The last twenty years have been fruitful for director Kimo Stamboel who continues to garner a good share of ceremony for his ventures in genre cinema, notably of the horror variety. The Macabre, Killers and Headshot co-helmer’s new film, The Queen Of Black Magic, is on track to hit AMC’s Shudder streamer on January 28, and the official trailer and key art are finally making the rounds.
The Queen Of Black Magic is Stamboel’s latest partnership with Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves, Gundala, Impetigore), and serves as the latest incarnation of Liliek Sudjio’s 1981 horror classic of the same name. This one is just one of several titles incoming from Stamboel who I’ve had my eye on since he was announced to partner with a certain producer/screenwriter for an action film I’ve been dying to see made, and I certainly hope this pic gets him closer to it.
Read the full details below and head over to Shudder to make your subscription if you haven’t already!
The sins of the past come back with a vengeance in this new film from two of Indonesia’s modern masters of horror, director Kimo Stamboel (HEADSHOT) and writer Joko Anwar (SATAN’S SLAVES, IMPETIGORE).
A family travels to the distant, rural orphanage where the father was raised to pay their respects to the facility’s gravely ill director. But his and his best friends’ homecoming turns into a terrifying supernatural ordeal that threatens their and their families’ lives: someone is using dark magic to avenge evil deeds, long-buried but not forgotten. Stamboel’s film is a reimagining of the 1981 Indonesian horror classic of the same name.
Streaming exclusively on Shudder January 28th
U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand (and via the Shudder offering within the AMC+ bundle where available)
The film marks the sophomore solo feature for Kimo Stamboel following his 2019 celebrated video game adaptation film DREADOUT, and follows his collaborated work with director Timo Tjahjanto — together known as the directing duo The Mo Brothers, and their breakout hits MACABRE and KILLERS. Drawn from a script penned by Joko Anwar, whose own most recent feature, the 2019 Sundance selection IMPETIGORE, has been named Indonesia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.
An exciting new addition to the ranks of modern Indonesian horror and a disturbingly dark reboot of the 1981 witchcraft film by the same name, THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC promises visceral body horror, tormented folklore, and an inescapable past.
THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC is directed by Kimo Stamboel and written by Joko Anwar. Starring Ario Bayu (IMPETIGORE), Hannah Al Rashid (V/H/S/2, THE NIGHT COMES FOR US), Adhisty Zara (TWO BLUE STRIPES), and Muzakki Ramdhan.
