8: A South African Horror Story – The Soul Collector

I found 8: a South African horror story (also called The Soul Collector) when I was doing research into horror stories in African literature and film and came across this, an export from the shores of venerated South Africa.

I do quite like movies from this country and the last one I watched to my remembrance was Silverton Siege.

The quality of great movies from this country is sometimes on par with their western counterparts in the United Kingdom and the United States, the quality of which would be hard to debate despite their lack of quantity.

I love art and can always appreciate it whenever i see it as one living among many. My thoughts on these works of art are of my own personal interpretation and are neither meant to hurt or harm.

South Africa’s answer to Idris Elba. Property of film

What is 8: A South African Horror Story?

8: A South African Horror Story is a South African horror movie about a family of three attempting to escape their own traumatic experiences by starting a new life in an idyllic village far away, unsuspecting of a great evil being perpetuated by a man carrying a bucket-sized bag everywhere he goe

The Soul Collector Movie Description

Destined to collect souls for eternity, an old man seeks atonement after trading his daughter’s soul.

The Beginning

The sound design for The Soul Collector is very clear and suspenseful, going with a bleak but aesthetic cinematic style which I also love.

An old Caucasian man is asleep and something happens to cause his death. He was already old and lacks investment, so should not be to much of a problem if viewed from a different perspective but the tell is he looks like a scarecrow afterwards.

The Soul Collector title comes on and lasts for 29 seconds. Yes, you heard me right. Someone needed a dressing down for that. The upside is the background music here reminds me of Resident Evil 4 Merchant scene.

Their daughter Mary is astute and serious as is her mother Sarah with her dad being the only ray in the opening’s car ride. Something seems afoot and we’ll find out soon what that is. However, the scene feels like filler with pointless zooms into shrubbery in a seemingly endless ride. Not the best for a movie just over one and a half hours.

I wonder if there’s a rule that says you have to be over an hour and a half. I would much prefer any unnecessary time be spliced than kept in but everyone’s different. The film’s over-reliance on showing here causes it to err slightly.

The scenic filming style and literal interactions come into play more often than not, going forward, and it is engaging to say the least, even without an accompanying soundtrack but when it does come, it is a delight, replete with a version of Swan Lake Suite Op. 20 by the film’s composer, Elben Schutte which is a great touch.

Her husband throwing down the spanner gave me Jack Torrance vibes and his wife in an apron, looked like the scream queens of old western cinema. Maybe I’m reading too much into things but that’s just me.

The flowing camera works to minimise jump scares, reminiscent of Hereditary and their daughter meets a strange man in the forest.

Well, well and what do we have here? Property Of Film

My Review Of 8: A South African Horror Story

The plot thickens so to speak and things get into gear with a few revelations. We have the baddie in Lazarus established before the middle of the movie which is okay, different stories build up in different ways. The actor who plays Lazarus (Tshamano Sebe) is in great form here and is both captivating and terrifying. The rest of the cast give inspiring performances I will further elucidate.

Sarah, the matriarch and William Ziel[‘s wife is not trusting of Lazarus from the very fore and this is as expected. Mary, however, is the opposite and spends copious amounts of time with this fellow to her mother’s dismay.

I came to appreciate their unassuming friendship during the course of the film and it is not a sticking point. It makes things all the more tragic when the horror of their situation unveils itself in Lazarus having a daughter of his own.

8: A South African Horror Story traipses from very little dialogue to sporadic exposition dumps not altogether jarring. I fancy myself to be rather patient so I did not dwell too much on this and it ends up strengthening the story somewhat even if it could have been spread more evenly throughout.

The editing grows in relevance throughout the movie as things continue to escalate even if clunky in some parts regarding the horror Lazarus is hiding. The director Harold Holscher outdid himself with the creature design and it might have been worth seeing more of this. Don’t misunderstand: I don’t want to see any one getting disembowelled but that’s how good this aspect was among other design choices done right in the movie.

There were quite a few surprises to be had, rounding this out to be an intriguing watch despite a slightly disappointing finale (could have been more there as said earlier) and the end scene in the waste land was oh-so-good and right up my alley if you read my work on Judgement Land Supernatural Horror Series.

Running Themes Of The Soul Collector

1) The ‘8’ symbol

The end scene where this sign was finally formed was unexpected but surreal. Per the movie, the ‘8’ represents the cycle of life in South African culture and goes back to traditional folk tales.

I find it intriguing that these sort of movies are being made past a time when dark-skinned people were not allowed their own images. Now we have films like this that explain the richness of our traditions and how they play out in the modern age. It also shows how directors of today can be modern day curators and keepers of the knowledge of dark-skinned people, irrespective of your beliefs, background or nationality.

2) The Moth

Again, this is another unique symbol signifying birth and rebirth I have never seen used in any other media. It is based on folklore and is a novel concept as with Lazarus carrying a bag everywhere he goes.

These are a few examples of many ideas The Soul Collector broaches but leaves off without going into too much depth. It is impossible to deny the writing talent behind this story, made possible by the richness of the culture and traditions behind this lore’s subject matter, even hinting on themes of reincarnation at the very end.

3) The Aphorisms

I can appreciate the effort to include these allegories as it forms the bases of the story even if I don’t necessarily agree with them. I will give two examples of these below.

3a) Death Is Life And Life Is Death

Lazarus described it as when the maggots eat the flesh of a carcass which is understandable. His daughter dies later on in an exposition scene and is brought back to life, different. He himself admits more than once during the course of this movie his daughter was no longer, so it is either the allegory did not fit the scene and the premise of the movie or he was incorrect: the ancestors were incorrect in that assertion. Or to play devil’s advocate (that’s actually appropriate here) it only applies to natural events and not spiritual which is incorrect as well. It is also likely Lazarus is an unreliable narrator and his ideas and interpretations had become warped over time. Even his name in this context is a misnomer going by his death-dealing.

This makes sense in the spiritual with regards to reality I would imagine. I can only imagine as I am not yet dead (dead men tell no tales) but I have an understanding regardless.

There is life after death and you cannot enter that world without first leaving this one. I also know the only way into this world is through a woman’s womb.

3b) A Good Tree Bears Rotten Fruit

This one came from left field for me and I was left for a few minutes trying to decipher what the old man meant at the end of the movie. I came to the conclusion his assertion was not expressly tied to this movie’s characters (possibly Lazarus?) but was an arbitrary statement which fundamentally, is flawed.

Everyone knows a good tree usually bears good fruit and the exception is never the rule.

The Ending And The Yellow Moth

Sarah was a woman with a lot on her mind throughout the movie and while lacking a backstory and motivations for her seeming anger towards her husband and herself, she was unsurprisingly engaging. This was the case with her husband who grew on me during the course of the film and their adopted daughter Mary who was amazingly stoic.

Sarah wandering around their big old house at night. Property of Film

The wasteland scene was a high point for me, the end of which had her pregnant with a yellow moth flitting about her left forefinger. She makes to eat it and I wonder if Mary inhabits her or her new baby per the story. I can’t really tell.

If you can, let me know what you think in the comments below. Please share this and subscribe for more!