Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night (2023)

Plot: pregnant woman is brutally murdered… and comes to haunt her wrongdoers.

Suzzanna: Malam Jumat Kliwon (or Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night) is the second chapter in the ongoing Suzzanna New Generation franchise celebrating the life and work of Suzzanna, the queen of Indonesian Horror. This follow-up to Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018) should not be seen so much as a direct sequel rather than a thematic continuation. These movies are not meant to tell an ongoing saga or follow sequentially, instead they are classic Suzzanna horror titles reimagined for the present day. As such Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night is modeled on the same formula of its predecessor and even improves on it slightly. A year after this the life and legacy of Suzzanna would be chronicled for posterity in the Severin Films documentary Suzzanna, the Queen of Black Magic (2024).

While we were initially extremely reserved about Suzzanna New Generation as a franchise, as it has turned out some cautious optimism is indeed warranted. Our biggest fear that producer Ram Soraya would turn something like this into a performative formulaic free-for-all meta grab-around of Suzzanna’s greatest triumphs and most memorable performances; instead we got a respectful tribute to (and celebration of) the queen of Indonesian Horror and her most enduring works. As before Ram Soraya delved deep into Suzzanna’s considerable filmography and for this one he decided to give the lesser known The Night of Kliwon Friday (1986) originally directed by master of all trades Sisworo Gautama Putra a contemporary reimagining. While it does feature a few key elements from it this is a direct remake of Forbidden Agreements (1990) with Sally Marcellina (who co-stars here alongside that other lesser Indonesian horror royalty, Yurike Prastika) in terms of general contours and story. In comparison to the pre-pandemic international hit Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018) from directors Rocky Soraya and Anggy Umbara they chose a lesser known Suzzanna horror epic. Luna Maya was rightly the star of Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018) and, thankfully, she’s back again. Next to Maya also returning are Opie Kumis and Suzzanna’s real-life second husband (and frequent co-star) Clift Sangra. The biggest difference might very well be director Guntur Soeharjanto taking over from Soraya and Umbara.

This, of course, begs the question: what is Kliwon Friday night? To understand the meaning and significance of Kliwon Friday a brief excursion into Indonesian religion and folklore is required. The Javanese calendar (or Pananggalan Jawa) is indigenous to the native Javanese, Madurese, and Sundanese people and how they have historically organized their markets (“pasar”) as a means to communally gather, engage in commerce, and interact socially. The native calendar consists of five days (believed by colonialists to be tied to the number of fingers on the hand). The Republic of Indonesia and all of its administrative entities operate on the Gregorian and Islamic calendar and use the seven-day week. The Wetonan cycle combines the Javanese five-day week (pasaran) and the Gregorian and Islamic seven-day week (dina pitu), each lasting 35 (7x5) days. The Wetonan cycle is significant for divinatory systems, celebrations, and rites of passage. Since both systems are used concurrently by various demographics on the island, certain Fridays are considered sacred as Kliwon or Jumat Kliwon. To put it simply, Kliwon Friday is the day for introspection, meditation, and communication with the spirits and that night is the holiest of the year. Native superstition alleges that female spirits and mystical beasts roam the earthly realm on Kliwon Friday night and people will give offerings to appease their gods and goddesses.

East Java, 1986. Suzzanna (Luna Maya) is a peasant woman deeply in love with laborer Suraya (Achmad Megantara) and the two are engaged to marry. He occasionally partakes in street fighting for extra money to pay for the ceremony. Coming home one night Suzzanna finds her mother (Lela Anggraini) distraught and in tears as she learns that her father Putra (Deden Bagaskara) has gambled away the family farm. Enforcers Tohir (Ence Bagus) and Agus (Ricky Saldan) are sent by geriatric and despotic local ruler Raden Aryo (Tio Pakusadewo) to seize the property. To satisfy her father’s outstanding debts Suzzanna is coerced into an arranged marriage with the old man. Now living as a kept woman in a gilded cage Suzzanna’s every need is catered to by servant Ratih (Taskya Namya) but she’s expected to produce an heir at earliest opportunity much to the chagrin of Aryo’s barren wife Minati (Sally Marcellina). Raden Aryo instructs civil defense officers Pak Rojali (Opie Kumis) and Japra (Adi Bing Slamet) to keep an eye on Suzzanna while he tends to pressing business. Meanwhile, Minati consults with dukun (or shaman) Ki Jaya (Baron Hermanto) and orders him to place a curse upon Suzzanna. The shaman’s spellcraft reaches its crescendo upon the night Suzzanna goes into labor from the old man’s child. As the shaman’s incantations reach their unholy climax Suzzanna dies a violent, bloody death upon giving birth to a girl (Luna Allegra). Upon learning that Suzzanna has expired during childbirth Surya visits her grave and takes to exhuming his former paramour. The following morning Surya is beckoned deep into the jungle by the voice of wood spirit Samil (Egy Fedly) whom he begs to bring his Suzzanna back the dead. Samil does grant Suraya his wish and Suzzanna is resurrected. Much to his and her consternation she revived as human, but as a sundel bolong. Understandably panicked Suraya and Ratih seek the counsel of shaman Beranak (Yurike Prastika) on how to lift the curse. Until that time, who or what, will be able to stop Suzzanna and her deadly hauntings?

There’s no contesting that Luna Maya has carved out her place as a present-day horror queen. More than that, she has made the Suzzanna role her own and replicating the real Suzzanna’s mannerisms and her world-famous dead stare. She’s known around these parts for Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018) and more recently The Haunted Hotel (2023). Guntur Soeharjanto appears to be to Luna Maya as what Sisworo Gautama Putra was to Suzzanna in that he’s of paramount importance to her horror career. Anchoring the cast are ancient horror pillars Sally Marcellina and Yurike Prastica. Marcellina was the star of the original Forbidden Agreements (1990) which this one largely pilfers for plot. Besides horror Marcellina made a career starring in “troubled young woman” movies and even some softcore erotica with titles as, among others, Midnight Guest (1989), Woman's Transformation (1990), Mystery of the Cold-Blooded Woman (1992), Demon Queen's Bed (1993), The Temptation of a Fine Woman (1993), Burning Temptations (1994), and the The Bodyguard (1992) remake Night Dancer (1997). Prastica on the other hand is mostly known for the bewildering Lady Terminator (1989) and The Warrior and the Ocean Goddess (1990). The great thing about these Suzzanna New Generation films is that they’re open to the layman. How absolutely unreal it must be for Clift Sangra to live long enough to see his beloved wife resurrected as a contemporary horror villain while her producer reimagines her classic films for a new audience.

While we would describe ourselves the farthest from a Suzzanna scholar there are plenty of familiar sights here. For starters, any Suzzanna New Generation movie is typically set in the year of the specific movie being remade and Suzzanna returns as either a sundel bolong or a queen of black magic to exact her undead revenge. The etchings on a gravestone describe Suzzanna as “binti Putra” (or “daughter of Putra”) which could be construed as a reference to director Sisworo Gautama Putra who pretty much shepherded the real Suzzanna’s career. Minati is obviously a character styled after and in the tradition of an old Suzzanna horror villain played by Ruth Pelupessi. The scene with Suraya in the jungle with the spirit Samil sort of echoes a gender-swapped riff on the Temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-24) of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden from the Bible. At one point this one even re-enacts the “Sundel bolong! Sundel bolong!” and The Exorcist (1973) neck twist scenes verbatim from Ghost with Hole (1981), only here Suzzanna devours meatballs instead of satay. The special effects and prosthetics are splattery and very much in-camera and Soeharjanto relies as much on old school parlor tricks as modern day digital enhancements. The gore easily reaches Baby Blood (1990) levels. At two hours and twelve minutes Suzzanna: Kliwon Friday Night has the luxury of time and indulges itself in recreating and soaking up the atmosphere of vintage Indonesian horror. It might be a tad too slow for some.

Next in line in Suzzanna New Generation is Suzzanna: Witchcraft: Sin Upon Sin (2026), or a remake of Witchcraft: The Science of Soul Melting (1989) from director Azhar Kinoi Lubis with Rocky Soraya returning to the series for Suzzanna: Witchcraft: The Science of Soul Melting that apparently (or at least judging by the subtitle) is another remake of the same 1989 Suzzanna classic. By the look of things and the continuing domestic and foreign success of these movies Luna Maya has been solidly booked for the next couple of years. What Indonesia is in the process of pulling off is nothing short of remarkable, to say the least. Which other country could, or would, dare to imagine one of their classic horror icons (and their repertoire) in a fictional namesake universe? That’s not even considering the contemporary trend of reimagining classic (and more recent) Japanese horror for domestic audiences with prestigious titles as The Haunted Hotel (2023) and Hell Torture (2023) as two sterling examples of that form. We can only hope that Ram and Sunil Soraya don’t deviate too much from the present formula. Hopefully this will lead to the Suzzanna originals finally receiving wider international release on the streaming platforms in glorious 4k remasters with multiple subtitles.