and one that's odd. I'm referring to 1981's Srigala, to use its original title:
Why not start off Spooky Season with an Indonesian Friday the 13th ripoff? I know it’s rather early but some started at the beginning of the month, multiple horror films are at the cineplex now, some stores have Halloween bric-a-brac already displayed & I wanted to see this rarity while the English-subtitled print is still available on YouTube without the effort of having to download the video. From now through Halloween, I’ll frequently (although not always by any means) see appropriate films and in early November a list will be posted. I watch whatever I want independent of any “official” lists done by many at this time of year.
Believe it or not, I saw Srigala (its original title; the English translation is also correct. I don’t know WHY it is called Wolf aside from a wolf’s howl being heard a few times) long ago… in VHS quality without any subtitles or dubbing. I tried to follow along without knowing Indonesian; it was only seen due to rarity and the absurdity of this ripping off the plot of Friday the 13th while combining it with a story involving a trio of dudes looking for treasure at the bottom of a lake meeting up with two young ladies and a feckless man who some would say is just like the typical white guy we see in too many modern movies… anyhow, it wasn’t too difficult to follow w/ the aid of an online plot description.
However, now I better appreciate the film w/ the improved picture, the subtitles and having watched more horror from the country in the meantime; heck, the director was Sisworo Gautama Putra was also responsible for the original Satan’s Slave. As stated, this is set in the woods and involves an older man and his two buddies looking for treasure and meet a trio of youths. The first half is original before it becomes a rainy night and this found a way to incorporate many moments of Friday the 13th wholesale without the whole plot thread about Jason Voorhees dying at Camp Crystal Lake. The villain’s motivations are certainly different although thankfully not nonsensical. There were some nonsense moments but that wasn’t it.
The deaths are nothing special and there’s hardly any gore; otherwise, this had some half-assed martial arts, a boat chase, a decent synth score and nice horror atmosphere once the Friday the 13th elements are introduced. It’s an oddity-one thankfully also watchable.
No comments:
Post a Comment