Prepare To Freak Out

It’s really great to see South Africans tackling horror films, and where better to debut ‘8’ than Netflix, which has recently opened the platform to African storytellers.

Released in June, ‘8’ starts off like any other film that promises to scare the living daylights out of you. Ominous music, creepy panning over the scenery and an old man who will haunt your dreams.

The storyline is like your average scary flick, a somewhat happy family, a new home far from civilisation and a deep, dark secret that threatens to unravel it all.

‘8’ follows the journey of a man who has just passed away, possibly at the hands of a figure who refers to himself as ‘The Wanderer’, and the recipients of his estate who travel out to his manor to begin a life there and take over the farm.

William Ziel, his wife, Sarah, and their niece Mary, whom they’ve taken in, make the seemingly innocent trip up to the house and begin settling in, while unknown to them, someone or something is readying to disturb their peace.

Everything seems normal at first, as it usually does in these films – the family is finding their way around their new space, sharing a few good moments, but lurking just beyond the scope of their perception is a sinister, shadowy figure that threatens to derail their idyllic stay.

Lazarus, an outcast of his people and a man harbouring something unspeakable in his luggage, makes friends with the family and somehow convinces them to let him be their farmhand.

What happens next, as Lazarus tries to appease a spirit he cannot let go of, has the small family reeling, screaming and praying for some kind of escape. It’s a good watch, and it being so close to home, with its familiar languages and landscapes, adds to the scare factor even more. The quality of production is stellar, and the actors tell the story in a way that seems almost real.

If I were one of the writers though, I would be a little bit more careful about playing into the stereotype of innocent white people having to overcome adversity at the hands of the scary black man.

‘8’ was directed by Harold Hol-scher, and stars Tshamano Sebe, Garth Breitenbach, Inge Beckman and the young and captivating Keita Luna in leading roles.

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