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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Suzzanna

Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch (1942 鈥� 2008), better known as Suzzanna, was an Indonesian actress known as the “horror queen of Indonesian cinema.” She is well known in particular in Indonesia for portraying spirits, witches and other supernatural beings. Suzzanna, was an Indo of Javanese-Manado-German-Dutch heritage and was born in Buitenzorg (now Bogor), West Java.

She became and is still the undisputed scare queen (Horror films) who had a strong on-screen presence and a face that could be hauntingly beautiful at one moment and strikingly horrific the next. Because Sundel Bolong was reportedly the first film to ever feature the mystical sundel bolong character, Suzzanna is forever associated with the cinematic depiction of the folkloric ghost.

The sundel bolong is the spirit of a prostitute killed while with child and gave birth in the grave. She has long, black hair to hide the maggot-infested hole in her back through which her baby was born. The sundel bolong is so well-known, Marvel’s Blade even features it as an Asian sub-species of vampires. This folklore from the archipelago extends even to the Philippines and India, where the creature is known as tiyanak and churel. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Suzzana.

1.  Suzzana was the Queen  of Indonesian Horror

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Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Indonesian horror films were among the gold-standard scare flicks in South East Asia. And the most popular horror films at the time starred Suzzanna Indonesia’s ultimate Queen of Horror, a title that still stands unchallenged even today.

A household name in the 80s, the Indonesian actress was widely known for playing the role of a strong woman with supernatural powers. She mostly filled the roles of spirits, witches and manifestations of otherworldly creatures. Making the most of her long jet-black hair, pale skin and big glaring eyes, she delivered the stuff of nightmares through blood, guts, and gore galore classics such as Ratu Ilmu Hitam (1981) and Sundel Bolong (1982).

2. Suzzanna owned a Film Company

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By the mid-1960s she had married fellow actor Dicky Suprapto. Together, in 1965, they established the film production company Tri Murni Film, which produced only one film Segenggam Tanah Perbatasan (1965), starring both Suzzanna and Suprapto before closing down. They collaborated on another film, Suzie, the following year.

Their final effort, Tidar Jaya Film, was the most successful; it produced four films between 1970 and 1973. The first of these was Tuan Tanah Kedawung (1970), an adaptation of the comic by Ganes TH. In this film, Suzzanna took the role of Ratna, a woman who must protect her husband’s land deeds while he is working in Borneo. Tidar Jaya subsequently produced Beranak dalam Kubur (1971), Bumi Makin Panas (1973), and Napsu Gila (1973); all of these featured Suzzanna

Suzzanna separated from Suprapto in 1974, shortly following Napsu Gila; Tidar Jaya ceased operations soon afterwards.

3.   Forever Young Suzzanna

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Indonesians knew her as Horror Queen, not only because of her acting but also because of her mystic lifestyle. Some people said that she looked young in her old age because she ate jasmine flowers. The whole flower can be eaten, adding a spicy flavour to stir-fries, chicken or fish dishes. The flowers are intensely fragrant and are traditionally used for scenting tea, but can also be added to shellfish dishes.

Her brand was helped by myths built around her real-life persona. Because of her timeless beauty, she aged extremely well, leading some to speculate that she had engaged in mystical practices to keep herself looking young.

4.   Suzzanna was a Strong Catholic

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She was married to actor Dicky Suprapto. After their separation, they never divorced as their marriage was a Catholic marriage. The Catholic Church鈥檚 teaching on divorce and remarriage is anchored squarely on Christ鈥檚 teaching: 鈥淓veryone who divorces his wife and marries commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery鈥�

The Catechism says, 鈥淒ivorce is a grave offence against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is the sign. Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery鈥�

5. Suzzanna鈥檚 Daughter is also an Actress

Her daughter from her marriage with Dicky Suprapto, Kiki Maria, is also an actress. Kiki Mar铆a (born in Magelang, Central Java, September 10, 1962), is an Indonesian singer, actress and film Presenter. Kiki seemed to have started her artistic career when she released her first Album titled “Esok Milik Kita”, although there was a lawsuit in 1985 over the dispute of music records of Jackson Record and Dod贸 ZakariaDodo, who was a producer and Music director. 

Kiki has produced five studio albums and has scored several hits, Kiki surprised many by releasing the album “Esok Milik Kita” because of the wide vocal range of Kiki, unlike her previous albums.

Her Cinematic presence include:

• Capcom TV (TVRI 1986)
• Edu-Games vs. CAPCOM (TVRI 1998)
• Arena Fantasi (TVRI 2000)

6. Suzzanna鈥檚 Comeback was the Grand finale

She retired from films in the 1990s but made a comeback in Hantu Ambulance, in 2008. However, it would be her final appearance. Suzanna began acting in the 1950s in straight roles but is eternally remembered for her horror and mystical films, beginning in the 1970s, like 鈥淏ernapas Dalam Lumpur鈥� (1970), 鈥淏eranak Dalam Kubur鈥� (1971), 鈥淧ulau Cinta鈥� (1978), 鈥淩atu Buaya Putih鈥� and 鈥淩atu Ilmu Hitam鈥� (1981).

She retired in the early 1990s but made a couple of comebacks, in 2003 on the television serial 鈥淪elma dan Ular Siluman鈥�, and her last attempt was 鈥淗antu Ambulance鈥�, in which she was visibly ailing.

7.   Suzzanna鈥檚 Controversial Death

She died on 15 October 2008, in Magelang at 66 years of age, after 30 years of fighting with diabetes after drinking a glass of milk at night before she sleeps. A lot of confusion accompanied the death of the artist who is closely related to the ghost of Sundel Bolong, starting from the process of his sudden death to internal family conflicts.

Not only in the film, even the death of the artist with the real name Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch also had time to invite a mystery. There were several irregularities and rumors circulating that accompanied her departure in 2008.

8.  Suzzanna鈥檚  Family Drama

There was a bizarre real-life drama drama in Suzzanna life. After she separated with husband Dicky Suprapto, she lived with another actor, Clift Sangra, who was rumoured to have hired a hitman to kill Suzzanna over an inheritance.

What did really happen was that Sangra was sentenced to four months in prison for shooting Suzzanna’s son-in-law with a gun. It’s all kind of crazy and probably added more mystique to the actress’s reputation.

9. Maria Menado from Malaysia was her Contemporary

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Because Sundel Bolong was reportedly the first film to ever feature the sundel bolong, Suzzanna is forever associated with the cinematic depiction of the folkloric ghost, much like how in Malaysia, Maria Menado is often mentioned in the same breath as Pontianak (1957), Malaysia’s first horror movie.

Coincidentally, “Maria Menado,” stage name, is derived from the fact that Maria was born in Manado, in the North Sulawesi province, to which Suzzanna’s lineage also has a connection. Both actresses were queens of horror, both were exceptionally beautiful, and both were the first to portray folkloric female spirits on film.

10.  Suzzana Has a Huge Body of Work

Her body of work totals more than 40 films of various genres, but mostly of horror. She started out as an award-winning child actress before gaining global fame as one of Asia’s most popular actresses in the 1970s.

There are many more horror films in Suzzanna’s filmography that are defining moments in her long career, such as Nyi Blorong (1982) and Malam Satu Suro (1988), the “romantic horror film” that features the sundel bolong not as a malevolent creature but as the protagonist (with K.I.S.S.-type make-up!). And then, of course, there’s Ratu Ilmu Hitam (Queen of Black Magic, 1981), the gore-fest that garnered multiple nominations at the 1982 Indonesian Film Festival, including Best Actress for Suzzanna.

Creepy makeup and effects aside, these low-budget films are known for mediocre acting and lacklustre plots 鈥� the usual suspects of black magic, demonic rituals and exorcisms. Even Suzzanna鈥檚 mediocre acting couldn鈥檛 save the day.

Because Sundel Bolong was reportedly the first film to ever feature the sundel bolong, Suzzanna is forever associated with the cinematic depiction of the folkloric ghost, much like how in Malaysia, Maria Menado is often mentioned in the same breath with Pontianak (1957), Malaysia’s first horror movie.