Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic (4 Stars)

This is the sixth film in the Stuttgart Weird Weekender Festival.

Sometimes I feel that I'm isolated from the world's cinema by living in Europe. There have been great films made in other countries. There have been great film stars who played roles in other countries. Today I watched a documentary about Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, usually known simply as Suzzanna. She's described as the greatest icon of horror films, surpassing Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Bela Lugosi. That's high praise indeed. Is it true? I'd never heard of her, because she appeared exclusively in Indonesian horror films in the 1970's and 1980's. After beginning her career as a child star in the 1950's, she crossed into horror and made about 30 horror films. The documentary showed many excerpts from her films. She was typecast as a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, but she did it so well. They were films that used the same gore effects as the Italian films of the time, complete with severed limbs and exploding heads. What made them stand out was Suzzanna's terrifying stare. She had a face that nobody could forget.

The film also deals with aspects of Suzzanna's private life. She married a man who was 23 years younger than her. When she died there were allegations that he had killed her. It was little more than celebrity gossip. There was no proof, but rumours can continue for years.

After watching the documentary I decided I wanted to watch her films to judge her for myself. It's not possible. None of her films are currently available with English subtitles. Yes, I'm isolated. I'm hoping the documentary will arouse interest in her films.