Darcha – Eerie Thriller
Director: Abdelhamid Bouchnak
Writer: Abdelhamid Bouchnak (Screenplay)
Starring: Yassmine Dimassi, Hela Ayed, Aziz Jebali, Bilel Slatnia, Bahri Rahali, Hedi Mejri
Plot: An investigation into witchcraft leads a trio of journalism students to a mysterious town marked by sinister rituals. Inspired by true events.
Runtime: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Dachra starts when Yassmine (Dimassi), Walid (Jebali) and Bilel (Slatnia) start looking into a witchcraft case revolving a young woman Mongia (Ayed) that has plenty of unexplained aspects to the case, which will see them head to the mental asylum Mongia is being kept in.
The further they investigate the case, the deeper the case will take them into a remote woodland area, where they will start to suffer their own nightmare experiences.
Thoughts on Dachra
Characters & Performances – Yassmine is the one leading the investigation, asking the questions, putting the team together, being the face of the documentary, while also being the one that starts to suffer from the nightmares of being on the investigation. Walid and Bilel are part of the team that Yassmine has put together to help her on the investigation, each not finding themselves in the horror situations on the same levels of Yassmine. Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jebali and Bilel Slatnia are great in their roles through the film, showing the terror and scepticism towards everything going on.
Story – The story here follows three journalists that are looking into a case of witchcraft in Tunisia, which will see them find a remote locations that is filled with the horrors they don’t want to be near, despite learning a few answers. This story could easily have comparisons to ‘The Blair Witch Project’ with the three heading into the woods where they end up getting haunting events during their time. The story does offer us something different though, showing us how certain traditions are being kept secret despite them being completely twisted and outdated. The story does end up feeling slightly too long, which could have easily had a little bit more trimmed off the core of the story.
Themes – Dachra is a horror thriller that channels The Blair Witch Project for the creepy atmosphere, with the remote settings that will keep us being prepared for fear. It does use the local beliefs from Tunisia which will highlight the witchcraft going on within the country and other areas. We do get plenty of slowly built up scare moments in the film, which will leave you shocked during them.
DACHRA opens in theatres and virtual cinemas nationwide in the U.S. on Friday, July 9th.
Final Thoughts – Dachra is a truly creepy horror, filled with atmospheric scares rooted in traditions.
