Review: Achoura (2018)

• Directed by Telal Salhami
• Written by Jawad Lahiou, Talal Selhami, David Villemin
• Stars Sofia Manousha, Younes Bouab, Omar Lotfi
• Run Time: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes
• Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCQ5QoaGWUA

Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone

This was a good one. Extra interesting because it was set in Morocco, that we don’t often see in horror movies. Well done, with a slowly unfolding mystery of what’s happening now and what happened in the past. Thoroughly creepy and disturbing.

Synopsis

“Ashura” is a religious celebration in Morocco where children splash water on each other and celebrate with bonfires. It is also called “Child’s Night.”

A long time ago in Morocco, a boy and a girl sneak away from the celebration to hide in the cornfield. She’s married to an old man, and is not happy. She made the boy a whistle to call her. When they hear her husband’s voice, they run to an abandoned building to hide. Something on the ceiling turns into smoke and takes the young girl… credits roll.

Today, Youssef is late for school. Ali obsessively watches recordings of interrogations; his boss says it’s a waste of time since this is a closed case. Elsewhere, a boy, Hakim…