Verdict
Summary
Satan’s Slaves is an effective horror movie with plenty of scares and a nice build up of tension; it’s let down by an overly silly finale but is still an entertaining watch.
The third movie I got to see as part of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival is by no means an action movie but I’m doing a review anyway as it was still a fun horror chiller. Beforehand we got the short film Mirror by Jordan McEwen & Corey Glover which was also entertaining.
Plot: One of the scariest films of the year, Indonesian maestro Joko Anwar’s (MODUS ANOMALI) latest horror sensation has become a massive box office hit in Asia! In this supernatural haunting tale, a family is terrorized by demonic forces including the spirit of their recently deceased mother.
Review: Satan’s Slaves was a box office hit when it came out in Indonesia and it’s easy to see why; it is an unsettling and creepy little tale about a mother who after dying from a strange illness that she suffered for 3 years, returns home to pick up her children.
It is essentially a haunted house movie with creaking floors and doors but despite several clichés it’s just plain terrifying. The camera slowly pans around the rooms of the house and at times you aren’t sure if there is something there or not.
Occasionally the music is a little too loud which causes unintentional mirth rather than scares but it is still a taut and effective chiller. It also has one of the most graphic kill scenes when someone is run over by a passing car.
The family who is being haunted are all very sympathetic and you really feel bad for their nightmarish plight especially the young children who are genuinely put through the ringer. They are struggling financially and frankly the last thing they need is to be haunted (damn inconvenient).
It builds up the tension nicely however, the finale gets a little silly becoming more of a zombie movie as the family are attacked by a horde of the undead.
Overall, Satan’s Slaves is a chilling horror movie with plenty of scares and jump moments. The music is a little too intrusive at times and the ending is a bit over the top but it’s still an entertaining watch.
If you’re based in the Toronto area check out http://www.torontoafterdark.com as the Festival is on now.
