Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic

2024

Biography / Documentary

2
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80%
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 101 101

movie star scream queen actor actress indonesian horror indonesian film

Director

David Gregory Photo
David Gregory

Top cast

Joko Anwar Photo
Joko Anwar as Self
Fala Pratika Photo
Fala Pratika as Self
Shanker R.S. Photo
Shanker R.S. as Self
Me Setiyowati Photo
Me Setiyowati as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
812.1 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 27 min
Seeds ...
1.47 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 27 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by kevin_robbins 8 / 10

A triumphant and tragic portrait of a true horror legend

I recently watched the documentary Suzanna: Queen of Black Magic (2024) on Shudder. The film follows the life of Suzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, who spent most of her life in entertainment-from child singer to member of a musical family. After her husband leaves her with their children, she pivots careers just as grindhouse and horror cinema begin to surge in the 1970s. She quickly becomes known across Indonesia as the "Horror Queen," and her career skyrockets... but that doesn't stop those around her from exploiting her and contributing to the hardships that would eventually shape her demise.Directed by David Gregory (Django: The One and Only), this documentary presents a tragic yet resilient portrait of an icon, a mother, and a national Indonesian treasure. Her upbringing, which helped her make the right connections and establish herself in the industry, is well illustrated. The separation from her husband, the pressures of religion, and the pope's involvement are all explored with surprising depth. Suzanna's fame and fortune opened doors that helped her navigate those religious barriers-lessons that others can still learn from today.Her film roles, charisma, mannerisms, and screen presence remain captivating. I appreciated how she separated work, family, and her personal life-yet it's also heartbreaking how the non-career aspects of her life weighed her down and may have prevented her from creating even more cinematic magic.I loved the focus on Indonesian monster folklore, how deeply it's woven into the country's culture, and how Suzanna brought those legends to life on screen. I added at least ten films to my watch list after watching this documentary. Amusingly, I realized that some characters I'd previously watched were played by her husband without me knowing.The final years of her life were astonishing, especially the shooting incident. Much of it feels almost unbelievable-someone of her stature enduring such chaos-yet the documentary underscores how money and success don't shield anyone from personal turmoil.In conclusion, Suzanna: The Queen of Black Magic is a triumphant and tragic portrait of a true horror legend. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.
Reviewed by BandSAboutMovies 8 / 10

A whole new world

Reviewed by kosmasp 9 / 10

The horror ... Queen

No pun intended - the documentary itself begins with quite the high stakes ... or a statement that is ... well I am not sure it will go down well with many horror movie fans ... unless they are able to take it with a grain of salt. Because I doubt many knew of Suzzanna ... I sure had no idea who that was - same is true for most if not all the others who attended the festival I saw this at.All that aside (and hopefully you are able to push that and some other things aside), the documentary is really well done. We know Severin Films is capable that way and capacity. They speak to survivors (people who are still alive, family members and friends as well as co workers and fans) ... and there is a bit of a mystery regarding the later stages of her life ... I would not go as far as calling this ... well the focus is more on her life than how and why she died.The movies she did before Suzzanna, especially the ones that can be called Horror (though they do look like a lot of fun, if you can laugh at some nasty and blood filled effects - that have dated quite badly ... or in a funny way) ... I want to watch them! I kind of hope Severin puts some of them out ... they look like a "hoot" as they say.Suzzanna and the man she married ... well let's say some may feel there is a bit of a cringe element to it. Especially considering the emphasis on the characters they played (the relationship between them) ... very first time on screen and very last time ... you'll understand, I hope you are prepared enough for this.I am curious to see what kind of set Severin will release and while I think the Bruce Lee documentary will top this ... this is a fun watch too ... even if as most you have no clue who that was ...
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