REVIEW: SATAN’S SLAVES 2: COMMUNION

• Director: Joko Anwar
• Writer: Joko Anwar
• Stars: Tara Basro, Endy Arfian, Nasar Annuz, Ini Kisah, Bront Palarae

REVIEW

Satan’s Slaves: Communion the sequel to the phenomenal Satan’s Slaves sees the return of the original cast and director for another round of the creepy Indonesian horror.

The film starts back in 1955 and a trusted journalist is brought to the scene of a bizarre crime by the Chief of police. The chief tells him that due to his position as police chief and an upcoming meeting of world leaders meeting in Indonesia that he will have to bury this crime but implores the journalist to leak the story through tabloid means. Fast forwarding to three years after the events of the first film which saw the Suwonos family escape from the cult, Rini (Basro), with her younger brothers Toni (Arfian) & Bondi (Annuz) and their father Bahri (Palarae) are living together in a small apartment in a high-density apartment building. With a storm coming in and a horrific event kicking off some supernatural evil, the stage is set for the Suwonos family to once again have to escape supernatural forces out to get them.

Joko Anwar has really become a giant name in horror films especially in Southeast Asia and it is with good cause. Anwar’s ability to setup and execute the scares seems him at the top of the tree and I am astounded that a studio hasn’t grabbed him for a bigger film (not saying I want this to happen). He also creates some great cult images; the beginning of the film and the climax of the film hold some of the most impactful cult scenes I’ve seen in a long time. The only downside is that with the bigger budgets is the CG effects, whilst handy, nothing beats practical effects and lower budgets tend to create ingenuity when figuring out how to get some of the shots. Anwar’s writing is excellent, giving us a family to care for and even introducing new characters in the new apartment building and making us care for them as well. It’s always nice (and sadly, rare) for a horror film to make you care about the characters. The humour from the first film is also retained and there are some great twists.

The acting is good across the board. Despite what is happening on screen, all the performances are grounded making it feel more authentic. As a sequel Satan’s Slaves: Communion succeeds, it doesn’t come close to being as scary the first film, but Anwar treats the apartment complex as a haunted house ride and it is a bloody fun ride. The ending heavily hints that the Suwono family will be back, and I cannot wait for the next instalment.

Satan’s Slaves: Communion is streaming now on Shudder.

Ryan Morrissey-Smith | Twitter: @TigersMS78