Movie Review: Dark October

Twelve years after the horrific Aluu Four incident that shocked Nigeria to its core — and inspired Femi Kayode’s award-winning debut novel “Lightseekers” — Linda Ikeji’s controversial production “Dark October” brings this tragedy full circle in a powerful Netflix adaptation.

Set in the fictional University community of Aku, the film meticulously reconstructs the tragic countdown to what became perhaps Nigeria’s most infamous case of jungle justice. Through ominously somber colors, it traces the month leading to the devastating event while painting the four victims in soft, redemptive tones and casting the community in darker shades.

What immediately strikes viewers is the uncanny resemblance between the actors and the real-life victims. More impressive is how convincingly they embody Gen-Z characteristics — their mannerisms and naive confidence perfectly capturing the ill-advised but innocent debt collection plan that catastrophically spiraled beyond their imagination.

The film’s day-by-day, minute-by-minute countdown heightens the sense of impending doom, particularly as we witness the characters’ youthful dismissal of potential consequences. This narrative technique amplifies the tragedy, knowing what awaits these young men whose futures would be violently extinguished.

Most visceral are the mob scenes featuring crowds chanting “Kill them! Kill them!” as they beat the quartet before setting them ablaze. A haunting soundtrack intensifies these moments, forcing viewers to confront the horror the victims must have felt as they realized their young lives were ending so brutally.

In “Dark October,” the cinematic high point paradoxically emerges from the most devastating aspect of the true story — that thin, terrifying line between humanity and savagery. 7/10