It can't be adequately described in words so I implore you to experience this bizarre film yourself, but every line by the main characters is delivered in an uninterested deadpan monotone, and they act as though there was nothing remarkable happening. Meanwhile the female lead is turning into animals, vomiting up snakes, witnessing black magic duels and having her severed head fly around as a vampire-like creature. The juxtaposition is very funny. Why she puts herself in this insanely dangerous situation is never really explained either, she just says she's "studying black magic", which may as well have been "I thought it would be a laugh."I'm guessing that at least some of the lower scoring user reviews saw a subbed version?

'Mystics in Bali' - sometimes known as 'Leák' - this Indonesian horror film focuses on an American woman whose research into black magic leads her Bali where she gets more than she bargained for upon befriending a local witch. With her constant cackling, unusually long fingernails and snake-like tongue, the local witch makes for a genuinely creepy character and all her scenes are divine. The low budget special effects also work more often than not, with gooey transformation effects, lots to like in the sheer bizarreness of a floating human head with entrails attached and a highly unsettling bit in which the said head confronts a pregnant woman. Whether the film has much to offer beyond its sheer weirdness is debatable. The protagonist's romance with a local Bali man lacks sparks and comes off as under-developed (does she really love him or is she just using him since he can help her with her research?). The acting is hardly top notch here either. There is, however, enough zany and offbeat imagery on hand that the film engages the whole way through. Quite a few aspects of the plot resonate too, especially how quickly she becomes a victim of the very black magic that she is trying to disprove and how her sheer skepticism makes her all the more vulnerable. The film almost in fact works as a cautionary tale regarding the risks of dabbling in things that one does not properly understand.

"Leak" is a more appropriate title, but "Mystics in Bali" will suffice. In the early 80's, Indonesia had a healthy fantasy film industry and this became one of its poster children. It's really quite a silly, juvenile horror flick with awful performances, inventive but cheesy effects, and some hackneyed ideas.The Baliness people are known for being quite laid back and philosophical about life. Their days aren't ruled by the clock and they don't exhibit a great deal of stress. One interesting exchange of dialog is testament to this admirable demeanor; it goes something like this --Demon: "I want fresh blood." American girl: "Not right now. I'm busy." The premise is simple. An American woman asks her Balinese boyfriend to help her learn about the black arts in Bali. The helpful chap arranges for her to meet the local Leak, a shape-changing demon who laughs a lot. Before you can say "Flying Head!", the Leak and the American lass are holding laughing parties and upsetting the peace.The premise is little more than an excuse to wheel out a barrow full of surreal effects.Because everything is so matter-of-fact (the local exorcists sit down for a smoke before charging off to exterminate demons), the tone is more amusing than scary. Come to think of it, showing them this film might be a good way to get children interested in horror. Or swearing off it for life.

Seriously, how many Indonesian horror films have you come across? This one is the only one I know of and that makes it an interesting watch right off. There is some real creativity here with the flying head and transformation scenes as the story follows a Serpent and the Rainbow kind of plotline. The acting is not bad but the dialogue is hokey (my version was dubbed) but the real success is the soundtrack which varies from spooky to psychedelic rock and the witches cackle which was perfect except overdone. Havent heard a cackle like that since Margaret Hamilton. The films editing is a bit choppy as it combines elements of early 80's f/x ("Tron" style) with Asian martial arts. Overall worth the watch, but not the Indonesian Psycho...but how would I know.