[Fantasia 2025] FILM REVIEW: Kazakh Scary Tales
- Gav
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
Kazakh Scary Tales - Fantasia World Premiere Review
Director: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Starring: Kuantai Abdimadi, Anna Starchenko, Dinara Baktybayeva, Aziz Beishenaliev, Shakh Murat Ordabayev
Written by: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Produced by: Timur Bairov, Alisher Utev
Cinematography by: Adilkhan Yerzhanov
Synopsis:
A cynical cop experiences the full force of Kazakh folklore when he visits a remote village to investigate a grisly series of events at a maternity hospital.
Thoughts:
A slow paced supernatural mystery that explores the nations folklore, 'Kazakh Scary Tales' shines because of its strong performances and the director's abstinent approach at revealing the horror through the characters.
Adilkhan Yerzhanov is a force to be reckoned with. His previous film 'Steppenwolf' which I covered at last year's Fantasia and called "ultra violent" and "audacious filmmaking" was my introduction to him and what a way to discover a filmmaker. This time round Yerzhanov slows it down a bit and really taps into the characters here. There's more supernatural elements on show too with a very fun "monster" that I think is almost enitrely 100% practical. That's always a plus in my mind.
Birzhan (Kuantai Abdimadi) is a detective that has been transferred to a desolate village called Karatas to investigate the death and severe injuries of many pregnant woman at the local hospital. Getting little to zero help from the lcoal authorities, Birzhan must team up with a "fortune teller" called Sara (Anna Starchencko) who he meets at the police station. Together they must get to the bottom of these horrendous events but in doing so they unravel an urban legend that points to a cursed spiritual figure called Albasty.
This started life as an anthology series that was deemed too scary, so has now been cut into one feature film and once again Yerzhanov showcases the barren landscapes that act as a backdrop to the story so well. The bleak surroundings add an extra layer to the film's already uneasy atmosphere and the lighting and colour grading in the film just tick all the necessary boxes in setting a particularly disquieting tone.
Plot wise, it essentially works as a "feed the monster" type film with plenty of folk horror elements thrown in too. Initially it plays out a bit like 'Twin Peaks' or 'The Wicker Man' in that a stranger with authority comes to a small town to begin an investigation but is pushed back by locals when questioned about the past. But slowly a conspiracy begins to unfold that involves dead babies.
Weirdly for a story that goes to some dark places, there's more humour here than I would have expected. It comes during some of the encounters between Birzhan and the local police force. Birzhan is not welcome here and he knows it but he has a job to do and the longer he stays in the village to investigate, the longer he becomes attached and feels the need to solve the case, despite many requests to close the case and move on. You can feel Birzhan struggling with this. He'a a very intelligent man but he is at odds with himself over being essentially threatened by the local cops.
Anna Starchencko is a stand out as the criminal and clairvoyent Sara. Her involvement steers the story into a supernatural place when it needs to go there and she has great screen chemistry with Kuantai Abdimadi, who was also fantastic as Birzhan.
The "monster" is pretty shocking when you are first introduced to it but then it becomes a little bit comedic the more you see it. Visually its gross as fuck but it doesn't really give off a scary vibe, more just grotesque. There's a nice jump scare that got me early on but most of the film relies on it's gradual and systematic build in tension with the local cops and the well respected doctor who is clearly hiding something. Sara occasionally bursts into seizures, usually brought on by the presence of the spiritual figure that is haunting the village.
Adilkhan Yerzhanov delivers a brooding yet engaging folk horror film with creepy imagery that is sure to elevate his name to another level.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
-Gavin Logan
'Kazakh Scary Tales' received its World Premiere at Fantasia '25 on July 28th