Satan’s Slaves (Indonesian: Pengabdi Setan) is a sequel/reboot to the 1980 Indonesian film of the same name by Sisworo Gautama Putra that was in itself a kind of regionalized version of Phantasm; got that so far? What made the original so intriguing to horror fans, other than fact it was almost impossible to track down a copy, was how it replaced the Christian/Catholic lens we are so used to viewing horror through here in the west with Islam and a very Indonesian flavor. This provided a fresh spin on the haunted house sub-genre, given the beliefs pertaining to devils and ghosts are quite different than we are accustomed to. Screening at Fantasia, this new take directed by Joko Anwar (The Forbidden Door And Ritual), who is one of Indonesia’s best filmmakers working in genre, is sort of an East meets West take on the original film and something definitely worth seeking out.
Taking place in 1981, the film focuses on Rini (Tara Basro), a young woman who lives with her impoverished family in a rickety house in the Indonesian countryside. For the last three years her mother, who once was a famous singer, has been bedridden and comatose, thrusting upon her the role of caretaker for her three brothers, father, and grandmother. When her mother passes away and her father sets off to the city to hopefully to find a way to save their home, which will soon be in foreclosure, they quickly discover there is something else lurking in the shadows of their happy home. The deeper Rini digs, the closer she gets to the truth about her mother and the price she paid for her not only her family, but her mother-in-law’s acceptance. Taking heaving inspiration from the films of James Wan, Satan’s Slaves is a story horror fans are very familiar with, but it’s fascinating seeing it not filtered through the Christian perspective.
Littered with a plethora of jump scares and powered by a great ensemble cast, Satan’s Slaves feels like a film that would be very comfortable in our own multiplexes. With its slick production values and eerie on-point sound design, I could easily see this picture with an English dub doing very well stateside. Even with the cultural differences that only enhance the film’s twisted narrative, the film is super effective and still works exactly as intended. This is all thanks to Joko Anwar, who masterfully balances the scares with a very human story led by Tara Basro as Rini. She turns in an outstanding performance as the daughter, who manages to skirt a fine line of both belief and skepticism throughout the film while putting together the pieces. She is aided by Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, and Muhammad Adhiyat as her brothers, who for children do an amazing job at maintaining the believability of the film and its narrative for the audience.
Satan’s Slaves is a gem worth seeking out for fans of the Conjuring or Insidious series. It’s a captivating watch to see how other cultures play with some of the same tropes we have grown accustomed to here in the US. Even without the context of the original, this film stands firmly enough alone that it doesn’t detract at all from the plot or characters. I personally loved how not only the religious aspects were at play here, but also the cultural pressures and ideals women are held to in Islamic culture, which are what ultimately motivate Rini’s mother. Satan’s Slaves was a thrilling look in the darkest corners of another culture, filled with terrifying scares that will have you have you sleeping with the lights on.