Maybe it’s because I’ve watched a lot of horror movies, but it feels sometimes like finding a good scary horror movie is harder than it should be. 

That doesn’t mean that modern horror movies aren’t good. A lot of them are great! Nor am I saying that there were way scarier films being made in the 70’s or 80’s. There really weren’t…and if there were, most certainly they don’t all hold up as so today.

Of course, everything I just said is subjective so feel free to disagree, but I’m willing to bet that a lot of you know exactly what I’m saying…maybe even feel that way yourselves.

Of course, people sometimes think there are more scary movies than there really are because we often confuse scary films with films that only have lots of gore and/or a creepy atmosphere.  

And if I’m being honest- a film needs to be one of those rare magical specimens that can tap into some people’s latent fears, like Lake Mungo or Skinamarink, or trauma-inducing disturbing, like the 2008’s Martyrs, to be truly…scaringly…scary. But those films hit on deeply psychological levels.

But a good, fun scary- something that should be easy to find- actually isn’t. A lot of good horrors, some even great horrors, are good, or great, because they do other things well- like blending genres or including deep social commentary. Truth is, some filmmakers have a knack for making scary scenes that not everyone can easily replicate. And from what I can tell, a good, fun scary film needs to have scenes capably of delivering on two things: moments of anxious anticipation and a worthwhile subsequent jump scare. 

And the genre that regularly deliver the scariest moments- at least the fun, hands-over-the-eyes ones- are films that deal with the paranormal.

Of course, I say all of this because when October comes around, I usually just want to see a really good, scary ghost story  (Or demons. Doesn’t have to be ghosts. Just make sure they are nasty.) cause…you know…Halloween. But go through any streaming service’s horror queue and you’ll see that even the paranormal films that can really deliver on scares are few and far between.

Which is why I’m glad this year I learned about the Indonesian horror Satan’s Slaves and gave it a try. Director Joko Anwar is a master at creating scares using sound and clever pans shots. I’ll give you one example from early in the movie. A daughter walks into a room at night and sees her bed-ridden mother standing up and looking out the window. The sound of a bell- the one her mother was previously seen shaking- can be heard. Pan to the right and we see the mother is laying there on the bed with the bell. So who’s standing by the window? Pan left, back to the window and…you get the idea.    

Those pan shots are Anwar’s bread and butter, but he has a few other tricks up his sleeve, including one using a childhood toy I used to own, a ViewMaster.

Anticipation. Scare. Easy right. Well, not really. There is a craft here. And I’ve seen a lot of other films incorporate jump scares and still not be scary effectively.

But that Anwar announces most of his jump scares well ahead of his delivery only makes them more effective. There’s the anticipation. But he can be subtle and atmospheric at times too. I had to rewind one scene twice to make sure that I really saw a human shaped figure flash in the mirror. 

Interestingly enough, Satan’s Slaves actually serves as a prequel/ remake to a 1980’s Indonesian horror of the same name. In fact, the film’s only fake-out jump scare is there to intentionally pay homage to the white-eyed ghouls in the 80’s original.

The plot of Satan’s Slaves is simple. A family that has run out of money while paying for medication for their ailing mother. The family consists of seven members: the father, the mother, the four children and the grandmother. 

At the start of Anwar’s film, the two youngest siblings are admittedly scared of their mother. And after we watch eldest daughter Rini (Tara Basro) venture into her room, it is easy to see why. Her mom doesn’t really acknowledge the outside world anymore. Her colour is off. And at any moment she can be prone to a shaking fit- which is partially why she has the bell.

Anwar isn’t afraid to start scaring early, but it’s after the mother dies that he really picks things up the notch. Seems mom’s presence hasn’t ever really left the house, and whatever she wants doesn’t seem good.

Doesn’t help that father goes to the city looking for work, leaving the four children, staggered in age between 6 and 22, and the grandmother alone. 

With Satan’s Slaves, Anwar’s script doesn’t rewrite the wheel, but as a director he shows a tremendous competence delivering on frightening scenes. And the pace the scares come is absolutely relentless. Add in a dash of the Islamic faith, a splash of the occult and a little mystery and you have a paranormal tale that knows how to distinguish itself from the crowd.

Joko Anwar has played a large role in the recent international success that Indonesian horrors have garnered. But I kind of anticipated that this might happen after Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Evan’s blew all of our minds with “Safe Haven”- arguably the best segment in any V/H/S movie. One breakthrough is usually followed by more. 

Since Satan’s Slaves, Anwar has already had follow-up films, Impetigo and Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion, make their way onto Shudder. I’m not particularly fond of horror sequels, but it is hard for me to overlook the fact that Satan’s Slaves 2 has an even better IMBb user score than the original.

For now, at least in the short term, I have a couple of Indonesian titles lined up to fill that need-for-scares fix that often comes in October.