This Ewe myth from West Africa could make for a variety of interesting horror films...
I'm not a huge fan of horror movies, mainly because I don't like forcibly scaring myself. But fear is a powerful emotion that everyone understands. As an audience member, I avoid scary stories but as a filmmaker I am open to creating stories set within the horror genre, which is rich with inspiration. When the YouTube video above showed up in my feed I clicked so fast at the promise of learning more about African mythology. What I learned from this video got the creative wheels in my head turning.
DISCLAIMER: Below is a list of potential horror film ideas that came to mind after watching this video. These are not meant to be taken seriously at all. As highlighted in the video, when it comes to representing the ideologies and myths of African peoples in modern times, we must do so in a way that doesn't misinterpret the deeper cultural significance of these stories. As I do not belong to the Ewe ethnic group, the ideas I present here are my own projections of what kind of stories this myth could inspire.
The Pitch
If Candyman were set in Ghana...
Ok, so the only reason I thought of Candyman (2021) after learning about the Adze is because of the role insects, specifically bees, play in that movie. For those of you who haven't seen the film, the horror monster of the same name is a man with a hook who is followed by a swarm of bees. In the film, the protagonist ends up becoming the Candyman after he is stung by a bee. The bee sting doesn't heal and it only gets worse as the story progresses. There's a lot more that happens in the movie to explain his transformation from an ordinary artist to the murderous Candyman, but for the sake of simplicity all you need to know is that the bee sting serves as one of the catalysts for the rest of the film's action.
Which brings us back to the Adze.
Imagine a scenario where an evil entity in the form of a firefly possesses a human, giving them supernatural abilities and causes them to go on a killing spree in the middle of the night. Our setting would be present-day Ghana and the majority of the film would take place during the night, when fireflies and, more importantly the Adze, are most active. As for characters, a cast of predominantly Ewe background would be the best option (I'll leave the types of characters and personality traits to all of you).
Finally the themes of the story would have to be reminiscent of Ewe beliefs. If the protagonist of our story is the one who becomes possessed by the Adze because they intend to use its powers for evil purposes, then perhaps the moral of the story could be cautionary in nature. Horror films consistently have cautionary lessons to teach their audience because fear is an effective way to get the point across. It would be interesting to see what kind of cautionary message a film like this could express.
Army of the Adze
Zombie movies are usually a hit or miss for me. When executed right, the worldbuilding is clearly defined and the stakes make sense. But there are times when the abundance of CGI and over-convoluted storylines are enough to make me roll my eyes. However, I still find the premise intriguing. What would you do if a horde of zombies was chasing you down?
Well, what if that horde of zombies, were actually a horde of Adze? Overcoming them wouldn't be so easy (I'm choosing to ignore pesticides and other chemicals exist for this one). Since Adze can shapeshift into human form, it would make it really hard to know who is and who isn't an Adze. On top of that, their firefly form would give them the ability to travel long distances and maneuver through difficult spaces. Essentially, not even the basement or an underground bunker would be useful in hiding from an army of Adze. All they'd need is a tiny opening and you're done for. Sounds like a compelling horror concept to me. Throw in a cast of well-written characters and believable stakes and you're good to go.
Final Thoughts: Exploring African Mythology
There are so many stories you could tell when it comes to African mythology. The myth of the Adze alone is ripe with inspiration and cultural meaning. I'd love to see a film inspired by this myth. But who said it has to be a film? I'd read a novel about Adze anytime. Whatever the medium, I think this is just one of those concepts that is ripe for storytelling.
We see a lot of stories about monsters from European mythology in mainstream media. From vampires to werewolves, these stories are mostly Eurocentric. Wouldn't it be cool if we got to see more monsters and/or horror stories inspired by African myths? Wouldn't it be even better if those stories were created by people who truly understood their cultural significance? Let me know what you think. You can leave your questions, comments, concerns and suggestions at this link.
A previous version of this post contained a broken link. This link has been restored on 1/24/2024.
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