Hearing “Juju Stories” as the title of a film already prepares your emotions for something dark and horror. However, considering Nollywood hasn’t remarkably succeeded in making Horror films in the past, I had little expectations of Juju Stories.
Interestingly, they beat my expectations.
Juju Stories is a three in one story where three different stories were told in one movie. The first film, Love Portion, revealed how a lady used love jazz on a man she believed was her dream man. Getting to date him, she realized they were two different people, and then the trouble started.
The second story, Yam, depicts the superstitious belief of how people turn to Yam when they pick random money on the floor. That happened, the thief turned to Yam, and someone else even stole the Yam and ate it. What happened to the guy who ate the Yam? Well, it is in the movie.
The third story, Suffer The Witch is the everyday story of having a schoolmate or roommate who acts just like a witch—the kind of friend who reads your mind and acts strangely. So there were these two friends, one of which is suspected to be a witch.
The storyline is unique and different. It’s written in a novel form where each movie chapter is talking about a different story entirely. The most exciting part of the story is that the three stories are relatable, and the writer found a different but nice way to tell these stories.
The second story wasn’t well told, and the plot has a lot of flaws in the delivery, but overall, the stories were good. Another notable thing is that they acted the first movie in pidgin. Forget, that was a sweet deal breaker.
The directing and casting especially is commendable. Obviously, the directors took their time to select their actors, and there were no particular about just using known faces; they were more interested in who fit the role.
The second story in Juju stories revealed a few lapses, though and unlike the other stories, it felt rushed, but ultimately, it was a good watch.
The acting is the spice of Juju Stories, and every single actor in that film did a great job. Let’s pick in from the third story; one could almost feel like Nengi Adoki in Suffer The Witch is a witch. She embodied the character so well that I was scared in the cinema at some point.
You might almost think she is a witch, but scrap that. It is just a movie. Other actors like Bukola Oladipupo, Timini Egbuson just made the third story both scary and beautiful to watch at the same time. Paul Utomi is another good actor and delivering his lines flawlessly in pidgin is worth commending.
The filmmakers’ interpretation of characters through costume and makeup is another applaudable effort. They didn’t just tell good stories; they had good pictures in terms of costume, props and make up.
Really, one can be convinced that the director and every other person were well detailed in making the film.
Would I advise you go to the cinema to see Juju Stories? Yes! For rating, it would get an 8/10
