The Queen of Black Magic

Beloved star Suzzanna takes on her usual role doling out justice to wicked men as the queen of Indonesian horror in Liliek Sudjio’s cult classic.

In a tight-knit rural village, Murni (Suzzanna, who also stars in Sundelbolong) is seduced by a marriage proposal and the promise of a life of security with her deceitful lover, Kohar. But her once-sweet love affair turns out to be anything but, when Kohar agrees to marry the daughter of an influential man in the village instead of Murni. 

The villagers turn against Murni and start blaming her for everything bad that befalls the village. Murni is rescued by an eccentric old man, who schools her in the dark arts, promising to make her nothing less than the queen of black magic.

With her newfound supernatural powers, Murni plots vein-bursting, head-exploding revenge on the man who abandoned her and the villagers that turned against her. 

Set in the untouched jungles of Indonesia, the film’s traditional costuming adds an interesting counterpoint to Hollywood’s influence on the exploitation genre. Close-ups of Suzzanna’s black-winged eyes as she’s in the throes of revenge are both haunting and captivating. It’s hard to look away and easy to understand what makes this film such a cult classic.