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

The Queen of Black Magic – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Indonesia, 1981
Director: Liliek Sudjio
Writer: Imam Tantowi
Cast: Suzzanna, W.D. Mochtar, Alan Nuary, Siska Widowati, Sofia W.D.

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 58 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: $29.99

"The story is set in the exotic countryside of far-off Indonesia. A wedding ceremony goes dreadfully wrong and the groom suspects black magic. He seeks out the woman he believes is responsible and she is hurled to her death over a high cliff. She is rescued from the dark jungle by a strange hermit. He tells her that she must seek revenge. They accused her of black magic—now she must learn to use that magic against them and become the Queen of Black Magic." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

The Queen of Black Magic comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.8 GB

Feature: 25.5 GB

The bulk of this transfer looks excellent; that said, there are still some instances of minor source damage. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels fare well.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Indonesian), 3.75/5 (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 tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. That said, the Indonesian track sounds more robust than its English language counterpart. Included are removable English subtitles for the Indonesian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an introduction by filmmaker Joko Anwar (7 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles) and an interview with SFX creator El Badrun (10 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

A young woman is accused of witchcraft by her former lover, who blames her for the strange events that disrupted his wedding. With the aid of superstitious townsfolk, he attempts to eliminate her by throwing her body off a cliff. An old man residing in the canyon below discovers her and nurses her back to health. After the young woman recovers, the old man persuades her to seek revenge on those who attempted to kill her using black magic.

The Queen of Black Magic is a supernatural folk horror film that perfectly embodies 1980s Indonesian genre cinema’s anything-goes attitude. The premise takes the familiar superstitious locales that wrongly accuse a person of practicing black magic, leading to their death. From there, the narrative becomes a tale about revenge, where the victim, who's also a woman scorned and whose main target is the man who left her for another woman, takes action. Besides black magic and revenge, other themes explored are abandonment of faith and how that is the root cause of the evil festering in the village.

The main draw of The Queen of Black Magic is Suzzanna in the role of Murni, a woman accused of being a witch. When it comes to Indonesian horror cinema, no actor or actress is bigger than Suzzanna, who's known as the queen of it. She delivers an exemplary performance that has intensity that makes you cheer for her as she gets revenge against those who wronged her. Another performance of note is W.D. Mochtar (Mystics in Bali) in the role of an evil wizard who trains Muri in the fine arts of black magic.

A reason why the premise works as well as it does is because of the quality of the special effects. Although the practical special effects belong to a bygone era, they consistently deliver a strong impact. A few of the inventive ways people die at the hands of black magic are a swarm of bees, exploding flesh, and self-deception.

While the opening setup effectively establishes the foundation for the story, there is a brief lull before the action intensifies. One area where The Queen of Black Magic excels is in its visuals, which are rich with atmosphere and captivating moments that enhance the overall mood. Ultimately, The Queen of Black Magic is one of the high watermarks of 1980s Indonesian horror cinema.

The Queen of Black Magic gets a solid release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and pair of informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Mystics in Bali – Mondo Macabro (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Indonesia, 1981
Director: H. Tjut Djalil
Writers: Putra Mada, Jimmy Atmaja
Cast: Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D., W.D. Mochtar, Debbie Cinthya Dewi  

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 85 Minutes 59 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: $29.99

"A young American woman on holiday in Bali becomes fascinated by tales of the local black magic cult known as the Leyak. She seeks out a Leyak witch and attempts to learn her secrets. Needless to say, it all goes horribly wrong!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Widely recognized as a benchmark of Asian horror movies, this is the first Blu-ray release of the film and is digitally restored from the original negative. The disc also includes a rare extended version of the film with more than 40 minutes of extra footage."

Mystics in Bali comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.2 GB

Feature: 24 GB

This new transfer is a massive improvement over Mondo Macabro’s 2007 DVD. Outside of some special effects insert shots, which come from a lesser source, the bulk of the transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no 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 tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Indonesian language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an introduction by filmmaker Joko Anwar (8 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with director H. Tjut Djalil (14 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Indonesian with English voiceover translation), a video essay by Jake Gallo titled Monsters, Movies, and Myth (10 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an extended 2-hour cut of Mystics in Bali (118 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Indonesian with removable English subtitles).

Summary:

H. Tjut Djalil directed Mystics in Bali. He is also known for directing The Warrior and the Ninja, Lady Terminator, and Dangerous Seductress.

An American interested in the exotic world of Asian magic makes a pact with a witch to learn the secrets of becoming a Leyak. Now that she has discovered the secrets of a forbidden and rarely seen world, will she be able to return to her former life?

Black magic is a familiar theme that runs throughout Asian cinema. And just when you thought that you had seen it all when it comes to black magic, along comes a film like Mystics in Bali. The premise of an outsider looking into a world that is foreign to them is superbly realized. That said, if you are looking for action, adventure, romance, horror, and just anything remotely bizarre, then Mystics of Bali is a film that will surely get your juices flowing.

For a film that's filled with the unusual, nothing stands out more than its leading lady, Ilona Agathe Bastian. Reportedly, she was a German tourist with no acting experience who was discovered by the producer's wife. She has an exotic quality about her that makes her stand apart from the rest of the cast. That said, Mystics in Bali is not a film that one watches because of its performances.

Despite featuring an eastern subject matter, Mystics of Bali was the first Indonesian horror film that was made for a Western audience. I have seen about 20 Indonesian films up to now, and all of them showcase an extravagant presentation rather than focusing on realism. This most definitely holds true to Mystics of Bai, a film that has all of these traits in spades.

From a production standpoint, despite there being areas where Mystics of Bali is not flawless, notably when it comes to its special effects sequences, for the most part, Mystics of Bali comes out far ahead of its limited resources. The narrative does an excellent job balancing explosion moments with its more outlandish moments. The most memorable moments are the scenes where the protagonist's detached head floats around and drinks the blood of babies in their mothers' wombs. Ultimately, Mystics of Bali is a truly unique cinematic experience that deserves its reputation as one of the best films ever to come out of Indonesia.

Mystics in Bali gets an exceptional release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, an extended version of the film, and a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Extended Version—Screenshot Examples of Insert Shots.

Written by Michael Den Boer