''Lady Terminator'' ( id, Pembalasan Ratu Pantai Selatan, lit=Revenge of the South Sea Queen) is a 1988 Indonesian
horror-
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
H. Tjut Djalil, also credited under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of Jalil Jackson. The film stars Barbara Anne Constable, Christopher J. Hart, and Claudia Angelique Rademaker, and is considered to be a
mockbuster
A mockbuster (also known as knockbuster or a drafting opportunity) is a film created to exploit the publicity of another major motion picture with a similar title or subject. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget and quick production to max ...
of the 1984 American film ''
The Terminator
''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whos ...
''.
Plot
The Queen of the South Sea, an ancient sex goddess, seduces men before using a serpent that resides in her vagina to
devour their penises. One man manages to grab the serpent, which turns into a dagger. Enraged, the Queen curses the man's would-be great granddaughter. In 1989, an
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
named Tania is investigating the legend of the Queen of the South Sea, which results in her diving to the Queen's resting place, being bound to a bed, and violated by a serpent, which allows the Queen to take control of her.
Tania goes on a rampage, massacring civilians in a nightclub and pursuing the descendant of the man, an aspiring pop star named Erica. A New York detective named Max McNeil investigates the murders and meets Erica. Tania attacks the police headquarters, shooting and killing numerous officers. After escaping the grip of Tania, McNeil and Erica have sex in a forest. Tania tracks them down and is eventually burned in a car explosion. She continues to pursue Erica, who eventually stabs her with the dagger her great-grandfather passed down to her, destroying Tania for good.
Cast
* Barbara Anne Constable as Tania Wilson/Lady Terminator
* Christopher J. Hart as Max McNeil
* Claudia Angelique Rademaker as Erica
Release
The film was released in Indonesia in 1988 and in the United States on June 10, 1989. In recent years, the film was screened at the Toronto Underground Film Festival in 2010, the
Belfast Film Festival
The Belfast Film Festival is Northern Ireland's largest film festival, attracting over 25,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1995, the festival has grown to include the Docs Ireland international documentary festival, as well as an Audi ...
in Ireland in 2014, and at the
Offscreen Film Festival in Belgium in 2017.
Critical reception
From contemporary reviews, "Lor." of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' declared that the film "provides mainly camp and novelty value in its mixture of grotesque situations and laughable dialogue" while noting that "action scenes are okay, but visual effects are subpar." Cliff Doerksen of ''
The Chicago Reader
The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by ...
'' called the film "the kind of movie best randomly discovered on cable at 4 AM, but if you dig guys with mullets, director H. Tjut Djalil has some serious treats in store for you".
Kyle Anderson of
Nerdist
Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...
wrote that the "movie isn’t good, but it’s totally worth watching because of how baffling it is".
Home media
The film was originally released on
VHS in 1989. The film was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
in 2004 by Mondo Macabro.
References
Sources
*
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0095483
Lady Terminatoron
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
1988 films
English-language Indonesian films
Indonesian-language films
1988 action films
1988 fantasy films
1988 horror films
Films shot in Indonesia
1980s chase films
Indonesian horror films
1980s English-language films