Nigerian Filmmaker Exposes Deadly Tradition In New Series ‘The Mystic River’

The journey into motherhood is the joy of every woman but in a certain Nigerian village, the death of a pregnant woman brings about prosperity.

These are the dominant themes in The Mystic River, a new series that was exclusively screened at the Terra Culture, Victoria Island, on Sunday.

The 26-episode series shot in the Ijebu-ode area of Ogun State was produced by Rogers Ofime and directed by Uzodinma Okpechi.

The plot, the filmmaker, says, is a reflection of some archaic cultural practices that need to be abolished as well as some that are worthy of emulation.

The series, which lasted for about an hour, stars movie veteran actors like Jide Kosoko, who played the role of the king, Dele Odule, who played the role of Balogun, and Joke Muyiwa. Other actors in the production include Ben Touitou, Tonia Chukwurah, Ayo Ewebiyi, Sogade Oluwabunmi, Debby Eloghosa, Folaremi Agunbiade, and Maryjane Ogu.

The horror supernatural series follows a story from a remote Nigerian village. Many women in a village start vanishing and all of them have something in common. The ones that vanished from the village apparently were pregnant.

This remains a mystery until a doctor comes by with a child and she comes near to uncovering some of the most dangerous secrets covering all of these up.

The props, cinematography, and characters show cultural depth, just as the first part of the series is laced with several horror scenes. It is, however, shocking to see that the next victim for the “greater good” of the village, Bisi, a pregnant woman, stabs herself in the place of refuge after escaping from captivity.