The Invocation of Enver Simaku

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.