The Tokoloshe

Not only are the actors awkward, and the film a collection of amateurish cliched images & techniques with puzzling voice overlays, but the editing renders the whole thing incoherent. Sadly.

Busi is young destitute woman with dangerously repressed emotions that has just started a cleaning job at a rundown hospital in the heart of Johannesburg. In need of cash so she can bring her younger sister to the city, she must cope despite the predatory and corrupt hospital manager. When Busi discovers an abandoned young girl in the hospital that is being tormented by a supernatural force, she must face her own demons from the past in order to save them both. A South African movie filmed in English and Zulu, this is the first full film from director Jerome Pikwane. It looks gorgeous, as Busi's past and present are both shown to be filled with dangers, despite feeling like two different worlds. South Africa has some of the worst violence against women in the world, crimes that critically go unreported, so hopefully this film can raise some attention.

About the evil spirit involved, harming the little girl, the cleaner lady will try to save her and stop the evil spirit, it's really a good movie and not going to spoil about the ending.

Terrific, compelling horror based on existing mythology. The film has a great, tension-inducing build to a great final act. Cast are great and there are some splendid special effects.

I did not care for The Tokoloshe. I thought the movie was really slow. Even though the director does a great job portraying the gloominess and sorrow of the main character, the gloominess gets overwhelming about half way through. I liked the monster effects and the acting was good.

This film had all the potential to keep the audience captivated and on the edge of their seats. However, it failed within the first 10min. Growing up in South Africa as a young lad, the story of the Tokoloshe used to scare the living crap out of me. Excuse the crude word! This take on the Tokoloshe was stupid and did not do any justice to the folk tale. From the sets, the acting, the filming locations and the underlying gloom of the main character makes this a total flop. What's worse and really stuffs the film up is that when they speak Zulu, there are no subtitles. How the hell are we supposed to understand what is happening? If I could score this film 0 out of 10, that would be well deserved. Don't watch this movie - it's a complete waste of time and money.

Pikwane's story is deep. Riffe with social commentary, human struggle and personal conflict. Plus it introduces a truly terrifying creature of mythology from a region sorely lacking in modern story telling. "The Tokoloshe" is an evenly paced, tense thriller. A lot of the story perspective is interpretative and layered. There is the human tragedy, reconciliation of past, and a nightmarish, supernatural monster. And it is all weaved together with such heart and emotion, as disturbing as it may be. The tone of the story is dark, methodical and atmospheric. There is more of a tug-of-war between the character drama and the creature feature aspect of the movie. At times it hints at the possibility of the Tokoloshe being more of a subconscious manifestation of unresolved issues, then the film pulls you into a full on monster movie. It is a back-n-forth that Pikwane masters without loosing context. I enjoyed the stronger focusing leaning more on the human interest component. The film does move a bit slow and keeps with a heavy heart. The horror is more psychological than graphic. The atmosphere and focus plays out like a paranormal horror. Creepy, shadowy lighting creates a spooky vibe. The monster is referenced more than is on screen. It makes appearances but the real monsters are of the human kind. Cruelty is a gift man seems more inclined to share. But yeah don't forget that this is a story about a supernatural creature who feeds on children and the lonely. Overall "The Tokoloshe" is a good folk horror to just sit back and let it consume you. It isn't a shock cinema thing so don't confuse it with Western creature feature. The real nightmares that happen are very human, tragic and relatable. This is a cool import psychological thriller with horror elements that is shot beautifully. Check it out. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one.