If family is forever, where do you draw the line when it starts to demand blood?
In The Weekend, director Daniel Oriahi delivers a visual piece filled with atmospheric dread, anchoring familial warmth in the unlikeliest of places, right at the doorstep of horror.
Written by Egbemawei Dimiyei Sammy, Vanessa Kanu, and Freddie O. Anyaegbunam Jr., the film unfolds as a slow-burn descent into a family gathering that turns quietly, then violently, unhinged. While it bears the expected markers of horror : fog, silhouettes, a chilling score, it interrogates the idea of family as sanctuary, only to betray that trust in devastating ways.
At the center is Nikya, played with disarming sincerity by Uzoamaka Aniunoh. Nikya longs for connection, as a recently engaged orphan, for a tribe to call her own. Her fiancé Luke (Bucci Franklin) has long been estranged from his family, but under Nikya’s urging, and a well-timed nudge from his mother, they both head to the family estate for The weekend.
At first glance, everything appears picture-perfect. Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey and Gloria Anozie-Young, as Meki and Omicha, exude warm hospitality. Their daughter Kama (Meg Otanwa) arrives shortly after with her fiancé Zaidu (James Gardiner), and for a brief moment, we believe in this reunion. But then the smiles linger too long, the hallways feel too quiet, and the fog hanging over the house begins to move like a character in itself.
Michael Ogunlade’s haunting score subtly burrows into the viewer’s subconscious causing a disturbance. It accentuates the dreamlike, often ghostly visuals that leave you uncertain whether you’re watching a memory, a nightmare, or something in between. The transitions frequently pan over sprawling land, reinforcing the feeling that no one is coming to help and nowhere is truly safe. The Weekend is a compelling example of how Nollywood is fearlessly embracing new genres, particularly horror and psychological thrillers, without losing the cultural grounding that gives its stories depth.
From the hauntingly dressed interiors to the ritualistic props that foreshadow dread, the art department’s attention to detail is evident in every frame. The location, which is a secluded family home cloaked in fog and silence, becomes a character on its own, while the costumes subtly mark emotional shifts and power dynamics, helping the story transition seamlessly from warmth to terror. All of this contributes to a richly immersive viewing experience that shows how much care went into crafting the world of the film.
Oriahi, known for Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo) and his work on RISE, directs with a steady hand. The Weekend is not about jump scares or frantic pacing. Instead, it leans into psychological horror, where family love can suffocate and trust becomes a trap.
Thematically, the film digs into the dangers of blind loyalty to family. In Nollywood, and African storytelling at large; family is often romanticized. Here, Oriahi offers a bold counter-narrative; what happens when the thing that’s supposed to keep you safe is the very thing that destroys you?
The Weekend is part of the official selection at the 46th Durban International Film Festival, screening from 17–27 July 2025, with additional outreach screenings in Cape Town and Johannesburg to follow. For details on screening times and venues, visit ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za.
Catch the film at DIFF:https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff46/the-weekend/
Screening Schedule:
19 Jul 19:15 Pavilion 12
24 Jul 19:00 Pavilion 12
This review emanates from the Talent Press programme, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Alice Johnson) and cannot be considered as constituting an official position of the organisers.
