First and foremost, I’d like to applaud Ogo Okpue, the writer and director of A Song From The Dark, for the good job she did and for putting together a wonderful team. I’m impressed.
A Song From The Dark tells the story of a Nigerian family hunted by an evil spirit who heeds the call of a maltreated lady. To escape the spirit‘s attacks, the family hires an exorcist named Ashionye, and in the process, dark secrets are unravelled.
The movie stars Vanessa Vanderpuye, Wale Ojo, Nse Ikpe Etim, Lola Wayne, Dimeji Ewuoso, Yinka Awoni, Paul Coster, Sharon Oji, Marshal Griffin, Dean Kilbey, Keidi Okpue, Peace Oseyenum, and Garcia Brown, to mention a few.
The acting is not striking
The acting in A Song From The Dark is not striking. This may be due to the limited actions. I think the directors should have made the film scary, as we get from Hollywood’s exorcist films, e.g. The Deliverance. The part that moved me about this movie was when Ashionye (Vanessa Vanderpuye) finally agreed to assist Isioma (Nse Ike Etim) who finally confessed her sins that led to her family’s problem. The acting there was top-notch.
I think there is a continuity error in this movie. Marv and Ashionye traveled to a remote town in a car but when Marv was leaving, he left in a different car which he never came with. Where did the second car come from? Well, if that was an error, it still doesn’t take away from the awesomeness of this film.
Good Costume and makeup
A Song From The Dark was set in the UK and features some white actors. The costumes used were simple outfits as the story is urban. The careful choice of clothes helped create a balance between the lighting and the environment. However, the attire and hairstyle worn by Ashionye and the eldest daughter of the family, Timmy, made them look similar which confused me at some point.
The makeup is believable, especially the blood stains on the dead characters. Also, the tattoos on Ashionye didn’t look fake but too vibrant as if they were freshly made.
Hollywood standard special effect
The reason why I applaud this film is because of the amazing cinematography and special effects, which I put in the class of Hollywood. The lighting is top-notch; it is what I expect from Nigerian home-based filmmakers. Most of the indoor lighting made use of orange color which blended well with the brown and dark interiors. The key lights didn’t leave hotspots on the dark-skinned actors, a thing I commend. I also enjoyed the use of blue lights for outdoor night scenes, especially the part where the evil spirit tried to enter Ashionye’s car to get to Timmy.
The colour grading of this movie is superb and Hollywood standard. I think Ogo Okpue needs to bring her team to Nigeria to improve our quality. I like how the colourist used deep orange to create a dreamy vibe in the scene where Ashionye transitioned to meet her father in the spirit realm. The colour used in the scene where Ashionye dug Anna’s grave is also amazing.
The special effects in this film are something worth talking about. The glitches, demonic voices, red eyes, etc are convincing. This film is nothing short of amazing. I rate it 7.5/10, and it is worth one’s time. However, this movie doesn’t go with my Christian vibe because it glorifies voodoo. The Bible says one can’t use the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils. If you’ve seen where such is done, know that a temporary solution was provided. This is because the demon sent packing will return with seven friends worse than himself soon. Only Jesus saves permanently.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
