he tricks the snake woman and returns her to her snake form.

Though The Hungry Snake Woman is a film that is firmly rooted in the realm of fantasy. Like a lot of Indonesian films, it mixes genres; besides fantasy elements, there is humor and some action. The Hungry Snake Woman is also a film that wears its influences; at one point, the man in search of wealth and power looks like Dracula. That said, it is this throw-everything-into-the-mix approach that makes Indonesian films so much fun.

The presence of the Snake Woman in The Hungry Snake Woman is reduced compared to its predecessor, The Snake Queen. This time around her nemesis, a half-human/half-snake creature named Nyi Lajang, has equal screen time. Despite these two characters' wickedness, the real villain of The Hungry Snake Woman is a man named Burhan. He’s power hungry and obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, who left him after he tried to rape her. In his mind, if he obtains wealth, all will be forgiven, and she will come back to him. His quest for power and wealth comes at a price; besides returning the Snake Woman to her snake form, he has to kill three women, drink their blood, and feast on their breasts.

The main attraction of The Hungry Snake Woman is Suzzanna (Sundelbolong), an actress whose career spanned five decades. Most of her films in the 1980s were in the fantasy and horror genre. In The Hungry Snake Woman, she not only portrays the Snake Woman but also a doppelganger character named Suzy. Whatever role she portrays, she is mesmerizing.

When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are very good in their roles, especially the actress who portrays Nyi Lajang, the half-human/half-snake creature. An actor named Bokir, who appears in a lot of 1980s Indonesian fantasy/horror films, does what he does best to provide comic relief. Advent Bangun delivers a pitch-perfect performance in the role of the abusive, power-hungry Burhan.

What Indonesian genre films lack when it comes to budget, they more than make up for in imagination. This is most clear in The Hungry Snake Woman when it comes to the special effects, which include a creature exploding out of a man’s chest. At 82 minutes in length, The Hungry Snake Woman never overstays its welcome. Ultimately, The Hungry Snake Woman is a highly entertaining film that fans of exploitation cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

The Hungry Snake Woman gets a solid audio/video presentation; recommended despite its lack of contextual extras.