Mystics in Bali

Mystics in Bali
DVD cover
Directed byTjut Djalil
Written by
  • Putra Mada
  • Jimmy Atmaja
Produced by
  • Abdul Muis Sofian
  • Hendry Katili
  • Sri Gunawan
Starring
Edited byDjuki Paimin
Music byGatot Sudarto
Production
companies
Pusat Perusahaan Film
Video Tape Corp.
Release date
  • 1981 (1981)
Running time
86 minutes[1]
CountryIndonesia
LanguageIndonesian

Mystics in Bali (Indonesian: Mistik (Punahnya Rahasia Ilmu Iblis Leak)),[2] also released as Leák[3] and Balinese Mystic,[4] is a 1981 Indonesian supernatural horror film directed by Tjut Djalil. Based on the novel Leák Ngakak by Putra Mada, the film stars Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D., and W.D. Mochtar.

Mystics in Bali follows an anthropologist named Cathy (Bastian) who travels to Bali to research black magic, eventually becoming the disciple of a witch and transforming into a bloodthirsty disembodied head, with her organs and entrails hanging from her neck. The film borrows elements from Southeast Asian folklore and Balinese mythology, including the Leyak[5] and the penanggalan,[4] entities which have in common that they take the form of flying heads with innards still attached. The film has been called a cult classic of Indonesian horror cinema.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Djalil, Tjut (director); Tombs, Pete (author). Mystics in Bali & the Indonesian Exploitation Film. Mystics in Bali (DVD): Mondo Macabro.
  2. ^ van Heeren, Katinka (2013). Contemporary Indonesian Film: Spirits of Reform and Ghosts from the Past. Brill Publishers. p. 139. ISBN 978-9004261501.
  3. ^ Tombs 1998, p. 73.
  4. ^ a b Tombs 1998, p. 74.
  5. ^ a b Hellman, Roxanne; Hall, Derek (2011). Vampire Legends and Myths (The Supernatural). Rosen Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-1448859863.
  6. ^ Ng, Andrew Hock Soon, ed. (2008). Asian Gothic: Essays on Literature, Film and Anime. McFarland & Company. p. 44. ISBN 978-0786433353.
  7. ^ Mathijs, Ernest; Sexton, Jamie, eds. (2021). The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 978-1032084206.