The intro of this movie is awesome; it piqued my interest in seeing the rest of the movie. However, the blood that gushed out after the white man’s head got severed didn’t look red but like palm oil. Unfortunately, after the interesting introduction, the film dragged on for about 20 minutes with multiple plots. When the film presented different plots to me, I thought I was watching a series film that aimed to establish the backstory of the characters. Sadly, the pots were there to while away time. That scheme wiped off the sweet taste the intro gave me.
Ms. Kanyin stars Temi Otedola, Michelle Dede, Natse Jemide, and Toluwani George, among others. Ikechuckwu Jerry Ossai directed it.
Ms. Kanyin tells the story of some high school students in their final year of school, who hatch a plan to help one of them gain the qualification needed to attend Harvard University. This leads to an adventure that awakens a demonic entity residing in a nearby forest.
I found the scene where almost the entire school teaching staff went in search of the missing teacher, Ms. Kanyin, to be awkward. The search party should have been limited to the security staff. The way the search party was even screaming Ms. Kanyin’s name was a pain in my ears. I was glad the scene didn’t last long.
The movie took more than an hour before the horror began. Unfortunately, the horror was not particularly scary. When the horror began, the movie started delivering the kind of vibe seen in The Origin: Madam Koikoi, a 2023 Nollywood film. The Origin: Madam Koikoi tells the story of a boarding school where a spirit terrorises students. The spirit wore high heels, which made a certain sound, hence the name Madam Koikoi. In Ms. Kanyi, we see a similarity, which I will leave you to discover for yourself to avoid spoilers.
I was blown away when Ms. Kanyin claimed her first victim, the female student she killed inside the school’s toilet. The death felt so real. I wonder how the directors managed to pull it off when they had the girl fall and hit her head on a toilet seat.
Another aspect of this film that I disliked is the use of the F-word and S-word. Those curse words are not Nigerian, which is why it was awkward to see their usage in a period movie. Speaking of period movies, Ms. Kanyin did well to display items that made me aware it was set in a bygone era. For example, old desktop computers, telephones, and vehicles, as well as architectural aesthetics, help you recognise that the event was set in the 80s or 90s. I’m glad the directors didn’t allow any crazy costumes to make viewers think the movie was set in a different era.
In a nutshell, Ms. Kanyin is a horror movie that failed to deliver horror. I’ll score it 6/10. It would have been suitable for all ages to watch, except for the use of curse words.
