Courtesy of Charles Thompson (www.screennation.co.uk).

This extraordinarily effective film by Ade Adepegba, his first as a director, was shown in Channel 4's Out of the Blue (tx. 8/8/1994) slot for innovative short films. Adepegba transposes a traditional Yoruba fable to East London, losing nothing of its terrifying power in the translation. The film is shot in black and white in an expressionistic style, and features a remarkable soundtrack.

When Shadrack's prayers are answered by the demon Collector we are plunged into an existential nightmare, in which even the shadows are violent. The housing estate scowls like the maws of hell as the Collector pursues his quarry towards a trap. The tension is well handled and the performances, by Tunde Ona Oba and Tony Cealy, are excellent.

Adepegba subsequently directed The Feelgood Factor (ITV, tx. 15/1/1996), exploring the rise of popular Black fiction.

Ann Ogidi

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