Juju Stories (2022) is a horror anthology following tales of Nigerian folklore and juju, evoking the directorial visions of C.J. Obasi, Abba Makama, and Michael Omonua. This unrated film stars Belinda Agedah Yanga, Paul Utomi, Elvis Poko, Don Ekwuazi, Nengi Adoki, and Bukola Oladipupo. As of this review, the film is only available on Amazon Prime.

Mercy (Belinda Agedah Yanga) uses a juju potion to entice her lover (Paul Utomi as Leonard). Amos (Don Ekwuazi) wanders the streets, unaware his life will change forever. Chinwe (Bukola Oladipupo) suffers misfortune as others claim her friend is a witch (Nengi Adoki as Joy).

Thoughts on Juju Stories’ “Love Potion” by Michael Omonua

The first “chapter” of Juju Stories follows a story of false love and manipulation. While not a particularly scary story, it earns recognition as the most unsettlingly real. The juju empowers a type of manipulation that we find in too many relationships. Of the three short films, “Love Potion” provides an intimate cinematography, perfectly feeding into the delusion of the characters. This entry appeals to me most, though I admit it’s likely not the entry that haunts a viewer. It’s the least concerned in horrifying the audience, with only one moment of body horror that might get some level of engagement in said area. A final note of approval is Belinda Agedah Yanga’s Mercy. Her performance seems the strongest of the three shorts, though “Love Potion” gives her more to work with as the central character.

A few considerations for viewers are the concept of a love potion in general, forcing a victim to love the owner of said potion. Another consideration is the brief moment of body horror. Though, a more accurate description leans toward bodily horror. It intentionally indulges in the grotesque to solidify the dark implications. However, it’s not proper body horror or particularly grotesque for most horror fans.

Thoughts on Juju Stories’ “YAM” by Abba Makama

“YAM” provides the most politically charged entry of Juju Stories, following characters of different economic classes as they live their lives. This entry provides a fabulism to its horror that leans towards metaphor or symbolism. The focus feels too scattered for my liking, but I recognize my own ignorance of juju or Nigerian culture might make the social critique misfire for me. However, it balances three plotlines within its time frame. A full-length feature might better explore the message of “YAM.”

The only consideration that comes to mind is that of mental illness. However, the examples in question lean more toward the fabulism aspects of the short film. Still, the story does show a character’s breaking mental state.

Thoughts on Juju Stories’ “Suffer the Witch” by C.J. Obasi

Of the three entries in Juju Stories, “Suffer the Witch” earns a placement as the most horror-focused short film. As an anthology revolving around juju, it’s only natural a witch occupies space in Juju Stories. “Suffer the Witch” creates a more haunting and horrifying plot, producing a genuinely effective witch horror in a short runtime. However, it’s also the entry that targets the youngest audience, focusing on teens in high school. The tone reflects this target audience.

There is a brief moment of nudity. It’s not particularly exploitative, aside from the target audience being younger. Another point of consideration is the queer coding of the villain added at the end. It’s interpretable, but it’s a point worth mentioning for consideration.

Final Thoughts

Juju Stories provides three short films rooted in Nigerian juju folklore and culture. The concept stands out against other potential competitors. Each entry adds a different interest to appeal to a wider audience, but this decision also means not all will haunt said audience. When there are only three entries to discuss, that could mean one-third doesn’t hit the mark, if not more.

This film earned 4 awards and 1 nomination, making respectable waves with critics.
(2.5 / 5)

“C is for Cannibal” is the season 2 finale of the supernatural drama Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. It originally aired under CBS before moving to Paramount+. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.

The assessors investigate a man struggling for long pig cuisine. David (Mike Colter) nears his ordination to become a recognized priest of the Catholic church. Kristen (Katja Herbers) finds her family in danger and struggles not to fall down old cycles. Ben (Aasif Mandvi) throws a party. Leland (Michael Emerson) provides a service to the church.

What I Like about “C is for Cannibal”

While “C is for Cannibal” doesn’t imply a sole direction for season 3, it raises the stakes and shows a new willingness to explore the demonic and supernatural. This direction accumulates with an effective reveal at the midpoint of the episode. Most shows might include that reveal at the end, but Evil displays a growing confidence in its special effects.

The episode ends with a few great reveals, some dark and others optimistic, which will leave room for season 3 to explore. Viewers learn a lot about the forces in Evil, from the purpose of the sigils to demonic rituals. It retroactively contextualizes the last episode, though I won’t say it refutes the goofiness. However, “C is for Cannibal” shows a darker transformation.

Though executed in a different manner, the parallels to last season’s finale and the new responses show growth for all characters. This growth includes Leland taking a more direct approach to his plots. At this point in the series, viewers have seen the characters develop for better or worse.

While not the most haunting episode, “C is for Cannibal” delivers on many plotlines, finally paying off some of the most pressing mysteries. It also increases the stakes, exploring further how the supernatural remains an ever-growing and real threat to the characters involved.

Tired Tropes and Triggers

There are several fantasies that show nude bodies. These scenes are intentionally voyeuristic and exclusively include female bodies. Again, there’s a reason, and these moments are brief, but I’ll note it here.

There are some bad therapy moments for the plot, purposely done to express a low point and bring another character to their own low point. Another story development suggests future manipulations from similar positions of power.

Another point of infidelity might be an issue for some. As the episode ends with this moment, “C is for Cannibal” suggests that this relationship will remain a key plot point for season 3.

What I Dislike about “C is for Cannibal”

When one of her children comments on Kristen’s corpse smell, I find it odd that she jumps into strange assumptions when her assignment provides a good reason for the smell. This decision likely suggests guilt or trauma, but the point is unexplored.

As a finale of a season with an expected season, the ending’s cliffhanger undermines its impact. Now that season 3 is available, the ambiguous ending gets an immediate resolution, making it less effective.

There are 26 letters in the English alphabet and 13 episodes in season 2. Yet, Evil manages to repeat C for two of the episodes. I still love the title gimmick, and it’s the smallest issue, but it seems like a wasted opportunity.

Final Thoughts on “C is for Cannibal”

“C is for Cannibal” concludes season 2 by providing some needed clarity on relevant mysteries. While it ends in an ineffective cliffhanger, the episode raises the stakes for season 3. The procedural plot remains an interesting storyline that ties directly with what season 2 previously built. As a finale, it does lack the finality or direction one might expect.
(3 / 5)

Final Thoughts on Season 2

In 2021, Evil earned nominations for 9 awards, which likely includes some recognition for this season. In 2022, Evil’s Katja Herbers won Best Acting in an Underrated Drama Series from the Pena de Prata, the show and cast earning an additional 26 nominations.

Season 2 shows growing pains, perhaps related to the behind-the-scenes renewal and transfer. Regardless, there are excessively high moments and moderate lows. The biggest letdown comes from how season 1’s focus gets shelved. However, those good moments keep the show continuously engaging.
(4 / 5)

Happy Halloween, Killer Queens! While we may not have any American Horror Story to watch, we do have five brand-new episodes of American Horror Stories! The wait is finally over, the second half of season three has launched. And I, well, was a lot more excited about that before I saw Backrooms.

Spoiler warning: As the ending is one of the many things wrong with this episode, I will be talking about it. So if you haven’t seen this episode yet and you plan to, maybe save this for later.

The story

Our gory story today is about a man named David. His son, Roman, has gone missing. As David pulls himself further and further away from the world, he finds himself no clipping out of reality and into the poorly lit, all but empty back rooms.

When David eventually finds someone else who’s been to the backrooms, he makes a startling discovery. The reason why he’s ending up there might very well be his fault. And it’s probably because of what he did to Roman.

What works

Let’s start with the positive here. I was very excited to see an episode of American Horror Stories about the backrooms. This is one of my favorite online horror stories in recent memory. I love creepypastas about it, video games that include it, and will watch just about anyone on YouTube talking about it.

And the backrooms depicted in this episode do look a lot like what we see online. I was excited to see the ugly green wallpaper and awful fluorescent lighting that anyone who’s a fan of these stories is very familiar with. I’ve been looking forward to seeing that since the episode titles were released.

I was also impressed, as I often am, with the acting in this episode. Everyone in the rather small cast is doing their best with the story they have to tell. Their reactions are believable, their emotions feel genuine. I can’t say that there were any standouts, because everyone just did as good of a job as they could have under the circumstances.

What didn’t work

Unfortunately, I can sum up my dislike of this episode in one sentence. This story doesn’t make any sense.

Let’s start with Daniel’s motivations for killing his son. They are weak at best. Daniel doesn’t want a child around to distract him from writing. So he takes his son to the park and strangles him.

Just to start with, that’s a senseless motivation. Daniel is wealthy. If he doesn’t want to deal with his son, he could hire someone to look after him. He could send him off to boarding school. Hell, he’s divorced. He could just leave Roman with his ex-wife Riva all the time. There were lots and lots of options besides killing the kid.

It also doesn’t make sense that he would have strangled him. Strangulation is normally seen in crimes of passion, or fury. There are usually strong emotions behind that. And here, there is none of that. We are to believe that Daniel is simply irritated at the interruptions that a child brings, and so brutally strangles his son in broad daylight and then pretends that he disappeared.

There are so many better motivations. Or, even better ways to convey that Roman was causing an issue. We could have seen him pestering his dad while he was trying to write. We could have seen him messing up David’s writing office. We could have seen any number of very realistic things children do that might cause someone mentally unstable to snap and strangle them. But none of that happened. David just decided to kill him, then regretted it.

Finally, let’s talk about this ending. After being shunted into the backrooms again, David finds Roman. Instead of some horrific end, which is exactly what David deserves, he’s sent to a waiting room. It sort of looks like the waiting room for a mechanic. He has a wicked long number, and they’re only serving number one.

And that’s it. This man killed his son in cold blood, and his punishment was an eternity of being bored.

Oh, but there are some parenting magazines on the table to mock him, so I guess that works out.

I hated this for many reasons. The most important being that it isn’t a satisfying ending. It is so tame compared to what I thought was going to happen.

It also doesn’t work with the rest of the episode. Maybe if he’d been lost in the backrooms forever, that would have been better. Maybe if he’d been hunted by his son through the backrooms, to be killed and then come back over and over. That would have been fitting. Especially if he was always just out of reach of his laptop, so he never could get back to writing.

But no. He’s just in a waiting room, with some magazines. And that just isn’t enough.

The biggest problem I’ve had with American Horror Stories is this. Some of the episodes are spectacular. And some, sadly, fall flat. Backrooms is very much one of the latter. But I still have hope for the rest of the season.