The Tokoloshe (2018) Review

The Tokoloshe (2018) Review

Busi (Petronella Tshuma), a young destitute woman with dangerously repressed emotions, lands a job as a cleaner at a rundown hospital in the heart of Johannesburg. Desperate for the money so she can bring her younger sister to Johannesburg, she must cope despite the predatory and corrupt hospital manager. When Busi discovers an abandoned young girl in the hospital, who believes she is tormented by a supernatural force, Busi must face her own demons from her past in order to save the child from the abusive monster that pursues them both relentlessly.

The marketing blurb hypes THE TOKOLOSHE as the most frightening film of 2019 and whilst it certainly not as that, it definitely has its moments and does rank as one of the more assured feature film debuts of recent years. Co-written and directed by Jerome Pikwane, feature film debut, this South African horror flick exudes an unsettling atmosphere for the better part of its running time. There are some remarkably scary moments that resonate, something that cannot be said for much of the more formulaic, and safe, horror fare that Hollywood produced.

I loved the lighting and camerawork, every frame of this flick is a joy to behold. For the most part THE TOKOLSHE (also known as REPRESSION) works and, in part, feels like a companion piece to the excellent Australian horror flick THE BABADOOK. However, by drawing its inspiration from a South African urban legend of the same name, the titular beast’s final reveal may disappoint those familiar with the myth, having their own mental picture of how it should look. It ends up looking like the famous xenomorph, in its Alien 3 version, which kind of robs the flick of some of its power, otherwise this is a first class trip all the way to horror nirvana.

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