KANDISHA on Shudder is a Horror Movie from France. It features demonic folklore which can be a real hit or miss. This time the folklore is from Morocco and rooted in Islam. It has real potential but is overall a miss for me. Read our full Kandisha movie review here!
KANDISHA is a new horror movie on Shudder. I suspect I wanted way too much from this movie based on the directors. Also, I felt the theme of “demonic folklore” sounded pretty good. While I did like the focus on building characters at first, it also became a bit of a downfall for the film overall.
For me, other movies have handled the whole folklore (or urban legends, if set in a more recent story) much better. Hell, even the recent The Djinn did a lot more with so much less.
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Continue reading our Kandisha movie review below.
The Kandisha incubus
In this French horror movie, the story is set in a somewhat rough neighborhood with many minorities. What I loved most about this movie was definitely its characters. I really enjoyed getting to know them and watching them interact during their Summer vacation from school. Some of them are working while others are “just” having fun or babysitting their siblings.
Also, the basic story of the demonic seductress (or “incubus”) that you call to get revenge, is a very interesting piece of folklore. It truly is right out of a horror movie and the Kandisha demon is pretty damn scary. The folklore is from Morocco and rooted in Islam, which also makes sense for the setting of the story in this horror movie from France.
In many ways, the whole story plays out like Candyman or other such demonic presences. You call upon (or summon) the demon and end up with a lot more than you bargained for. Exactly because the story seems familiar, the characters are what makes this movie worth watching. Just don’t get to attached since lots of people die during the reign of Kandisha.
Watch Kandisha on Shudder!
French horror filmmakers Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury have co-directed and co-written Kandisha which is why I was expecting something extraordinary.
In case you’re not familiar with their names, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury have directed some pretty awesome horror movies. Including À l’intérieur (2007), which was remade in English as Inside (2016), and also Among the Living (org. title Aux yeux des vivants) from 2014. They also directed Livid, and Leatherface in 2017 which is one of the few films they didn’t also write.
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Basically, this film has some wild kill scenes – which I really want to applaud – but somehow it never felt that scary to me. And honestly, I do scare quite easily. I can always see a boogeyman in the dark corner and I don’t have the nickname “ScreamQueen” for no good reason.
Don’t get me wrong, this film had a lot of potential and is worth watching. It could just have been a lot better.
Kandisha will be out on Shudder on July 22, 2021, in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Details
Directors: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Writers: Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Stars: Mathilde Lamusse, Samarcande Saadi, Walid Afkir, Suzy Bemba, Bakary Diombera, Mériem Sarolie, Sandor Funtek
Plot
It is summer break and best friends Amélie, Bintou and Morjana hang together with the neighborhood teenagers. At night, they have fun sharing goosebumps stories and urban legends. But when Amélie is assaulted by her ex, she remembers the story of Kandisha, a powerful and vengeful demon. Afraid, upset, she summons her. The next day, her ex is found dead. The legend is true and now Kandisha in on a killing spree. The three girls will do anything to break the curse.
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