I was not in any particular rush to sit down to watch the 1989 Indonesian horror movie "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" after recently having literally suffered through the movie that is the 1988 predecessor "Santet".

But with "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" being an Asian horror movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I eventually found the time to sit down and watch the movie. Though I have to admit that I harbored zero expectations to director Sisworo Gautama Putra's 1989 sequel.

Writer Naryono Prayitno did a slightly better job with "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" in comparison to what he managed to put together a year earlier with "Santet". The story was more coherent and more enjoyable than the previous movie, but still far from being a masterpiece.

I just still don't understand the urge to put singing and dancing scenes into what is supposed to be a horror movie.

There were some returning actors and actresses from the previous movie, which counted for something in terms of continuity. And the acting performances in "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" was also better this time around, as the characters were less reminiscent of cartoon comedy characters and written more as actual characters.

Well, at least if you enjoyed the 1988 "Santet" movie, then you will also enjoy this 1989 sequel. But on the other hand, if you didn't enjoy the previous movie, then you won't enjoy this sequel either. I was in the latter camp, so I found little enjoyment in this movie.

The effects in the movie were pretty terrible. But at least the scenes with the insanely fake tiger had me laughing, so that counted for something, I suppose.

My rating of "Santet 2: Wanita Harimau" lands on a generous three out of ten stars. Slightly better than the predecessor, but still not really a movie worth spending 92 minutes on watching.

I seem to be on this steady stream of the most pointless sequels ever made. And yes, Santet 2 is a definite qualifier.

This movie is the EXACT same story found in Santet 1, once removed. As in, everyone who died in the original, has a relative (or mentor or whatever) show up in their place, in order to wash, rinse, and repeat.

So, Katemi (Suzzanna) hasn't moved on since the bonkers chaos that preceded. No, she's still living in the same remote Indonesian fishing village, shunned by society. She's putting away laundry, and the mentor of her mentor (could've been the same actress, though I'm not sure), who turned her to black magic and murder, shows up in her standing closet(!). She wants revenge on the cleric's son (see a pattern here?), who killed her apprentice Nyi Angker... by blowing her up with his faith in God! Spoiler: EXACT same ending here, apparently THIS Nyi forgot her powers of black magic, as the two of them engage in an incredibly bad kung fu battle. Anyway, the mentor of Katemi's mentor cursed Katemi to turn into a tiger every night, so, maybe one night(?), or whenever, it seems, she'll kill the dead cleric's son. Sorry, I can't remember this character's name offhand.

I'll tell you what DID change in this sequel. Tone and focus. Instead of focusing on Katemi's story, apparently South Asian audiences couldn't get enough of the "comic relief," unfunnyman Bokir (as Bakir), one of the village chief's security officers, now the main focus. And it's bad and it's uninteresting and it's tiresome. He is OTT wacky, which in turn, makes the film's tone, for lack of a better term, out of whack. I'm probably insulting an Indonesian national treasure here, but I will say FTR Suzzanna is great in these pictures, and I know she was hugely popular.

If you're looking for more sinister black magic, or a sadistic mobster who runs the village (and murders in broad daylight with no repercussions, while the chief sits in his hut), look elsewhere! Oh, wait. They brought in Bisman's SON, same actor! Same age! Same unforgettable face! Same fate! I was under the impression the actor was wearing makeup. Now I'm not so sure. Have a look around at the male portion of this cast.

Even the vile gore was cut back about 90%. The tiger shots are half stock footage, half stuffed animal! Ok, these scenes are genuinely amusing.

As for Katemi's backseat story, she turns up here and there. Her tiger attacks are limited to mutilating a farmer's goat, mutilating some fresh remains, she gets the basement-level subplot's "bad guy," and at the end attacks (in both stock footage and stuffed animal forms) the cleric's powerful son, with his unfettered faith in an invisible entity. She blow'd up real good! If the tiger actually killed townspeople, as it says in IMDb's synopsis, then I was asleep for those. What's left? Naturally Katemi's got to marry this guy, and pronto. Yup, the village chief steps in and says they gotta get married, and worship God. There was an implied inkling of attraction in the first movie, NOTHING in this one. Married? I'm not even gonna ask why.

OK, arranged marriage, local beliefs and superstitions, different culture, etc. Etc. Frankly, I think more of this stuff applies to the first movie, especially the beliefs and happenings during that period of Indonesian history. At the very least, it makes for unique cinematic experiences, and a glimpse into a country not exactly prolific in the movie business.

Sentet, the original, is a wild spectacle. I would recommend that, and skip this altogether.