October is slowly coming to an end, and everyone is gearing up for the festive season. Radio stations are defrosting Mariah Carey, stores are hanging tinsel, and South Africa’s festive spirit is steadily bubbling under the surface. However, before we dive head-first into holiday mode, there’s one more day that we need to get through. Halloween. While South Africans are not passionate about trick-or-treating, we love a good costume and spine-tingling fright night. In the spirit of all things ghostly and downright bone-chilling, we’ve put together a list of some of the best South African horror films for you to enjoy this Hallows Eve.
The Soul Collector
The Soul Collector is a film about an old man named Lazarus, a sangoma (witch doctor) fated to collect souls for all of eternity, all the while seeking atonement for collecting his daughter’s soul in an attempt to regain his own. He happens upon a family living on a deserted farm in the middle of the night who gives him refuge for the evening. That’s when things begin to take a turn for the worst. Written and directed by Harold Holscher and Johannes Ferdinand Van Zyl, The Soul Collector delivers ample jumpscare moments for you to enjoy this Halloween.
Rancid
The film is set at the fictional Gentek Laboratories, following a group of people partaking in a medical trial. The participants are locked in a medical facility and left to their own devices. Things go wrong when the trial participants begin showing deadly and dangerous symptoms and turn on those conducting the experiment. Rancid is a medical zombie thriller not to be mistaken for the ordinary, run-of-the-mill zombie apocalypse film. Be prepared to watch through parted fingers as things get gruesome and gory. Director Alastair Orr has made quite a name for himself in the horror genre following Rancid; he went on to direct Triggered, House of Willow Street and Indigenous.
Rage
Rage takes place at the eponymous event every year in the seaside town of Plettenberg Bay. Thousands of school leavers descend on the otherwise sleepy town and relish their newfound freedom. The film follows a group of wild teenagers who witness a disturbing ritual performed on a nearby beach. Things quickly turn south as they become the target of the ominous happenings and are picked off one by one. Directed by Jaco Bouwer and written by Tertius Kapp, Rage is the perfect teen slasher film that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
Fried Barry
Fried Barry is a dark comedy horror film following the life of Barry, a drug-fueled loser whose life has fallen apart. One night, on a typical bender, Barry is abducted by aliens with his body taken over by the extraterrestrial beings. What follows is an onslaught of drugs and violence, the perfect watch for those who enjoy more digestible horror films. Written and Directed by Ryan Kruger, Fried Barry toured the film festival circuit worldwide and won several awards.
