Beyond Atlantis (1973)

... aka: La Atlántida: el paraíso perdido (Atlantis: The Lost Paradise)

... aka: Sea Creatures

... aka: Sea People

... aka: Terror en el fondo del mar (Terror at the Bottom of the Sea)

Directed by:

Eddie Romero

What started life as your usual low budget, shot-in-the-Philippines-by-Americans exploitation flick meant for the drive-in circuit soon morphed into something else entirely. Originally planned as an R-rated film with violence and nudity (i.e. the usual for this particular crew), Dimension Pictures founder / head honcho Lawrence H. Woolner decided to up the budget (which was still only in the low 200K range), hire some name value actors and aim for a more mainstream, family friendly demographic. That enabled them to hire Patrick Wayne, the son of John, who supposedly only agreed to do the film if it would be PG rated. (Note: If that's true, and I have no reason to believe otherwise since several people involved in this production made the same claim, Wayne was able to put his morals aside just a few years later to appear in bed with a topless Priscilla Barnes in the R-rated action film Texas Detour (1978) and later hit a career low playing part in the direct-to-VHS 80s gore flick Revenge.)

The resulting film was a big flop. Too tame for the adults who'd usually watch something like this and not a grand enough big budget spectacle for the kiddies, this was unable to find much of an audience. Toning things down also appears to have kneecapped its international sales potential. Going by ad materials, this doesn't appear to have had much reach outside of the North and South American markets, and didn't even do well within those parameters. There was also a UK release, but it was on the bottom half of a double bill with Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster (better known these days as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla).

Fisherman Manuel De Baracuda (Vic Diaz) has just returned to Manila after giving a mysterious young beauty a ride to a remote island in the South Seas. In lieu of monetary payment, she instead gave him a handful of pearls. Manuel sells the pearls to smooth-talkin', cigar puffin' pimp Fast Eddie (Sid Haig), who's the type always looking to make a quick buck. Whether or not it's by legal means is of little concern to the man. Logan (John Ashley), a diver with a gambling problem who frequently hits up Eddie for loans, takes one look at the pearls and visions of dollar signs start circling his head. These aren't just ordinary jewels of the sea but "Tuscarora pearls," which are very high quality, very rare and very, very expensive. Even though Logan doesn't want to split potential profits three ways, Eddie hatches a scheme that will involve another diver named Vic (Wayne), who owns a boat they can take to the island.

If two's company, and three's a crowd, might as well make it a party. Kathy (Lenore Stevens) eavesdrops on a conversation Logan and Vic are having at a casino, flirts with Logan and then sets up a date for the following day. That all turns out to be a ruse to weasel her way into their trip. You see, Kathy is actually Dr. Katherine Vernon and she's an anthropologist who's interested in searching for a lost tribe rumored to populate one of the islands. A mask she has that's from the same tribe contains the same pearls the men will be out looking for so she may as well tag along and do some research. Seeing how she's not interested in the money, Logan agrees. They put together a small crew of Filipino locals (hey, someone's gotta die, right?) and they're off.

After going to visit Manuel, Eddie is able to get (i.e. beat) enough info about him to locate the island. When they arrive, the village is seemingly abandoned yet hot food has been left out, meaning the natives fled to somewhere else when they spotted a boat coming. After barely managing to survive falling into a pit filled with flesh-eating crabs (!), Eddie and his traveling companions finally get to meet the tribe, a bunch of ping pong ball-eyed, tailless mer-people dressed in animal fur swimsuits and brandishing spears. They don't really have any special powers aside from being able to hold their breath underwater for lengthy periods of time. For some reason, tribe leader Nereus (George Nader) and his blonde, blue-eyed daughter Syrene (Leigh Christian) are the only two who look like normal humans and, by "for some reason," I mean because he was once a well-known star and she's hot so it would be a shame to make either of them wear a goofy-looking rubber mask.

The tribe offer some guest huts to the visitors but our heroes soon discover they have ulterior movies for wanting to keep them there. Vic's first mate (played by the director) dies while out scuba diving when his oxygen tank line is cut. And then Syrene is forced by Nereus to mate with one of the human men. I'm sure you can guess who she selects. No, not Sid Haig. Turns out the mutant fish-eyed people look the way they do because of inbreeding ("Incest?!") and now need to introduce some new blood into the tribe. And if anyone can do some successful seducing, it's the tan, toned and curves-in-all-the-right-places Syrene.

Though I'd imagine she'd probably be successful seducing about 99.9% of the heterosexual male population, Syrene makes the mistake of going after Mr. PG Rating himself. He swiftly rebuffs her advances and tells her he'll only put out if it's with someone he loves. No bother, Syrene isn't called Syrene for nothing. She uses her synchronized swimming mating dance and patented call to entrance and then mate with Vic under the sea in one of the most awkward scenes I've ever laid my poor eyes upon. Makes one wonder why she didn't just do that in the first place instead of asking. Maybe she has a humiliation fetish. I also have to wonder what was going through Mr. Wayne's mind thinking that appearing in an R-rated film would somehow project a worse public image than getting raped by a mermaid in a PG-rated film.

I usually enjoy lost world and trapped-on-an-island movies, but this (which is based on a story by the usually decent Stephanie Rothman) never amounted to much of anything. There's very little plot and even less action, but lots of wasted time with endless scenes of swimming and pearl diving. A large chunk of the higher-than-usual budget reportedly went toward filming the underwater scenes... and boy did they get their money's worth! What they didn't take into consideration is that absolutely no one wants to watch a movie where half the screen time is set aside for people gathering up clam shells from the ocean floor.

Director Romero's filmography contains loads of sleazy horror, action and exploitation flicks that were profitable in their day, so watching him try yet fail to restrain himself here is actually pretty amusing. Even though there's no nudity or explicit gore, the man just can't help himself when it comes to sneaking in trashy stuff! There are real chickens dying in cockfights, hookers, massage parlor girls, illegal gambling dens, a long catfight, beaten-up cops, terrible pick-up lines and double-entendres, a baby goat getting tossed into a piranha pond where a person will later die a bloody death and the camera practically staying glued to the female star's (admittedly very nice) ass during most of her scenes. Hey, it's a hard habit to break, baby!

Aside from Haig, who tries to turn in a fun character and almost succeeds, the acting is terrible. The good news for Wayne is that he's better looking than his father ever was. The bad news is that his acting skills are even more limited. Ashley, who also produced, was about ten years outside of his Beach Party days and whatever screen appeal he once had is about completely gone at this point. He never was a very good actor and continues on in that tradition here. Christian and Stevens are both stunning to look at but most of their line delivery (much of which seems to have been looped in later) is flat. The biggest shock in veteran Nader. With his track record you'd figure he'd easily outperform the others, but he's pretty awful here himself. This was the last movie he ever appeared in and, though he looks impressively fit for a 50-something, you can tell his heart just wasn't in it. Hopefully he was paid well and enjoyed his vacation.

After VHS releases from Wizard Video (one of their early releases from way back in 1982 before they started doing the great box art) and United, this was issued on DVD in 2000, courtesy of VCI and as part of their "Drive-In Classics" line. VCI also handled the upgraded Blu-ray release in 2019, though extras on the release are slim. This title is also easy to find on streaming sites. Decent prints are currently on Youtube and Tubi so I certainly wouldn't pay good money to watch this.

★1/2

Wanita Harimau: Santet II (1989)

... aka: Black Magic II

... aka: Black Magic 2: The Female Tiger

... aka: Tiger Woman: Black Magic II, The

... aka: Santet 2

... aka: Witchcraft II

Directed by:

Sisworo Gautama Putra

Poor Katemi (Suzzanna) just can't catch a break. In the previous film, her squeaky-clean life as a devout religious teacher's wife was shattered when the couple were framed for using black magic, leading to his death and her being reduced to becoming the unwilling pupil of an actual black magic crocodile queen. Though Katemi ended up killing quite a few people, she was able to repent, save her soul and return a life of normalcy. Praise Allah! Unfortunately, the previous queen - Nyi Angker - wasn't actually the top black magic bitch in the neighborhood. She herself was a student of an even more powerful witch named Nyi Loreng (Rina Hasyim - MIRACLE BABY), who just randomly pops up in Katemi's wardrobe late one evening wearing an amazing wig. The witch has her own list of demands, starting with her insistence that Katemi start practicing black magic again, When she refuses, Nyi Loreng simply takes over her body so she no longer has a choice in the matter. Now, on nights with a crescent moon, she'll transform into a killer tiger. The ultimate goal is to get revenge on handsome young cleric Achmad Pramuji (Jeffry "Daniel" / Waworuntu), who was able to pray away Nyi Angker until she exploded in the previous film.

Meanwhile, the cursed village of Karang Seta has tried to reinvent itself with some major changes for the good. They've removed the "n" from their name (it used to be "Setan"), non-corrupt Saleh (Doddy Sukma - SATAN'S BED) has recently been elected as leader and they even appear to have hired a proper policeman named Nasir (H. Nasir T.) to try to keep crime in check. However, he's been saddled with buffoonish Bokir as his assistant and apparently that buffoonery is contagious because Nasir is yukking it up himself in no time.

To celebrate, they throw an outdoor concert featuring a hijab-sporting all-female rock band (!) called Nasida Ria. I had to stop and immediately look these ladies up to make sure they were for real. Yes, they are indeed for real, and they're pretty unique and actually kind of great. These ladies perform numerous stringed instruments (including electric guitar and violin), but also several different styles of drums (including traditional and bongo), tambourine, flute and keyboard, plus the lead vocals and harmonizing are on point AND the song they perform here (which seems to be titled "The World Is in the News") has political and social messages. Nasida Ria, who have apparently been around for almost half a century, released 35 studio albums and are in a constant state of updating talent, have a stated purpose of making catchy, upbeat music to spread positive messages and social commentary. As for what the heck they're doing in this silly black magic horror-comedy is anyone's guess, but I was happy to be introduced to them. They even throw some colorful lights, smoke and fireworks into their show.

Unlike in the previous film where Katemi kept her black magic influence hidden, here she's completely upfront about it as soon as it begins. She informs Pramuji and the police that Nyi Loreng is possessing her, transforming her into a tiger and wants to force her to kill Pramuji. She's instructed to pray harder to banish the witch and is able to keep her away, though only temporarily, using that tactic, but the witch still keeps coming back to haunt her. Katemi's recent troubles have also played hell on her social standing in the community. She has to live on the outskirts all by herself, is constantly the subject of gossip, is refused service at a market and is taunted by adult and children alike. Most believe she should be forced to leave the area. At the end of her rope, Katemi decides to kill herself. However, before she can even get her head in a noose, some villagers show up with torches and set her hut on fire.

A defeated and disheveled Katemi manages to survive and makes her way through the jungle until she ends up in a blue-lit cave, which is the home (and burial site) of Nyi Loreng. The undead witch now finds Katemi weaker and much more pliable than she was earlier, and thus easier to manipulate. Soon, the "tiger woman" is prowling around the village causing a near panic among the locals and prompting a tiger hunt, though it's more of a tiger capture since - as it is pointed out here - the animals are a protected species in Indonesia.

The same guy cast as the main baddie in the previous film is back again. But he was burnt to a crisp after being transformed into a werewolf and hit by fireballs, you say? Well, this time he plays Brahma, the son of the dead guy. Lest you mix them up, the son likes to wear a silly black wig with either a gigantic cowboy hat or glittery headband, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree as far as nefarious criminal activity is concerned. I. Gusti Jagat Karana is the actor playing him and in case you were wondering about this man's unique face, no, it's not make-up and, yes, he's disfigured. I'm not sure if he suffered a burn or had some kind of disease but his face, and only his face, is covered in bumps, lumps, cracks and wrinkles and he has a fat, swollen nose. Brahma is not only involved in smuggling marijuana into the village (hidden inside fish) but he's also out for revenge against Katemi for killing his father and the one responsible for burning down her hut.

In between the horror, we're treated (if that's the word for it) to the comic shenanigans and musical talents of Bokir. In a major subplot, he finds himself bored with his chubby, frumpy wife, Oji (Neny Ribut Rawit), who he compares to a cement truck, and is secretly pursuing a flirty young widow named Rina (Rina Lidya Rawit). Surprising even him, Rina appears to be receptive to his propositions for sex behind the wife's back, but all is not what it seems. Bokir and Nasir are also involved in a recurring series of bad gags detailing how inept they are, including trying to arrest the wrong guys (one with a skin condition and the other a man who can't pronounce his own name properly due to a cleft palate). They also play charades with a stuttering dwarf who can only grunt. Gotta love when disabilities are played for cheap laughs!

As for Bokir's fantasy dream musical number, it's pretty amazing if you like strange, goofy stuff. It starts out in a flower garden gazebo at night with sitar, pungi and bongo players, a bubble machine, confetti, a fireworks show, Suzzanna seductively fluttering her eyelids and licking her lips and Bokir singing about unrequited love. Then it transitions to a helicopter before going down to the jungle for a Tarzan and Jane fantasy where Suzzanna is harassed by an amorous man-in-a-suit primate until Bokir fights it off with a rubber knife and then the two lovebirds ride off into the sunset on an elephant!

After a zillion and one detours, we return to supernatural horror in the last 25 minutes. A possessed woman pukes up green slime and sea critters, a hand bursts through the back of someone's head and out the mouth (did Peter Jackson see this?) and a disembodied living hand with an eyeball on the palm tries to strangle somebody and then turns into a catfish (?!) Katemi, back to using black magic, sneaks into the drug den and kills two of the men with raw fish. Nyi Loreng, a sporadic-at-best presence in the film, finally shows up again for the finale, where she briefly transforms into a younger seductress (played by Lela Anggraini) and has a kung fu battle with the pious male lead armed with fire-shooting tiger mittens.

This sequel basically does the exact same things the first one did, and follows the original's plot and structure nearly beat for beat, only really boosting the music and comedy elements. How defiant of genre and consistent tone the whole thing is will either be a plus or a minus depending on what you like, but being beaten over the head a thousand times about how Islam is the one and only true religion ("There is no God except Allah!") grows tiresome after awhile.

That said, you never know what direction this is going in from one scene to the next. Gruesome death scene, or lighthearted comedy? Serial adulterers trying to hide from their wives by wearing foliage or one of Suzzanna's many awe-inspiring wardrobe / wig changes (including appearing in male drag a few times)? A pro-drug poster referring to weed as "heaven's leaf" or a goofy-looking plush tiger rocketing through the air? Seductive chicken thigh eating or catch of the day impalement? Hey, you get it all! The cast, right down to all the extras playing villagers, seem like they're having a great time regardless of what's going on, which makes this charming and pleasant most of the time. Not the stuff of nightmares, mind you, but it's pretty fun.

 

Like the original, this was given a new lease on life after languishing in VCD hell for decades courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome's 2024 Blu-ray release. Though there are better and worse films out there, both Santet films are a nice introduction to the crazy pleasures of 80s Indonesian genre cinema.

★★1/2