Well, let me tell ya, them Arab horror movies, they ain’t like nothin’ you ever seen before. They got their own way of scarin’ ya, not like them fancy Hollywood ones.
I remember this one time, my neighbor’s boy, he got ahold of some kinda tape, said it was from Egypt or somethin’. Anyab, he called it. Said it was like a singin’ and dancin’ thing, but with monsters and such. Can you believe it? Singin’ monsters! I didn’t watch it myself, too much screamin’ for my old ears, but the boy, he couldn’t sleep for a week.
Then there’s this other one, about a fiddle, you know, a Cello they called it. Heard it was from Saudi Arabia. Story goes, some fella plays this fiddle and all sorts of bad things start happenin’. Reminds me of old man Johnson’s fiddle back home, always sounded like a cat gettin’ strangled, but this one, it was way worse, I tell ya.
- They got ones with demons too. Like that Baskin movie from Turkey. Boy, they got some crazy stories about demons over there. Not like our demons, theirs are all dressed up in fancy robes and talk in riddles. Confusin’, if you ask me.
- And then there’s them stories from Iran. I saw a bit of one called ZAR. About a couple goin’ on a trip, thinkin’ they gonna have a good time. Boy, were they wrong. Spirits and curses and all sorts of trouble. Made me think twice about takin’ that bus trip to see my sister last year.
Folks always talkin’ about American and European horror movies, but let me tell ya, them Arab countries, they know how to make your skin crawl too. They got their own ghosts and goblins, their own ways of makin’ ya jump outta your seat.
I heard tell of a show, Paranormal, set way back in the old days. About some doctor, fixin’ blood and such, but then he gets mixed up with ghosts and spirits. Sounds like a mess to me, but folks seem to like it. Scary stuff, they say.
These movies, they ain’t just about jump scares neither. They got old stories, from way back when, about Egypt and them pyramids, and about Arabian nights, and even Turkey too. They talk about haunted places, and mean critters, and things that go bump in the night. Makes you think about what’s really out there, you know?
Now, I ain’t sayin’ they better than them American ones, but they different, that’s for sure. They got their own flavor, like a good stew with spices you ain’t never tasted before. Some of ‘em make ya think, some of ‘em make ya shiver, and some of ‘em just make ya wanna turn on all the lights and hide under the covers.
One time, I saw a bit of a movie about a lady lawyer, smart as a whip she was, but sad. Lost her kid, poor thing. She took on this case, somethin’ about an old story from Morocco, way back in the 1300s. Let me tell ya, that wasn’t no ordinary case. Spooky things started happenin’, and you could tell that lady was in way over her head. It was called… somethin’ about a shattered somethin’. Can’t quite remember, my memory ain’t what it used to be.
And you know, even them famous American horror movies, like The Exorcist, they got somethin’ in common with these Arab ones. People gettin’ possessed, demons causin’ trouble, all that stuff. It’s like fear, it’s the same everywhere, no matter where you come from. Whether it’s a slasher movie, with them fellas runnin’ around with knives, or a ghost story from the desert, it all boils down to the same thing: bein’ scared of the dark, and what might be hidin’ in it.
So, if you ever get a chance to see one of them Arab horror movies, don’t be afraid to give it a try. Just make sure you got someone to hold onto, and maybe a nightlight or two. You might be surprised at what you find. And you might just learn a thing or two about them countries over there, and the stories they tell to keep the kids (and the old folks) awake at night.
