Fangs

Original title: Anyab/أنياب

103 Min. | EG | 1981

Language: OmeU | Original language: arabisch

Director: Mohamed Shebl

As he takes off his mask, a character dissolving from the shadows reassures the shivering and doe-eyed protagonists, telling them they have absolutely nothing to worry about. A narrator, holding a book, reintroduces us to the iconic figure of Dracula and alludes to what could possibly happen in this version of the story. The premise of Anyab is simple and known: A heteronormative couple that drives through the night, a flat tire, a mansion full of surprises, desires, odd parties and heaps of smoke. The narrator is as excited as the viewer, to see how this situation will pan out.

With a good share of musical and dance numbers, camp, drama, a banger soundtrack and reflections about Egyptian society at the time, Mohamed Shebl’s film echoes The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its own spin on the vampire mythos, its own metaphors and its own queered cinematic language.

The film will be introduced by Iskandar Abdalla, artistic director of ALFILM Festival.

(text by Kareem Jamaal Baholzer)