What happened to the Mondo Macabro DVD of this - seems to have vanished without a trace. I'm sure there must be a few cinema fans out there who are intrigued by a film about a flying head with intestines hanging out the bottom of it, so lets get this back from obscurity again.
I've seen the film and it's very weird and quite original - although very amateurishly made. But it's so bizarre that it could certainly gain a few more fans if only it was available.
I'm currently doing some research about the aswang of the Philippines specifically, but I'm also viewing films from the SE Asian region about that region's folklore. I thought the aswang folklore was bizarre but the flying head took the cake and when I found out there were actual films about them I had to hunt them down. Out to be outdone though, the Philippines aswang also self segments but at the waist, not the neck.
I actually came across Witch with Flying Head first. I liked the title, especially wihout the article "the". Straight and to the point. Like, Snakes on a Plane. But I passed it up as it had no subtitles. Sure the story may suck but for me a crappy story is better than not being able to follow it at all. But finding a subtitled or worse a dubbed version is proving impossible, so I may spring for it anyway.
The second movie I found was this one. Mystics in Bali. What comes off as extremely goofy to westerners gets pretty serious looks from people from that region or familiar with the folklore as they heard it growing up. Well, except for the end with the incredibly bad kungfu fighting. the pig suit and effects. That's hard for anyone not to laugh at. Unforunately it has a terrible English dub. I'm sure the fright factor would've gone up a notch if subtitled in English and left in its native language. But It's an old and rare film so I take what I can get.
Fortunately I had someone from SE Asia to point several things out to me and Mystics seems to stay pretty true to the roots of its subject matter regarding the Pennanggalan and other vampiric creatures. So though I'm watching it partly for research, this low budget stuff outta SE Asia is certainly unique if nothing else. I really can't think of anything in the west that equates it in terms of monster weirdness. To quote Maximus when he asked, "are you entertained?" To reply, Yes I am. :)
Witch with Flying Head is impossible to find subbed or dubbed, the original material practically dissapeared and the bootlegs without translations are the only way it's going to be seen ever, really sad, kinda makes me wanna learn a whole new language just for that one movie.
Anyways, about Mystics in Bali, I never got it. I don't know why Mondo Macbro didn't make more copies of this, hopefully somebody puts this thing out on DVD again cause I really want to see more Indonesian films.
You're right. Next time I see Witch with Flying Head I'm just gonna snatch it up.
There's a seller on ebay named squonkamatic. He'll have Mystics in Bali plus other rare horror films from Asia and elsewhere. The price is a little bit steep but he's a straight up guy and guarantees the dvds.
Don't buy pirate copies off ebay. This is coming out on Region One DVD in a newly remastered official version later this year. Just be patient and it will be worth the wait. The pirate copies out there are either dubbed off VHS or standards converted off the UK PAL DVD. The new one is a proper HD mastered release.
shareMystics In Bali is to be re-released by Mondo Macabro and will be released in early November. Keep an eye out for it.
I wish there would be a subtitled version of Witch With Flying Head someday. Who knows, maybe someday somebody will go out of their way to make an english bootleg version???