Director: Talal Selhami
Year: 2019
Country: Morocco/France
Alternate Titles: Achoura: La Nuit des Enfants
Genre: Creature Feature
Plot:
After a series of strange encounters, a group of childhood friends finds that the attacks are reminiscent of a particular being from an urban legend they encountered when they were kids and must put their limited knowledge to the test in order to stop the rampaging creature once and for all.
Review:
Frankly, this was a highly enjoyable and surprising effort. Among the main positive on display here is the rather intriguing storyline that provides the film with a really original take on this type of premise. Focusing on the idea of the kids reuniting to battle a childhood menace, a setup used multiple times over, instead has a rather intriguing feel here with the inclusion of the elements found in Moroccan folklore as that's been so rarely utilized it feels fresh. This is mainly due to the build-up done when they're kids to set-up an intriguing monster, one based on superstition in the area and their own beliefs growing up in the area that meld together into a rather fun backstory here that is enjoyable for how it brings together their experiences as kids into the later encounters as adults. This is all the better for keeping the film fun and upbeat during this section without providing too much action as these localized touches are really intriguing.
This intriguing backstory allows the film to feature some rather intriguing action. The first main encounter when it strikes a family about to go to sleep is quite chilling with its focus on the banging at the front door in order to distract them and steal the kid out from under the bed unseen working in the urban legend quite effectively while the short-burst encounters when they were kids running through the abandoned house or the cornfield trying to escape from the creature have some solid moments. Likewise, an encounter in the apartment complex bathroom is quite chilling with how the creature attacks and the ingenuity needed to get away from it, while the sequence of them returning to the fabled farmhouse where they encounter the creature leading into a series of graphic and chilling attacks is a surefire highlight bringing in strong action, plenty of fun countermeasures and some energetic sequences that tie the film up rather nicely. Coupled with the strong creature design and brutal but not gory encounters throughout here, there's a lot to like with this one.
However, there are some flaws with this one. One of its main issues is the overall darkness that permeates the film, oftentimes making it nearly impossible to make out what's happening on screen. The opening attack that shows the monster on the ceiling waiting to strike at the victims crouched on the ground below it is so dark it's hard to tell what happens even if they were trying to keep it in the shadows, and that format rings true of several other encounters here. The big farmhouse attack is handled in near-total darkness which is a really big missed opportunity to get the creature out and showcase what's going on. Given that this is shot in darkness for most of the film, and only featuring the scenes of the children playing in daylight, tends to do this a real disservice as there are oftentimes characters fumbling in the dark or just unintelligible blurs of activity and movement happening that are hard to make out at times here.
As well, the other big flaw with this one is the sheer lack of answers as to what's going on here. There's no information given about the titular monster at all which is a real shame considering this is most likely the first exposure to such a creature and thus the unfamiliarity with it and why we need to be afraid of it is never given. Seeing as how we shift around constantly to various people and are given their own individual connections to the case, there's never a chance to realize how everyone fits together here and it ends up feeling like a random assortment of people together. That the narrative for this one, going back and forth between them as kids and as adults who are beginning to come to grips with the encounter, doesn't help this any by making plenty of references to events that never came true when they became adults or we find out different relationships that make following the characters quite difficult when we don't know who's who. These issues are what hold this one down.
Overview: ***1/2/5
Despite being a little difficult to follow at times for a variety of reasons, there's still a lot of enjoyable elements present here that makes for a watchable genre effort. Give this one a try if you're curious about the country's attempt at genre fare, enjoy these kinds of creature features or looking for a new entry to try out, while those put off by the flaws here or unsure about it should heed some caution with the film.
This review ran as part of our remote coverage of Cinepocalypse Festival 2019.
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