User reviews

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently after disliking the remake.

Weird scene : Murni already told her mother about losing her virginity n her lover breaking his promise about marrying her and we as audiences became aware of this situation but was it necessary to the show the scene wher she loses her virginity and that too without any sex or nudity.

Another lol aspect is Murni doing naked karate moves in the middle of the night. That is how her mentor taught her black magic.

Her jumps on a hilltop and a sparking moon as the backdrop can only be applauded.

Murni bathes naked in a river n no nudity.

Ther is this smoke coming out from the top of Murni's head n at the background we have this pressure cooker music/sound.

All thru the rituals Murni is naked but we dont get to see anything.

A man is charged 200 for a coffee n that too in the 80s. I dont kno whether it was rupees or dollars.

Two fried bananas n a cup of coffee for 500. But can someone tell me the currency?

Wtf man, Murni is able to lactate n breastfeed a baby without getting pregnant.

And watch out for the scene where a body gets smashed as if someone firing bullets at the body along with shooting sound.

A guy repeatedly does karate jumps, cheeks turn into puss filled balloons and last but not least Murni is able to get herself inside the earth without any digging.

Tasty Indonesian horror babe Suzzanna plays Murni, a woman seduced and spurned by the man she loves, wrongly accused of witchcraft, and then thrown off a cliff by an angry mob who aren't too bothered with minor details like due process of law. Narrowly surviving her ordeal, she is nursed back to health by an old man who urges her to seek revenge on those who tried to kill her using the powers of black magic. Having killed several villagers, and made her ex-lover tear off his own head, Murni feels avenged, but the old man who taught her all of her evil tricks has his own agenda and wants her to continue with the slaughter.

If weird and wonderful whacked-out world cinema horror is your kind of thing then this supernatural Indonesian/Japanese/Philippino co-production from 1979 should fit the bill nicely: it's not exactly great film-making, but with terrible dubbing, awful acting, some truly bizarre moments (my favourite bit being when Murni takes up smoking—quite literally!), and gruesome deaths aplenty (including an attack by bees, strangulation by scarf, drowning in a paddy field, the wonderfully bloody self-decapitation, lots of erupting veins, and an exploding head), it's almost impossible not to enjoy.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for the flying head and Murni's hilarious fall off the cliff, hitting a tree halfway down and landing straight into the arms of the old man.

This was a fun movie. In no way is it a good movie but for all of us out there that like gory B horror films, this was a great film. With plenty of gory moments, bad dubbing, bad filming, and did I mention gore, this one was a keeper.

Basically, a few people in a small Indonesian village have been murdered in mysterious ways. The village people believe it to be black magic and point the finger at an innocent woman. After they throw her from a cliff, an older man helps to heal her wounds. He is skilled in the black magic ways and teaches her what he knows so that she can exact revenge upon the village.

I believe that this movie was made working from the fame of the movie Black Magic from the mid 70's which was a Shaw Bros. film. In know way is this movie similar. This movie is straight schlock, but good schlock. The storyline wouldn't survive without the gore scenes. Those scenes are rather well done, I might add. Some of the scenes are very similar to a film made just a couple of years later name Scanners. We see bursting veins, a man ripping his own head off, a body exploding, bee attack, etc etc.

If you are into these crazy types of film, this one is so worth checking out. You won't regret it. 7/10

When Baedah,daughter of the wealthy village headman, is plagued by horrifying visions on her wedding day,her husband Kohar suspects that black magic is at work.Convinced that the source of the hallucinations is Murna played by '70s Indonesian horror queen Suzzanna,the poor girl he seduced and then abandoned for Baedah,Kohar rallies a mob to burn down her house and throw her into a ravine.Murna is rescued by a magician,who helps her seek revenge by teaching her the black arts.She then returns to her village and gruesomely kills several of her persecutors,saving Kohar for the last and most hideous death."Queen of Black Magic" is a classic of Inodnesian horror.The dubbing is terrible and the acting is pretty bad,but it offers some gory deaths including the demise of Kohar,who pulls off his own head in a fountain of arterial gore.If you enjoy watching wild Indonesian cinema "Black Magic Terror" is a blast.

'The Queen Of Black Magic (1981)' is an Indonesian horror film in which a woman is accused of using black magic to ruin the wedding of her ex-lover and, after being thrown off a cliff, is subsequently taught black magic by a mysterious stranger who wants her to get revenge on those that did her harm. It's a bit of an odd film, with a serious tone that's offset somewhat by its often silly surrealistic visuals. Still, it works well enough for what it is. What it lacks in atmosphere and compelling characters it makes up for with pulpy special effects and a straightforward plot. It more or less just sees its protagonist pick off her wrongdoers one by one, until it moves into its final third and it starts to focus more on the fact that she doesn't want to keep hurting people. There's a really weird and unnecessary plot twist near the end that doesn't do anything other than make things really uncomfortable and, in general, the picture is only ever so compelling. However, it's generally enjoyable and features some entertaining special effects. It's a solid effort. 6/10.

Who else than the terrific people working over at Mondo Macabro DVD could have picked up this deranged flick from oblivion and unleash it upon madness-loving cinema fanatics all over the globe? "The Queen of Black Magic" is an Indonesian film (a country of which most people don't even know they produce movies) that is bad from every possible viewpoint, but simultaneously one of the most hilariously entertaining and excessively demented experiences one could ever have. The plot is thinner than an anorexic top model and completely devoid of coherence, dialogs as well as acting performances and dubbing jobs are atrocious and there isn't the slightest trace of tension building or character development. But all these 'minor defaults' are more than widely compensated by the gigantic amount of over-the-top splatter effects, demented imagery and simply the sheer craziness of it all! Particularly late at night, with a group of friends and loads of cold beer in the fridge, watching "The Queen of Black Magic" is guaranteed hilarity! The film tells the heartbreaking story of Murni, a beautiful young girl who reluctantly offers her virginity to the man she loves, only to get dumped by the guy in favor for the village headman's daughter. If that isn't painful enough yet, poor Murni subsequently gets falsely accused of placing the village under a black magic spell and thrown of a cliff. She survives (which is practically impossible if you see the fall) and lands straight in the arms of an actual black magic artist who fanatically encourages her to seek vengeance and offers to be her teacher. Murni completes her revenge with the beheading of her treacherous ex-lover, but her mentor insists to carry on murdering the entire village. Meanwhile, a handsome and allegedly holy man arrived in town and suddenly Murni doesn't feel all that furious anymore. "The Queen of Black Magic" is recommended to laugh at the stupidity in its dialogs (character endlessly repeating the same thing without even rephrasing their words) and especially to gasp at the extreme gore. We've got maggot-infested cadavers, veins bursting with blood, exploding heads and – top of the bill – a decapitated head flying around town. If these represent the Indonesian gore standards, then I can't wait to get my dirty little hands on that other Mondo Macabro release named "Mystics in Bali". Somewhat strange, however, is that this film doesn't feature any nudity and only a minimum of sleaze. I know I wouldn't have minded some nude scenes of lead actress Suzzanna, even in spite of her obviously enormous bottom. Speaking of Suzzanna, through this website I found out she passed away recently, which is a damn shame and surely a great loss for Indonesian cinema.

Queen of Black Magic (1979) is a "sequel-in-name" to the two Black Magic films that came out from the Shaw Brothers in HK, in the 70's. The third film is a surprisingly fast-paced for most of the time, with plenty of black arts in practise with gory and gruelling results. We get to see maggot-infested bodies and food bowls, exploding spellcraft victims, hilarious and stupid dialogue (and dubbing) and exotic locations in the jungles of Indonesia (I think, since this was a co-production between a few Asian countries.) The film is made with an ultra-low budget but that's why it is also so enjoyable and smile-inducing, and the effects are certainly not as bad as they could be. I'd like to see the two original Shaw films, but in itself, Queen of Black Magic is a welcome addition to the library of weird and wild cinema beyond any limitations or taboos.

Contemporary horror flicks coming out of Hong Kong, including from such esteemed studios as The Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, tended to draw significantly on black magic for their material. In what could have been and were intended to be gnarly effects extravaganzas, however, it didn't always feel like the full potential was being met. Thankfully, the same is not true of this Indonesian classic. It comes across in no small part that filmmaker Liliek Sudjio and/or screenwriter Imam Tantowi conjured the scenario particularly with a mind for filling it with as much striking imagery and as many effects sequences as they reasonably could. Working from the premise of a woman who was horribly mistreated, and who is taught black magic to exact revenge, 'Ratu ilmu hitam' ("Queen of black magic") is flush with imaginative, wild visions to keep us entertained. It isn't necessarily absolutely perfect, yet there is superb, enduring value here that shows Indonesia isn't to be counted out as a source of terrific genre cinema.

The practical effects and stunts are uniformly outstanding, from blood and gore to wire work, fire, explosions, and more. Even setting aside such specific, twisted violence, however, we're given an array of splendid, creative sights that lend tremendous dark flavor to the tale. From art direction to props, even the costume design, and not least the casting of spells, in the spectacle is represented a bounty of vibrant, colorful delights, all equally fantastic. Everyone working behind the scenes is to be congratulated for conjuring such a great treasure, to say nothing of the filmmaker and writer who give the proceedings such obvious, welcome focus. There's a point to be made that just as like-minded fare out of Europe or the United States leans on opposition to Christianity, this is a tad heavy-handed in how it weaves in Islam as a panacea for the ills facing the village, though as far as that goes it's not as gawky about it as some other Indonesian horror. One might also argue that the picture isn't as dark as it could have been, and maybe in turn not as satisfying, but as far as I'm concerned 'Ratu ilmu hitam' is so strong that any such questions are resolved for me.

With the film being given such a strong center, everyone involved is able to gladly do their part to bring it to vivid life. The cast are to be commended for their admirable performances of nuance and range, with Suzzanna obviously standing out most as beleaguered protagonist Murni. From editing and cinematography to Sudjio's direction, the title is shaped in every manner to let the story play out meaningfully, but more so to elevate the intended spectacle - to superb results! The filming locations are gorgeous, the hair and makeup are lovely, the sets in general are swell, and in every regard this is well made and enjoyable. We're all here for one thing, though, and the participants knew it, and 'Ratu ilmu hitam' does not disappoint. As a matter of personal preference this won't appeal to all comers, but I'm inclined to believe anyone who appreciates the genre will find something to like here, even if they're not as wholly taken with it as I am. In my opinion this meets or surpasses the standards set by some similar works, and it's a pity that it's not more well known. This is one horror classic that's well worth seeking out, and I'm pleased to give it my heart recommendation!

This film begins with a young bride by the name "Baedah" (Siska Widowati) preparing to marry her future husband named "Kohar" (Alan Nuary). But as Kohar approaches his new bride, Baedah has a hallucination which so terrifies her that she runs inside the house to escape. While this is happening, a terrible storm suddenly develops which wreaks havoc upon the wedding feast and sends the guests into a panic. Not long afterward, Kohar becomes convinced that a past lover by the name of "Murni" (J. P. Suzzanna) has done this through black magic, so together with several young men from the village, they march out to kill her. Meanwhile, Murni just happens to be at home with her mother and doesn't know anything about what has happened until the mob reaches her house where they drag her out and subsequently throw her off a cliff. As luck would have it, however, she is rescued by an evil wizard (played by W. D. Mochtar) who takes her to his small hut where he nurses her back to health. And it's then that he teaches her the art of black magic and fills her with a terrible rage so that she can exact her revenge. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an interesting film which benefited greatly from the performance of J. P. Suzzanna, who was not only beautiful, but played her part extremely well. Likewise, the exotic scenery aided this film to a certain degree as well. On the flip side, however, the suspense was lacking, and the script could also have used some improvement. Be that as it may, while this wasn't a great movie by any means, it wasn't necessarily that bad either and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

After a strange storm at his wedding, a man convinces the rest of the village that a scorned former lover was the cause and sends them out to kill her, but after surviving the ordeal and learning the ways of black magic sets out to seek her revenge on the guilty party forcing them to stop her.

For the most part, this one has a lot to like about it. Among its better features is the initial setup that brings about the eventual change into her studies of black magic. With the opening focusing on the ruined wedding and her being scorned by the lover which results in the subsequent banishment from the village, there's enough of a motivating factor built into the beginning half that serves to initiate her into the black magic realm. Despite the accurate announcement about her being in love with him previously, the idea of accusing her of creating the storm that ruins the wedding simply because of her being scorned without any other additional evidence is more than enough to bring a sympathetic turn. Jumping to that conclusion simply based on the state of their past relationship together is a stretch, and is thankfully brought up but the evidence to do so is still flimsy enough that it brings quite a bit of attention to the overall setup. With that setup in play, the film comes into its own with the dive into the black magic studies. After her house is set on fire and she's thrown off a cliff into the conveniently placed arms of the witch doctor, the coercion into using the very same rites and rituals she had been accused of doing for real turns this into a highly enjoyable montage training her. Engaging in the various rituals involving aerobic exercises, ceremonial purification performances, and learning how the spells work creates a wholly intriguing sequence that brings about the knowledge she has in the arts for later on. When mixed alongside the idea of her throwing it into their face by openly walking around and taunting the villagers that initially killed her while killing them is a fantastic idea of the defiance she has for everyone and the extent of her revenge. These sequences of her getting revenge on everyone is where the real fun starts here. With sequences of victims being swarmed by a swarm of bees in front of other victims, another dragged into a puddle of mud only to be pulled out seconds later by his friends to reveal their face has been eaten away by worms in a matter of seconds or abducting a baby right out from a crib without anyone noticing, the extent of her powers and desire for revenge is felt. Other scenes, including her commanding one of the villagers to claw at their throat until they finally pull their own head off and have it fly around taking bites out of the gathered masses or a villager becoming pregnant, creates several strong points that not only further her sense of power but the use of fantastic special effects to create them. Even with a chance of heart that comes around quite nicely and is set up rather well to give the actions presented here quite nicely, the finale is a nice strong work that's quite fun. These here all make this one of the better genre features overall. There isn't a whole lot to dislike in the film. One of the few drawbacks to be found here is the somewhat shocking manner in which this one jumps to the conclusion that she was responsible for the original actions that plagued the village. The amount of convincing they need to form a lynch mob and set off to capture her is so negligible that it seems curious they never took her on and tried to oust her from the village previously especially since the only evidence was that of a dying shaman claimed it came from a general direction that one said was the same direction where she lived. Otherwise, there's no other evidence of anything that points to her involvement, and with so little information on their connection with the villagers before or after makes it rather curious why was targeted as she was. That flies in direct opposition to later on where they want to wait for evidence of suspected witchcraft before moving to act on it which is rather curious. The only other issue here is the low-budget displayed here, for as wild as the special effects are it's quite obvious how cheap they actually are which is part of the charm and doesn't really hold the film back as much as it should.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence, Language, and Brief Nudity.