Curse of the Seven Seas, now streaming on Netflix, is a supernatural horror film set in the Javanese city of Semarang, Indonesia.
The film intricately weaves themes of black magic, revenge, and family, creating a haunting narrative that explores the consequences of meddling with dark forces.
At its core, the story follows the struggles of Sucipto and his family, who are tormented by an ancient and deadly curse.
As one tragedy follows another, the survivors must embark on a perilous journey to break the curse before it claims them all.
Overview
A Family Under Siege
Curse of the Seven Seas story revolves around Sucipto, a successful grocery shop owner in a local market. Despite his prosperity, his brother-in-law Sardi struggles with low sales and harbors deep resentment toward him.
Sucipto’s son, Ardi, is suffering from a severe kidney disease, and with great effort, Sucipto gathers the funds for his surgery.
While the operation is successful, it has an unexpected side effect—Ardi begins to see spirits.
Concerned about his son’s visions, Sucipto calls upon a spiritual healer named Rustam, who explains that the surgery has unintentionally opened Ardi’s third eye.
Rustam performs a spiritual surgery, allowing Ardi to see only spirits that want to be seen, as the third eye cannot be fully closed.
The Return of the Curse
Thirteen years later, Ardi is in college, living normally with his younger siblings, Syifa and Arif.
However, the past resurfaces when Sucipto discovers a small black bundle outside his shop one night. Upon opening it, he finds a small skull and bones inside.
Unfazed, he discards the bundle and returns home, unaware that his actions have triggered a supernatural chain of events.
That night, Sucipto suffers from a terrifying nightmare, waking up to vomit blood and worms. His condition worsens, leaving him bedridden.
Soon after, his youngest son, Arif, finds a similar black bundle in their courtyard. Innocently opening it, he is immediately pursued by a dark shadowy figure, leaving him gravely ill.
Ardi recalls that thirteen years earlier, when he first fell ill, a similar bundle had appeared at their doorstep.
However, no action was taken back then.
This time, the curse is relentless—after being weakened for days, Arif is violently attacked by a large shadow.
The supernatural entity causes him to bleed from his eyes and ears before tearing him apart from the inside.
The young boy dies in agony, leaving the family devastated.
The Curse Claims More Victims
The family buries Arif, but the horrors do not cease.
Ardi takes over the shop, but its success has diminished.
As the family continues to live under the looming curse, they seek Rustam’s help once again.
The healer warns Ardi to avoid any mysterious bundles or totems.
Before Ardi can relay this message to his mother, Marni, she finds a similar bundle outside their home and unknowingly picks it up.
Immediately, a spirit begins to chase Marni and eventually enters her body while she is asleep.
Possessed, Marni undergoes a gruesome transformation as the spirit takes control.
The entity brutally tears her apart, leading to another horrific death in the family.
Meanwhile, Sucipto remains sick and unresponsive, teetering on the edge of death.
A Dark Past Revealed in Curse of the Seven Seas
Convinced that his uncle Sardi is responsible for the curse, Ardi confronts him one night.
However, Sardi reveals a shocking truth about the family’s past.
In 1970, Sardi helped Sucipto establish his business and taught him the ways of trading.
However, rival shopkeepers in the market attempted to sabotage Sucipto’s success using black magic.
Sardi advised him to ignore such attacks, but the dark forces persisted.
Totems in the form of cloth bundles and dead animals began appearing near the shop.
Eventually, Sucipto lost his customers and became desperate, especially as this was the same time Ardi fell ill.
Determined to save his family and business, Sucipto sought help from a shaman named Mbah Di.
With her powerful abilities, she helped him regain his customers and earn the money needed for Ardi’s surgery.
However, Sucipto soon became greedy and used her powers to gain an unfair advantage over his competitors.
This led to growing resentment, particularly from a shopkeeper named Wicak.
Wicak retaliated by cursing Marni, causing her to suffer extreme abdominal pain.
When doctors examined her, they found numerous nails inside her body, a clear sign of dark magic.
In response, Sucipto turned to Mbah Di, who sent the curse back to Wicak.
Unfortunately, instead of Wicak, his innocent daughter drank the cursed water and died instantly.
Driven mad with grief and fury, Wicak sought the help of an even more powerful shaman, Mbok.
Together, they summoned a terrifying spirit called Suanggi from across the Java Sea.
The spirit’s sole purpose was to destroy Sucipto’s family, and its foreign origin ensured that local shamans would struggle to counter its influence.
The Ritual to Break the Curse
In Curse of the Seven Seas, Rustam discovers that the only way to defeat Suanggi is to perform a purification ritual known as a ruwat.
This requires collecting water from seven specific beach points where Wicak and Mbok had performed their rituals.
Ardi and his sister Syifa volunteer for this dangerous task. To locate these points, they must first undergo a ritual to fully open their third eyes.
With their new abilities, they embark on a perilous journey, collecting water from each shrine while encountering numerous supernatural entities.
Along the way, they receive the blessing of the Phantom Queen of Java, strengthening their resolve.
Curse of the Seven Seas: The Final Confrontation
Upon their return home, Ardi and Syifa prepare for the ritual, but they are too late.
Suanggi has already taken its true form—a demonic entity resembling Satan—and has killed both Rustam and Sardi.
The siblings rush to save their father, now the last surviving family member apart from themselves.
With the collected holy water, they begin the purification ritual.
As they sprinkle the water over Sucipto and chant prayers, Suanggi fights back violently.
However, the sacred power of the water weakens the demon.
The final prayer banishes Suanggi completely, making it disappear forever.
In an unexpected twist, Suanggi is seen emerging inside Mbok’s hut, where it turns on its summoners.
The demon viciously kills both Mbok and Wicak, delivering poetic justice for their actions in Curse of the Seven Seas.
Also read: Delicious Summary and Ending Explained
