Podcasts

Podcast: Meredith Borders on ‘Ojuju’

May 13th, 2020 | By Matthew Monagle

Ojuju

Like the zombies that populate them, zombie movies are never quite dead. Just when you think Hollywood has wrung every last bit of value from the undead, fresh voices come along – often from outside of the United States – and find new ways to make the zombie movie relevant again. So it is with Ojuju, the 2014 zombie movie from Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi.

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Set in a poor neighborhood in Nigeria, Ojuju uses the zombie as an allegory for ecological disaster, drawing direct parallels between the undead and the lack of drinking water available in many communities. Along the way, Obasi reminds us all that, in the battle between big ideas and big budgets, big ideas will always, always win.

In this episode of Certified Forgotten, The Matts are joined by Fangoria Managing Editor Meredith Borders to discuss the importance of midnight screenings for the success of some horror films. They also discuss the unique joys – and the specific disconnects – of watching international horror as American viewers, and how to navigate our own biases as audience members.

The Ojuju episode of Certified Forgotten is now available to stream on SpotifyApple Podcasts, or the podcast platform of your choice.

Matthew Monagle

Matthew is an Austin-based film critic. You can find his work as sites like Film School Rejects, The Playlist, SlashFilm, and the Austin Chronicle. He is also a member of the Austin Film Critics Association. Matt spends most of his free time doting on his dog and losing games of Slay the Spire.

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