Dark October Review… poignant story, poor production
Year: 2023
Genre: Teens, True Story, Social Justice, Drama
Cast: Chuks Joseph, Munachi Okpara, Kelechukwu Oriaku, Kem-Ajieh Ikechukwu, Boman Bognet, Oge Gabriel, Anichi Chinedu, Chika Okpala, Uju Anikwe
Director: Toka McBaror
Writer: Odega Shawa
Cinematographer: Toka McBaror, Odiba Alfred
Summary: Dark October follows the true story of Tizzy, a university student who, along with his three friends, become victims of jungle justice when they enter a dangerous neighborhood to collect a debt
Overall Rating: Nuts 
Dark October was a very poignant movie exposing the cruelty of jungle justice. Thank you for telling this story.
Sentiments aside, the film, unfortunately, didn’t transport us into the teens’ universe mainly due to weak acting and production
~Yours To Explore~
Delicious
—Dark October opened up to a very graphic scene so viewers’ discretion is STRONGLY advised. Actually, there was quite a lot of graphic content which at first were a shocker, but then we understood it was done to show how abominable jungle justice is.
—We thank the producers for shedding light on Dark October because we had never heard about this tragic event. The film did a good job to accentuate the damages of jungle justice and the need to stop it no matter what
Bland
—The acting and dialogues were surprisingly shallow for a story of this caliber. Actors seemed to just be repeating lines without embodying the emotions of their roles.
There was no deep chemistry among the four friends, no sense of natural camaraderie or playfulness. Even Tizzy (Chuks Joseph) had no genuine connection with his girlfriend; they were just reciting lines to each other
—Dark October’s plot focuses on Tizzy (Chuks Joseph) trying in vain to collect his debt for weeks; however, we were never told how much was owed!
—Some of the images were very saturated in color and the photography appeared at times non-filmic, almost looking like a documentary
—Tizzy and his friends were aspiring rap artists, but all their performances on stage were lip-synched 😖
Additionally, the props used during the attack on the students were visibly fake, e.g. the vigilante was clearly holding a fabric item in the form of wood and a bystander was holding a tree branch covered in plastic wrap 😣
—It would have been more dramatic if the end of the movie featured actual footage of the event or the testimonies of the people affected by the event. This would have really deepened Dark October’s message
Viewers’ Guide
Language
Trailer
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Available on
(Audio: English; English Subtitles: Yes)
