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Directed by Kunle Afolayan

Its September 1960, and with Nigeria on the verge of independence from British colonial rule, a northern Nigerian Police Detective, Dan Waziri, is urgently despatched by the Colonial Government to the trading post town of Akote in the Western Region of Nigeria to solve a series of female murders that have struck horror in the hearts and minds of the local community. On getting to Akote, more murders are committed, and with local tension high and volatile, Waziri has a race on his hands to solve the case before even more local women are killed. Set against the backdrop of the national celebratory mood of the impending independence, Waziri is pulled into a game of cat and mouse as he and the killer try to outwit each other...

Sadiq Daba Kehinde Bankole Demola Adedoyin Kayode Aderupoko David Bailie Kanayo O. Kanayo Bimbo Manuel Ibrahim Chatta Femi Adebayo Kunle Afolayan Deola Sagoe Fabian Adeoye Lojede Nick Rhys Colin David Reese Lawrence Stubbings Ifayemi Elebuibon Abiodun Aleja

Director Director

Kunle Afolayan

Producer Producer

Writer writer.

Tunde Babalola

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography.

Yinka Edward

Lighting Lighting

Lanre Omofaye

Production Design Production Design

Special effects special effects.

Lola Maja-Okojevoh

Composer Composer

Kulanen Ikyo

Sound Sound

Golden Effects Pictures

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English Hausa Igbo Yoruba

Releases by Date

01 oct 2014, 14 apr 2015, releases by country.

• Digital 16 Netflix

149 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Sally Jane Black

As soon as a certain character appeared, I said, "He's the killer." I doubted myself immediately, because it seemed too obvious, but no, he was the killer. Throughout the film, I found myself easily predicting what was going to come next, though at no point did this spoil the film for me. Still, the moment that most surprised me certainly took the film to a new level, when a blade flashes out in the dark and slices a neck cleanly, killing a likable character (but not the one I thought would die). It was something I should have guessed, but the film presented it in a way that just managed to avoid predictability (for me).

What makes the film stand…

Review by EudoraFletcher ★★★ 4

What caught my eye in this Nigerian production is that middle class people here behave like Europeans: They are dressed in western clothes, shake hands to say hello, sit down in a restaurant, drink wine and speak English with each other. All in all, it appears to me as if the movie would have been produced for an international audience. Since I know as good as nothing about Nigeria it could be that people actually behave and speak as they do in “October 1”. Two policemen who are investigating a murder case speak a hilarious pidgin English that is very hard to understand. But funny it is for sure! The camera is ok and the cut is a little bit…

Review by Disappointed113 ★★½

This is a film that has a lot to say about colonialism and cultural genocide but those themes are hidden behind a thick layer of muck. To put it simply, the technical aspects here aren’t very good. There is consistently way too much coverage and cutting, the editing is constantly jarring, the score half of the time doesn’t fit the scene and feels overbearing, etc. However, despite these glaring flaws, the film contains enough moments of brilliance that I cannot dismiss it so easily. The scene where the children mispronounce sovereign as suffering is such a nice little touch that I’m still drawn to it. The contrast between the classes is well documented and always interesting. It’s just quite unfortunate…

Review by Orlac ★★★½

solid crime thriller although the villain is revealed right at the beginning (queen elizabeth)

Review by SpaceBacon ★★★½

When talking about the long lasting effects of the British Empire noone ever talks about the huge market its created in foreign movie industries to play one note horrible Englishmen

Review by Megan ★★★★

I've only seen a handful of Nollywood movies but October 1 is the first to really captivate me. It's a fantastic story working both as a period piece and as a thriller. Unlike other Naija films it doesn't ramble meaning every scene actually has a purpose. This is by no means a short film but the two and a half hours feel earned and purposeful. They tell the story on tribalism, statehood and power in a transitioning nation. Plus I could watch that Akote countryside for days.

Review by GoreWhoreGourmet ★★★½

I’m leaving for Africa tomorrow so I thought it would be interesting to check out some African films. Plus I don’t think I have ever seen a film that came directly from that continent…

All in all this was a standard crime film, however, the music was displaced to the point where I got the giggles. Serene spa sounds were not what I would be expecting to hear when police officers would be looking at a dead body.

Christianity brings out the worst in so many fucking people all over this world. This movie was a solid three until Koya ’s speech.

Menu: Tea Egusi soup 

Review by dsbfq ★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The main reason I rated this a 3½ is because it's an average movie with good concepts but flawed executions imo.

SPOILERS !!

Waziri's epiphany regarding the "X" carvings being a cross, and that leading him to find out Aderopo's background and subsequently his motive was a bit cliche, but I suppose it's good enough. It's not a thing I would get mad about, and believable enough. In the climax though, I thought Aderopo monologing about his plans and motives to Tawa felt a little corny and almost made him look like some sort of stereotypical evil villain. I also wish they would explore more of Aderopo's mental state and the affects his trauma had on him. I feel like…

Review by amanduuuh ★★★½

This was my first step into Nollywood and I was pleasantly surprised. Interesting plot with the historical setting and political undertones adding depth to the characters. Easy to identify who the suspect is in the first 20 minutes but it was still enjoyable to see the characters point fingers. The Inspector was a great unreliable narrator and his character felt very consistent and real. The town dynamic made sense. Important topic of male sexual assault. The negatives were there as well. The accents of the British would have made more sense if they were the aristocratic flavor. The inspector speaking out at them was nice but it just didn't feel like they would have let that slide. He also had a bit of plot armor in the woods

The plot was good with just a few moments that felt out of place. Overall great movie!

Review by Seventh_Persona ★★★

As Nollywood entered a new and improved technical era of big-budget productions after decades of cheaply made home video releases, so too did the themes of their movies start to mature into a deeper social, historical and cultural analysis of what it meant to be Nigerian. There are definitely some rough edges to Kunle Afolayan's October 1 , particularly in the sound and editing departments. However, it's a far cry from the Living in Bondage days of Nigerian cinema. Similarly, the murder mystery aspect of the film is not all that impressive in comparison to films like Memories of Murder or Manhunter , as it's pretty obvious from the onset who the killer is, and there isn't a real murderer-investigator dichotomy/character foil…

Review by mj

tried to get into this one but the crunchy sound quality was really distracting for the half an hour i put into it. fairly decent, might give it another go at some point.

Review by Wade Garrett ★★★½

This murder mystery is clearly more concerned with colonialism and the taint of European culture on Africa. Where the performances may fall short, they make up for in earnestness (except for the white actors, they were terrible). Overall, possibly the most amicable movie about rape, murder, and cultural genocide.

Entry #25 (Nigeria) in my March Around the World Challenge

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October 1 Reviews

No All Critics reviews for October 1.

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Kunle Afolayan's "October 1" is a master stroke for Nollywood

Granted that " October 1 " is not fast-paced, the action nonetheless unravels at a rate that keeps everyone in suspense.

The TV stations Crime and Investigation (CI) and Investigation Discovery (ID) usually trace the upbringings of criminals in order to understand if their environments influence the crimes the felons commit.

Recommended articles.

On several occasions, it actually turns out that maladjustments are responsible for the offences.

"October 1" gets to the root of the matter just like the CI and ID documentaries. The film tells the story of Danladi Waziri (Sadiq Daba) , a police officer, mandated to uncover a serial killer in Akote, a rural community, where he is serving.  He is assisted by Sgt. Afonja (Kayode Olaiya), a native of Akote, who understands the traditions of the community. Incidentally, these events take place in the build-up to Nigeria’s independence on 1st October, 1960; which is where the film derives its name.

It is pleasant to see Sadiq Dada in a film long after he appeared in " Nightmare ," a 1995 Zik Zulu Okafor production that also starred Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu, Sandra Achums and Charles Okafor.   Daba is excellent as Danladi. The choice of Demola Adedoyin as Prince Aderopo is laudable and he commendably plays his role with a wily demeanour.

Miss Tawa (Kehinde Bankole) is admirable as the village belle, but Kayode Olaiya’s comic role as Sgt. Afonja is the icing on the cake called "October 1." In fact, he steals the show literally and will, no doubt, win a couple of awards as Best Supporting Actor in upcoming award ceremonies.

Kunle Afolayan must be commended for the brilliant casting and directing.  The location and props are fitting while the costumes remind one of pictures taken by our parents and grandparents in those days.  Unlike many Nollywood films,"October 1" is well subtitled.

The film aptly integrates several interesting subplots; smartly employing subtext and irony.  Tawa believes she was not taken to the city for her secondary education because she is female.  She says, ‘The two bright boys were taken to Lagos.  I wasn’t because I am a lady.’   However, as the story unfolds, the viewers understand why Tawa was not one of the chosen ones.  Yet in the end, she is the well-adjusted of the three as the two young men are scarred by their experiences in secondary school.

The tension between various Nigerian tribes even before independence is skillfully portrayed in the Kanayo O. Kanayo subplot.  All hell is let loose when he loses his daughter and he believes that Danladi is shielding Usman Dangari, his kinsman, suspected of killing the young lady.  Much as his loss was irreparable, Kanayo’s character fails to acknowledge that other young women had lost their lives in similar circumstances.  Therefore, instead of pushing for an end to the killings, he misinterprets it as hatred for his tribe.

Tunde Babalola, the screenwriter, must also be extolled for conducting adequate research into goings-on around that period.  For instance, there is a mention of Rosemary Anieze (Miss Nigeria 1960) during one of the chats between Tawa and Prince Ropo.

Agbekoya (Kunle Afolayan) should have spoken up sooner than later.  He could have saved a number of the slaughtered girls from their neurotic assailant.  One hopes the police charged him as an ‘accessory’ to the crimes.  There is no significance to Deola Sagoe’s role as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in the film.

Rev. Dowling, the paedophile-priest, always walks into the boys’ hostel, calls one boy’s name, singling the person out and saying, ‘it’s time for night prayers’.  Are night prayers meant for just one boy each night?  That does not serve as a suitable expression in that circumstance.

Granted that "October 1" is not fast-paced, the action nonetheless unravels at a rate that keeps everyone in suspense. This 140-minute picture is another feat for Nollywood.

Reviewed by Amarachukwu Iwuala, this article was first published on October 18, 2015.

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Its September 1960, and with Nigeria on the verge of independence from British colonial rule, a northern Nigerian Police Detective, Dan Waziri, is urgently despatched by the Colonial Government to the trading post town of Akote in the Western Region of Nigeria to solve a series of female murders that have struck horror in the hearts and minds of the local community. On getting to Akote, more murders are committed, and with local tension high and volatile, Waziri has a race on his hands to solve the case before even more local women are killed. Set against the backdrop of the national celebratory mood of the impending independence, Waziri is pulled into a game of cat and mouse as he and the killer try to outwit each other...

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October review – low-key hotel drama earns its emotion honestly

Director Shoojit Sircar follows 2015’s Piku with a one-sided romance pitched between The Big Sick and full-on weepie

D irector Shoojit Sircar doubtless spent many hours in plush four-star hotels promoting 2015’s intriguingly low-key Piku , and the experience has inspired a film that initially threatens to be a Rossellinian departure for the Indian mainstream. For once, the focus isn’t on jetsetters swanking around rooftop pools, but the youngsters cleaning up after them for minimal wages and scant health benefits. That last detail proves significant, given that October interrupts its careful survey of a hotel’s intern programme when the dedicated Shiuli (Banita Sandhu) tumbles from a balcony and sustains severe brain damage.

What follows, however, is a shaky, perilously one-sided romance, pitched somewhere between The Big Sick and a full-on weepie. As the moody, irresponsible Danish (Varun Dhawan) steps up, scattering night jasmine blossoms around intensive care in a bid to rouse his colleague from her vegetative state, there’s a whiff of Nicholas Sparks – which can read either as recommendation or warning. Either way, Sircar’s regular screenwriter, Juhi Chaturvedi, has to work overtime to explain why the erratic Dan should have started playing Doogie Howser, beyond the general sentiment that it might be a nice thing to do for a girl.

Matters are steadied, just, by Sircar’s quiet sensitivity towards tiny signs of life. Welsh-born Sandhu is the obvious beneficiary – not least when the film provides a welcome explanation of how the comatose Shiuli’s brows remain so on-point – though the attentiveness may also enshrine Dhawan as Hindi cinema’s most Goslingesque pin-up. The course change Sircar proposes for that cinema remains honourable, and if October feels more tentative than Piku, which had rock-solid star turns to ground it, its emotion is at the last earned honestly: any structural wobbles will be nothing compared with the audience’s lower lips come the finale.

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REVIEW OF OCTOBER 1: A MOVIE BY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR KUNLE AFOLAYAN

Friday, october 17, 2014.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the strangers: chapter 1.

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2008’s “ The Strangers ” didn’t seem like the kind of film that would produce a series when it was released. But it’s about to explode into precisely that with the release of “The Strangers Trilogy,” three films directed by Renny Harlin that serve as sort of a remake but also a prequel to the Bryan Bertino hit. In the 2008 film, an average couple, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman , found themselves terrorized in a remote vacation home by three masked strangers. It’s an effective piece of genre filmmaking—as is the lesser-but-solid sequel “ The Strangers: Prey at Night ”—partly because there is no explanation for the terror. When Tyler’s Kristen wants to know why she’s being attacked, Gemma Ward ’s Dollface memorably replies, “Because you were home.” What’s more terrifying than random brutality? And why would anyone think we need to fill in the back stories of the Man in the Mask, Pin-Up Girl, and Dollface?

I don’t usually believe in knocking a film (or trilogy, in this case) merely on concept alone. It’s possible that the other two chapters in this trilogy, reportedly to be released within the next year, won’t fill in the blanks in a way that drains the power from one of the things that made “The Strangers” a hit. Honestly, I don’t know yet because “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is essentially a remake of Bertino’s film, ending with a post-credits tag scene that hints at a potentially more ambitious second chapter. This one largely goes through the motions of a horror remake, often feeling like a faded copy of the first film. Harlin injects it with a bit of his workman craft—he knows how to do this in his sleep; one wishes it didn’t make viewers drowsy, too.

Maya ( Madelaine Petsch of “Riverdale” fame) and Ryan ( Froy Gutierrez ) are traveling across the country when they take a wrong turn and end up in the kind of small town that’s not on most of the GPS systems. When they stop at a diner to get a meal, they meet some of the locals, including a Sheriff played by genre legend Richard Brake , who I have to believe plays a bigger role in chapters 2 and 3 because it’s a cameo here. More importantly, the creepy mechanics who see Maya and Ryan pull in clearly meddle with their vehicle because it won’t start when the couple gets back in it. Told the part to fix it won’t be in tonight, Maya and Ryan are pointed to an AirBnB on the edge of town where cell service is bad and shadowy figures lurk in the woods. You can guess what happens next.

Unlike a lot of DTV horror sequels over the years, Harlin brings a certain level of craft to “The Strangers: Chapter 1.” He likes to walk right up to the expected jump scare and then turn back, keeping viewers on their toes by not releasing the tension with a shout. The mid-section, wherein the masked trio seem to be almost supernaturally able to appear and disappear in the background of a frame just quickly enough that Maya doesn’t spot them, is actually effective; not up to the standards of the other two films in this series but better than a lot of home invasion junk out there. There’s a particularly effective shot with Maya at the piano, where Harlin and his team make great use of the mirror above it.

The problem is that we’ve seen this all before—like, literally—and there’s too little actual tension once Maya and Ryan realize they’re in serious trouble. The film falls apart when the hunt leaves the home and enters the poorly lit woods outside. The team here just doesn’t have the technical acumen to make these sequences work—they’re much better in the defined space of the house than the loose geography outside—and it makes all of “The Strangers: Chapter 1” feel more like an obligation before the team is allowed to break the mold in the next two films, which were shot concurrently with this one.

Once we're able to see Harlin's new trilogy as a whole, “Chapter 1” might feel more essential to the 4.5-hour experience. Right now, it just feels overly familiar.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 review – an efficiently grim horror reboot

Don't answer the door.

We saw a direct sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night , in 2018 that wasn't quite as well-received. So inevitably, given that it's such an effective premise, we've now gone back to the beginning for a reboot – but not exactly as you'd expect.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the start of an already-filmed trilogy of movies , introducing a new couple who endure the Airbnb trip from hell when they're forced to spend the night in a remote cabin and three masked strangers arrive.

It sounds familiar because it is familiar. This is essentially a beat-by-beat remake in all but name, before the next two movies take this series in a new direction. But as horror retreads go, The Strangers: Chapter 1 is efficiently grim and satisfying.

As with the original movie, The Strangers: Chapter 1 claims to be based on one of the most violent home invasion crimes. But you won't find the story of Maya ( Madelaine Petsch ) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) anywhere as it's fictional.

They're on a road trip to celebrate their anniversary when they take a food stop at a diner in a small town. There are weird vibes from the get-go especially as Maya is a – shock horror – vegan, but their meal passes by without incident.

When they go to get back on the road though, Ryan finds that their car doesn't start anymore. A local mechanic can fix it, but he needs to wait until the morning for a part, so the couple are recommended a cabin nearby that they can stay the night at.

You don't need to have seen any horror movies to know this is a Bad Idea.

After these slight tweaks to the setup, The Strangers: Chapter 1 plays out largely as the original movie did. It means that fans won't find anything particularly surprising here and for some, it could prove somewhat pointless, but it's well-made all the same.

Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez are an engaging, likeable lead duo with a believably well-worn chemistry. You'll know it's unlikely to end well for either of them, but you'll trick yourself into believing that it might – even as you roll your eyes at Ryan for making some seriously dumb calls.

The anonymous nature of The Strangers is still chilling and the remake smartly avoids adding any reason to it. It's the lack of reason that made the original so terrifying, combined with those iconic mask designs, and it's the same here. (The concern is whether the two extra movies attempt to rationalise their actions, but that's a future issue.)

And while the plot might not bring much new to the table, director Renny Harlin does bring a freshness to the set pieces. A basement escape has a wince-inducing nail-in-the-hand moment, while he largely eschews cheap jump scares for the creepier instances of glimpsing a Stranger in the corner of a frame.

Where this story goes from here will also bring the fresh element to this reimagining of the series. The trilogy as a whole has been spoken about by Petsch and Harlin as a character study of both the victims and perpetrators of random violent crimes, so it could get bogged down in the trauma of it all.

But based on The Strangers: Chapter 1 , the team involved know how to craft an effective and tense horror set piece. Hopefully,the follow-up movies can combine that with an interesting and unique story arc that justifies this new take on a classic.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is released in cinemas on May 17.

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Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies , attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy , initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.  

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• Sophie Dumond

• Harley Quinn

• Arkham Guard

• Judge Herman Rothwax

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia The film's working title is "Folie a Deux", which means "Madness of Two" in French. This initially led to speculation about Harley Quinn's appearance in the film, which was shortly thereafter confirmed. The name Folie a Deux comes from the 19th century French psychiatrist Charles Lasègue and Jules Falret, also known as Lasègue-Falret syndrome, and it depicts two or more people that they share the same madness or delirium.
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• Is Lady Gaga going to be in the movie?
• What does "Folie à Deux" mean?
• October 4, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• BRON Studios
• Bron Creative
• DC Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $200,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• IMAX 6-Track
• Dolby Atmos
• 70 mm 6-Track

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