Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night is the second part of a trilogy dedicated to Indonesia’s queen of horror, billed as Suzzanna New Generation. The trilogy recreates three of Suzzanna’s iconic films, and the second installment is based on the 1986 film Malam Jumat Kliwon. The supernatural horror isn’t exactly scary– the film takes a bit too long between the scares, and there are moments that are downright hilarious. However, fans of the original scream queen would appreciate Luna Maya’s take on her demonic role, shifting the sundel bolong into a woman rightfully out for revenge.
After a shaman casts a curse on her, a woman is killed by dark sorcery and resurrected as a wrathful spirit who seeks to reunite with her newborn baby.
After marrying the rich Raden Aryo and becoming pregnant with his heir, Suzzanna is cursed by his first wife, and dies a horrific death after giving birth to his child on Kliwon Friday. However, she gets resurrected, seeking to reunite with her newborn baby.
Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night is based on Malam Jumat Kliwon (1986), recreating plenty of the film’s horror images, but rewriting the plot without the frame story of moving to a haunted house. While this rendition won’t be scary for those familiar with supernatural horror, there’s an interesting theme centered around women’s bodies. Women’s bodies are devalued, as Suzzanna’s virginity pays off her father’s gambling debts, while the shaman uses sex as the cost Minati has to pay to curse Suzzanna. The script doesn’t neatly resolve every plot point, and her supposed lover also desecrated her grave, but it’s so intriguing to see Suzzanna enact her revenge on the people who harmed her, as she rightfully deserves.
Note: If you are the first wife, DO NOT curse the second wife with black magic. Instead, dedicate your efforts to the person who really deserves it– the scummy rich husband who took advantage of the poor and who lied about his real affections.
