With the recent influx of Euro horror titles on DVD and VHS, the horror film seems to be going through somewhat of a renaissance lately. Titles thought long lost or hopelessly obscure now litter the shelves of retail stores, eager to win over the greenbacks of a prospective horror fan. But even though the most obscure of European horror films have found their way onto the mass retail market, the horror films of the Orient have been curiously passed over. Certainly Asian horror films have their fair share of bloody mayhem and graphic shocks, but it is a wonder why they have been neglected. A fair hypothesis to present could be that while these films may have standard and universal horror trappings, they are cloaked with a distinctively exotic and alien culture that simply leave most Western viewers puzzled. Hong Kong horror films, for example, often blended truly original and groundbreaking horror set pieces with exceptionally silly humor that for many Western viewers simply seemed a nuisance and a cultural enigma hardly worth overlooking. While such Hong Kong visionary directors as Samo Hung insisted upon this vaudeville-esque comedy of errors and slapstick wrapped around a more traditional horror atmosphere, filmmakers in exotic, steamy Indonesia adopted an equally radical horror motif but in a distinctively different manner. As would become the norm in Indonesian horror, outlandishly imaginative (and often gory) optical and makeup effects took center stage with the sights and sounds of an ancient and passionate culture providing a suitable background. Humor was noticeably vacant in Indonesian horror, lending a more no-nonsense approach to the admittedly outrageous supernatural goings-on. Often the result was a horror film that lived and breathed a rotting breath not unlike Spanish horror of the 70's and gothic Italian horror, but with a decidedly Asian perspective.

When Cathy Kean, an American student, travels to Bali to investigate the folklore of Indonesia, she is irresistibly drawn to Bali's local from of black magic-the Leyak. Along with her Indonesian boyfriend Mahendra, she pursues her interests to a most diabolical source: the Leyak priestess. An old, wrinkled hag adorned with talon-like nails agrees to teach her the cursed Leyak magic with a cackling howl. Soon Cathy is engaged in hallucinatory nocturnal romps in which she, among other things, transmogrifies into lowly animals (a snake and a pig), and duels with her priestess in a spectacular sparring match littered with stunning (if dated) optical effects right out of a Samo Hung "hopping vampire" film. But by far the most terrifying (and most exciting for the audience) experience of Cathy's is her graphic and elaborate transmutation into a Penanggalan. A Penanggalan is a staple of Indonesian folklore, a severed head with its internal organs trailing behind, mystically flying through the night in search of blood from pregnant women's wombs. Soon the witch has enslaved Cathy and makes good use of her new Penanggalan to retrieve blood, which will keep her youthful and obtain immortality. Sensing Cathy is in danger, Mahendra must rely on his own wits and his uncle's wisdom of Leyak magic to combat the black priestess.

One of the reasons MYSTICS IN BALI works so well is because it is so far removed from Western horror standbys as to leave a typical western viewer impressed (and perhaps more than a little dismayed). The amount of sheer spectacle is quite high here and rightfully so, as the performances are unfortunately all too typical of low budget genre fare. While lesser films would feel an obligation to attempt to explain the admittedly bizarre goings-on, MYSTICS is refreshingly gung-ho in showcasing its radical horrors and putting spectacle before scrutiny. Regardless, the film does drag at several points, but always seems to have just the right remedy for the viewer's dwindling attention. And if anything can hold a viewer's attention, it would be the wonderfully energized climatic battle between the forces of good and evil. While the concluding battle may be littered with embarrassingly dated optical effects (quite strongly recalling Tsui Hark's ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN), the filmmakers' vitality and enthusiasm is infectious and manages to shine through the effects. And that may indeed be the beauty of MYSTICS IN BALI: despite visual effects that may suggest an inherent uncertainty in the film, the filmmakers are quite eager to disprove this conjecture with a true affection for the genre portrayed in the most unconventional of ways.