Across multiple cultures, and throughout the centuries, people have long feared the things that go bump in the night. Such is the case in Jeremy Pikwane’s feature debut, The Tokoloshe.

Preying upon the poor unfortunate souls of Johannesburg is the Tokoloshe; is a mythological creature of Zulu ancient culture, hellbent on haunting a young destitute cleaning woman by the name Busi. Her dangerously repressed emotions can arguably be a direct line to the haunting activity afoot in the film, similar in the way that the Babadook from Australian cinema haunts a woman in place of her depression. Busi soon discovers a young girl at the hospital she works at, who believes she is being haunted by an abusive supernatural entity. Following the through-line of provocative messaging and social commentary, the monsters introduced in The Tokoloshe can all be observed the fantastical means for which our protagonists process the injurious and perverted advances of the horrid hospital manager. Despite this added layer of dynamic storytelling, we do know that the monsters are indeed real, and out stalking in the night.

Having screened countless genre fests across the multiple countries, FrightFest, MotelX, BiFan, and Sitges, to name a few, The Tokoloshe has begun its North American haunting as of December 3rd; on digital platform and disc release from UnCork’d Entertainment.