‘Dachra’ Review: Tunisia’s First Horror Movie Is Familiar but Frightening
Dennis Harvey Film CriticOn-screen texts bookending “Dachra” claim this thriller is “inspired by true events,” and that “in North Africa hundreds of children are victims of acts of witchcraft.” Nonetheless, one might be forgiven for assuming this purported first-ever Tunisian foray into horror cinema is drawn less from local crimes or superstitions than from the familiar genre tropes of “The Blair Witch Project,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and umpteen other long-standing fan favorites.Originality may indeed be scarce in writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s debut narrative feature.