A Fan Review: Ile Owo – A Fusion Of African Tradition With Western Horror Gone Wrong

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Being a horror movie, the story of Ile Owo is straightforward. It all begins when a certain wealthy trader popularly known as ‘Owo’ (Jide Oyegbile) consults Fijabi (Bisola Aiyeola), a powerful native doctor, out of the desire to live long and never age. Unfortunately, it is too late for him, but not for his sons. Fijabi then instructs that they present an innocent virgin as a sacrifice to the Sagbadewe diety every 25 years for the ritual through which they will forever remain in their youth.

Centuries later, the spotlight is on Busola (Immaculata Oko-Kasum), a young innocent girl who meets a handsome billionaire called Tunji (Efa Iwara). They fall in love and gradually become a part of each other’s lives until Busola finds out that Tunji is not the angel he painted himself to be.

The movie was directed and written by Dare Olaitan who also co-directed the 2021 comedy, Dwindle. It was released on June 24, 2022, and started streaming on Netflix on May 19, 2023.

The film runs for 95 minutes and was set in both the pre-colonial era and the present day (early 2020s) in Western Nigeria. Apart from the aforementioned actors, the main cast includes Mofe Duncan, Ademola Adedoyin, Tina Mba, Akin Lewis, Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori a.k.a KieKie, Temisan Emmanuel, and Taiye Arimoro.

Now, let’s review.

The Good

The cinematography and camera angles were superb and the sound was fitting for a horror movie. The CGI was okay; the Sagbadewe spirit seemed less unrealistic than what we’re used to from Nollywood. The production crew also did a good job evoking the fear factor in the minds of the viewers by sustaining the aura of impending doom throughout the movie. The provision of a backstory was a brilliant addition to the production and the storyline overall was interesting.

The casting was alright. Not much was required of the actors and everyone seemed comfortable in their roles.

The Bad

The movie comes off as a weak attempt at a fusion of African tradition with Hollywood horror, and on that note, it is safe to say that it lacks originality and coordination. Some parts towards the end of the movie could remind one of the Hollywood 2019 Thriller, Get Out, which actually is somewhat similar to the plot at large.

The movie makes sense from the beginning to the point where Tunji proposes to Busola, but from there, it starts to drag. The climax of the movie also was not well put together, which shatters the anticipation that had been built in the minds of the viewers. It can also be observed that the ‘ritual’ factor in the movie was unrealistic. In the usual manner we are familiar with through Nollywood, the participants carry out activities which should evoke the spirit of the deity, but all we got to see were the virgins lying hypnotised on the ground and some demon probably having sex with them. If that was supposed to be part of the overall depiction of African tradition, it is a poor and inaccurate representation of it.

As regards the unfolding of the plot, the film could be likened to a suitor who sincerely has ‘good intentions’ but no actions to back it up – good potential, but poor direction. Granted, horror movies focus more on the special effects and fear factor than on the story itself, but even for a horror movie, Ile Owo has too many loose ends and unanswered questions.

What baffles viewers the most is the unexplained relationship between Busola’s father and the Owo brothers. We were made to understand from the backstory that the ritual was exclusively for the sons of Owo and Busola’s father was clearly not one of them, so, what business did he have with them? The mysterious wound on his leg that seemed to have been festering for quite a while but later began to heal speedily was definitely not ‘ordinary eye’ as we say in this part of the world; there was clearly more to it, so, what was it? What was the significance of that injury? We also deserve to know why the Sagbadewe spirit did not consume Busola and went ahead to devour its worshippers. Was it because she drank the oil her mother had prayed over? Or had Tunji been sleeping with Busola and therefore made her an unworthy sacrifice for the deity? We don’t know for sure.

The movie also had a very confusing and unclear ending that gave absolutely no closure to the story. What was the connection between the last scene and the plot? Was it all a story being told by Fijabi? That scene made the entire movie all the more confusing.

All in all, the movie appears to be specifically targeted at women with a very clear message; all that glitters could hold dark secrets underneath. Busola was swept off her feet by Tunji’s social status and was completely blind to reason. When she narrated the story of their first date to her friend, Jola (KieKie), she mentioned that she felt like she was in a trance when they had sex. That should have been her first sign that she was in serious danger, but because he was a billionaire, she felt safe.