The Invocation of Enver Simaku

THE INVOCATION OF ENVER SIMAKU documents the effort of a man who tries to find out what exactly happened during a particular night in 1997 when his wife and dozens of local Albanian villagers were murdered by a seeming madman, and a period of upheaval began in the entire country.

This is a slow-burn story which takes its time to follow various leads and in the meanwhile introduces us to various topics of Albanian culture, geography and history. For a movie that is not a real documentary, it contains quite a lot of such information, and I found this aspect the most interesting. Now I know, for example, that Albania during Communist times was declared the world's first atheist country, prohibiting the exercise of religion altogether until the regime's downfall in 1990; that superstition and belief in folk myths such as the kukuth, a demon-like creature that is supposed to make people do horrible things, began to occupy the vacuum of belief in at least in some people; and that the fall of the Albanian right-wing government in 1997 was catalyzed by the failure of Ponzi schemes and subsequent losses in which the overwhelming majority of the population had invested based on the irresponsible endorsement by their government.

When it comes to the story itself, it doesn't generate too much excitement, save for a couple of unsettling scenes, of which the seeming slow emergence of a kukuth from behind a couch (or was it just the imagination?) is probably the most notable. The ending, which recapitulates the beginning, seems to have been conceived as poetic but ends up being anticlimactic.

The film is at pains to say that it is based on true events. Whether it really is or not I can't tell, but all the background info I checked turned out correct. So, this is probably most suited for people who like to learn more about other cultures in general and Albania in particular.

First i wouldn't call it horror, a bit creepy at best.

The movie is a documentary style story, mostly interviews and not much happening except for a few mysterious shots of creatures lurking in the shadows.

Most of the time it's in english, but some parts aren't which didn't bother me, i have subtitles on anyway.

This is a very strange film. If I hadn't written down the title a while ago it would be impossible to find. Google 'Albanian horror' and it's nowhere to be seen.

It's simultaneously a tourist promotional video of Albania's beauty spots, a political protest, and a stylish horror story.

It's beautifully shot, but has some strange issues. The actors talk in English, except when they don't. Not a problem if it had subtitles and the scenes didn't go on for ten minutes.

The main actor is very serious, but also painfully monotonous. It's just a drowning noise after a while. The film also includes a genuinely creepy shot of an actresses. It just goes on and on and on. I suspect the director is a good candidate for a certain register.

The horror element is good, and actually builds towards a fairly satisfying resolution.

In 1997 two Spanish documentary makers, couple Julien and Angela, are working in Albania. She is killed during a night of rioting. Eighteen years later he returns determined to find the truth behind his wife's death. As he, with the help of local translators, starts to investigate links to Albanian folklore emerge; people believe the killers acted after Enver, their brother who'd been in a coma for over twenty years, died. They believe Enver had been battling a possessing spirit and upon his death it took over his brothers. Julien's investigation uncovers an older investigation by a unit of the communist era's secret police that specialised in supernatural cases.

I had no idea what to expect from this film; I only watched it because I was intrigued by its Albanian setting. I'm glad I did though. It is more of a chiller than a conventional horror film. Little happens that provides sudden scares; there is just a constant sense that something isn't quite right. The fact that it takes the form of a documentary with a series of interviews gives it a sense of reality. I thought the cast did a solid job as for the most part they came across as ordinary people being interviewed rather than actors fully at ease in front of the camera. The setting is great; the impressive scenery could be from a tourist board film but the choice of music gives it an ominous feel. I liked how it incorporated Albanian folklore, a subject I admit to knowing nothing about, into the core of the story. Overall this might not be for everybody but I'd recommend it to chiller fans looking for something a little different.

Even though the film is listed as being in English I'd recommend turning on the subtitles as there are some scenes that aren't; notable one interview that takes place in Italian.

The Invocation of Enver Simaku: Albanian Folk Horror film involving possession, Pagan Rituals, Exorcism and mass murder. 1997, Spanish documentary makers Julien & Angela are deep in rural Albania when they gear gunshots. Angela is killed by two brothers who go on to murder dozens of locals. Twenty years later Julien returned to solve the mystery of what happened. It seems to be related to the death of the brothers' older brother Enver who had been in a coma since 1978. The film is presented mostly in the form of a faux documentary, similar to the found footage style. Julien interviews various people as he traverses Albania finding evidence of an official cover up of mass deaths of children in 1978, the survivors were dispersed and those who complained were imprisoned, but not for the usual reasons. They were charged with engaging in witchcraft and sorcery, Hoxha had his own X-Files unit - the Anti-Paranormal Brigade. We hear of the Kukuth, a Pagan Demon who possesses people and devours their souls, finally escaping to inhabit others. An Orthodox Priest describes this in terms of Satanic Possession. The horror here is mostly psychological but the sense of fear, even terror builds as the narrative unfolds, Julien even seems to detect presences in his peripheral vision. Slow moving at times but well worth watching. Written and Directed by Marc Lledó Escartín. On Netflix. 7/10.