Watch: Spine-chilling local horror film ‘8’ is coming to Netflix in June [trailer]
The supernatural thriller, set to launch across Africa on June 19, 2020, is grounded in South African folklore and mythology in a dark story of atonement, rooted in traditional beliefs about ancestors and the spirit world.
Reality and superstition collide in the intersection where the world of the living meets the dead.
8 plot
8 tells the story of an unaccomplished William Ziel who returns to the farmhouse he inherited from his estranged father with his wife, Sarah, and their adopted niece, Mary.
Soon after moving in, they meet a mysterious local outcast Lazarus, who carries with him a dark secret that will put everyone at risk.
Lazarus persuades William to hire him in spite of Sarah’s reservations and successfully forges a kindred bond with Mary, who, like him, still aches for her lost kin.
But among the locals, Lazarus is an unwelcome menace who carries a dark secret in his sack: a demon reincarnation of his deceased daughter with an insatiable appetite for human souls.
In his pursuit to calm her nag, he facilitates several deaths and killings in the village, drawing the circle closer to the Ziels.
Watch: 8 trailer
8 cast
- Garth Breyetenbach as William Ziel
- Inge Beckmann as Sarah Ziel
- Keita Luna as Mary, William and Sarah’s adopted niece
- Tshamano Sebe as Lazarus, a local outcast
Direction of 8
The script of 8 came out of writer and director Harold Holscher’s personal connection to the story of loss and guilt, combined with his love for the genre of the supernatural and the complexities of South African culture. Holscher says:
“I love that one can take personal strife and place it within a film that can be watched and is relatable. The horror genre is a great genre to do this in, and I hope people enjoy and appreciate this for what it is”.
Ben Amadasun, who leads Netflix Licencing and Co-productions in Africa, said that the team was “really excited about the quality of productions like 8,” and happy to provide quality content to South African viewers. Amadasun added:
“Through Netflix, creators now have the opportunity to reach more audiences. Our aim is to be a good partner for Africa’s creative industry.”
Great things to come
Amadasun vows that Netflix will “continue to create new partnerships that will enhance our library with a wide variety of powerful, engaging stories from across Africa.”
On the collaboration with Netflix, producer Jac Williams of Cape Town-based independent producers, Man Makes a Picture Productions says “local stories are being told in ways that find credence abroad”.
“Netflix is geared at facilitating this new movement globally for filmmakers”.
Follow this link to set a reminder 8 on 19 June 2020.
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