Dachra (2018) | Horror Movie Synopsis

 

Dachra is a chilling Tunisian horror film that plunges viewers into a heart-pounding journey of terror and suspense.

The story begins with three journalism students, Yasmine, Bilel, and Walid who get together to work on a school project. They decide to come up with an original idea for the project and begin an expedition looking for answers about a mystery incident that received little attention in the media.

Their research begins and they visit a psychiatric facility where a woman called Mongia is confined due to her mental state or involvement in the ritualistic murder case. As the students tried to find answers to why Mongia was discovered mutilated on the side of the freeway 20 years ago, the hospital supervisor refused to provide them with answers about the case under the pretext that there was no patient with that name in the facility.

The students then decide to take matters into their own hands and dig deeper into their research. They decide to follow the barely-there clues because they are driven by a desire for truth and a natural curiosity, and this is when they unknowingly step into a nightmare realm of unimaginable horror.

Alone in the library, while Yasmine was browsing through books and documents looking for answers, she felt a cold draft and a sense of dread washed over her as she became aware of another presence with her in the room. She tries to suppress her screams and pretend nothing is happening, she turns slowly only to find herself facing what seems to be an old woman with distorted features. Just as the ghost is about to reach her, Yasmine manages to break free from its grasp at the same time her friend arrives at the library.

The movie then cuts to a late night when the group decides to visit the psychiatric facility again and sneak in, with the help of two nurses, hoping to meet Mongia in person. They encounter several patients on their way and despite the morbid atmosphere and their fear, they decide they want to meet the mysterious woman.

Yasmine is now finally face-to-face with Mongia and despite the nurse’s warnings not to get close to the patient, she approaches Mongia only to get attacked by her. The group flees the hospital afterward.

After numerous arguments, the trio decides to visit the place where Mongia was found to look for answers. At a moment, Bilel was feeling nauseous which caused the group to pull over so that he could get some air. They encounter a man on the road who offers to help them if they needed but they thank him and continue on their way.

Moments later, the group found the exact location they were looking for. As they venture into the forest, they encounter a remote village that seems frozen in time.

The remoteness of the site contributes to its creepy attraction. Dachra, a distant and isolated village, appears buried in mystery with inhabitants that seem to conceal terrible and haunting secrets with their ancient rituals, and that only fueled the students’ growing curiosity and intrigued them.

They come across the same man they previously encountered on the road who invites them to spend the night at the village because it is late for them to get back home. However, the real dread is revealed as night falls and whispers glide through the darkness, carrying with them the echoes of centuries-old curses.

The students’ growing terror is mounted by the locals' ominous looks and cryptic threats. As they come to terms with the possibility that they are stuck in a nightmare from which there may be no way out, their journey turns into a desperate battle for survival.

Dachra takes viewers on a bone-chilling journey into the unknown, where reality and nightmare merge into a terrifyingly real-world scenario.