Ashura is a religious celebration in Morocco.
A LONG TIME AGO IN MOROCCO
I can't stay too long I'm afraid he'll learn I'm gone.
What if we ran away together?
Where?
And I would be your husband, if you like.
Here, I made this whistle for you.
If I did that, I'd never stop blowing it.
Bashira!
I'll find you, and slice you into little pieces!
Wake up! Please wake up!
Look at me!
Open your eyes!
ACHOURA
Nowadays
Mom!
Wake up!
What is it honey?
Why'd you let me sleep so long?
Hello.
How are you doing Stephen?
I'm fine.
I'm really late for work. Can I call you back during lunch?
I really need to go. I'll call you back later.
Oh you're here...
Are you Okay? Come closer.
Move closer.
If I showed you a few pictures, you think you'd recognize him?
I'm here to help you.
Talk to me.
His eyes were big and black!
You've been watching those recordings for 24 hours straight.
The devil's in the details... They're hiding something.
I'm talking to you as your friend, not your boss.
Go home. Spend time with your kid.
You're wasting your time, this case is closed.
You know it's my fault. By saving this kid, I passed sentence on the rest of them...
You know it's true!
I'd have done the same thing.
Go home now, take today off.
Just let me work.
Okay...
but I'm warning you. You better not still be here when I get back.
His eyes were big and black!
Hi!
You wanna come play with me?
What are you doing here?
You'll never leave this place!
Daddy!
- How are you? How was school? - Fine. It was okay.
No need to panic, I'm just here to pick up some stuff...
- It's your home, too! - Youssef!
He'll get over it.
He's your son, too!
Are you coming to Stephen's opening?
Do it for Stephen.
Let me tell you a story.
For years, I had the same dream.
In the dream I am a child.
And I'm lying in my bed... all alone.
I'm awake but can't move.
My eyes won't shut. I stare at the ceiling.
A terrifying man approaches me.
He's staring at me...
Then he chokes me.
I feel burning fingers crushing my throat.
And I wake up...
All of a sudden...
I can't remember his face.
A shadow...
a nightmare.
I still feel...
Like I'm dying.
One day I decided to confront him.
That night as he choked me, I looked up and saw his face.
He had big eyes...
Dark as night.
I was mesmerized by his strangeness.
This creature was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
That day, I realized I had lost my innocence.
I stopped dreaming.
I started painting.
But don't be afraid, dear guests.
What you see here is not that frightening.
And if what you see frightens you, then you are fooling yourselves.
Monsters are a reflection of our society.
They are real. They are among us!
I have decided to break my silence.
To share with you my nightmare, to better confront it.
But I can't do it alone.
I need your help, Nadia.
I know what abducted Samir.
Nadia, it's time for you to face the monster.
I'm glad you're here, Nadia.
We saw something, Nadia! It wasn't made of flesh and blood!
20 years ago
It's my turn now!
You think you can do anything because you're a girl?
I Love You Nadia, Ali
What? You want my picture?
Ali! Ali! Look at this!
A beetle in a bottle, amazing.
If I put a firecracker inside of the bottle, you think it will die?
Hey, that's neat! Where did you find it?
The French House!
Come on get in, hurry, hurry!
It was built by French soldiers.
And it started eating kids in villages around here.
Once, I saw something weird.
- What happened next? - Well, my father came to get me.
Nadia, you were just trying to scare us, right?
I was looking for my ball.
Why are you chained up?
My name is Hakim. Remember me?
Go away! Go away!
You like the smell of piss, don't you?
The missing person's name is Hakim Lahlou.
Last time he was seen, he was playing here.
Witnesses told us about an old man living here.
An old man?
The old man wasn't living here alone.
Majd! Check this out.
What is it?
This looks familiar to me...
Following up on a series of missing children...
Crazy things are happening outside.
Alright sweetheart, it's time to go to bed.
Wait mommy, I haven't built my castle yet.
Protect you from monsters?!
Look at me.
- You are my biggest monster. - Stop it!
Come on.
What is it?
On TV they talked about a bad person who takes little kids.
Nobody is going to take you away from us sweetheart.
- Oh my God, there is something! - What is it?
I am your monster!
- Time's up, get some sleep now. - Maybe there's a monster in my closet?
You see, the closet is empty.
Good night sweetheart, mommy loves you.
Who is it?
Who was it?
You could have gone yourself.
Call the police, quick!
I'll be right there.
Ali, what's going on?
Is it the same case?
I have no idea, we've never arrested this man before.
He hasn't said a word since he arrived.
He has no name, no identity.
He's like a ghost.
- Any witnesses? - Besides his parents, no one.
They've also mentioned an old man, that vanished.
Oh, I almost forgot.
We found this on him.
Funny, your name is written on the necklace.
Get up!
Look at me!
Who are you?
Samir?!
Ali?!
Stephen?!
Your memory.
Tell me, what happened to you?
You have to get me out of here.
Where can I find the man who kidnapped you, Samir.
No...
my fault.
Listen to me. You're not like him.
I must stop him.
He won't hurt you again, I swear.
Bougatate!
Bougatate?
Is that the man's name?
Is it?
I must stop him now. Now!
I will. I promise and I will get you out of here.
Your memory.
Samir...
What's your name?
My name is Bashira.
What are you doing here?
I am lost...
Are you alone?
Come with me, I'll introduce you to my friends. You'll see they're cool.
Where have you been?
I was looking for the cornfield you told us about.
The French House?
We can't leave her like that. We have to help her!
We don't know she is. Let's wait for our parents!
Come on, let's go!
Why are you here Nadia?
I wanted to see you and apologize for last night.
Are you listening to me?
No!
You don't care about what I have to say?
You're not the only one who suffered.
It's not about that!
But we were kids, we couldn't have done anything.
And Ali was there for me... But you, you left.
- So you really don't remember anything. - I remember I was in love with you.
You were in love with me?
We made a pact.
And it was your own idea.
I figured it out early... I had to draw,
so I wouldn't forget.
Who told you that I wanted to remember?
Stephen?
Guys?!
Where are you?
Let me go!
Ali!
Come on, run. Hurry, hurry, come on!
Yeah.
Ali?
I remember... I remember everything.
What are you talking about?
And I also remembered that you've always been there for me.
I remember too.
I'll be right there.
Wait for me please, don't leave me alone.
Don't worry, I'll be right here.
On happy Ashura night, Their joy burns too bright
Zineb, hurry up!
I'm coming!
Run!
Follow me! This way!
The ladder!
- Climb up the ladder. - No, I'm scared.
Don't move!
I said, don't move!
Don't move!
Stay here, don't move.
Don't move, Samir.
Ali, what are you doing?
- They're going to blame you for everything. - I don't have a choice.
- Let me help you. I'll find a way... - He's my brother.
Forgive me, Khalid.
Keep moving.
Where's daddy?
My uncle?
Wait.
Go in.
Nadia!
Youssef. This is your uncle, Samir.
What going on? The kindergarten was closed?
What?
What's the matter?
It's for you.
It was for you.
That day...
I wanted to give it to you.
Nadia, take a look.
Where the hell are we?
I'm not sure, but it sure looks old.
This house is awesome!
Hey Stephen, he looks like your mother!
No, he looks like Nadia when she gets out of bed!
- Guys... - I'm here.
My friend is stuck upstairs.
There's someone here!
Who is it?
Bashira's friend?
Where is she, by the way?
Do you think he's alive?
What's that disgusting thing he has on his belly?
It's ok, it's ok.
Run... run!
Let us out!
Stephen!
Samir!
What did you do to him?
One day, when you grow up, you will forget everything.
Did the old man hurt you?
- No, it's my fault. - Samir, it's not your fault!
How do we kill it?
- I swallow it. - No.
There must be another way.
Where can we find it?
The French House.
On happy Ashura night, Their joy burns too bright
His name is Bougatate
Like other demons, it goes by various names depending on the civilization.
To the Muslim, it is a thousand-year-old malicious Djinn.
Still, he needs to possess a human being in order to take material form.
He feeds on children.
Gathering strength from their joy and their innocence.
Ashura is the perfect moment for it to feed.
The youth celebration.
It's all our fault.
When we entered that house, we woke it up.
The old man kept it locked up.
He meant to protect us...
Mommy!
Do it!
Ali, over here!
Don't be afraid.
Samir, what are you doing?
I die...
It dies.
Samir...
Run!
Mommy...
He's woken from his slumber, famished by a hunger
Youssef!
Calm down, honey.
He's alive, we must go to the French House.
We're almost there.
- We have to get him. - Get some rest.
Nadia!
Wait!
Nadia!
Youssef!
This way.
Down there.
Youssef!
What are we walking on?
He ate them.
Shit!
He ate them all.
Ali! Ali!
Youssef!
I'm here for you!
It's going to be alright.
Go get Nadia!
Youssef!
Bashira?
I beg you, spare my son.
He didn't do anything.
I know that's not you. It's that thing that controls your body.
We have to make a pact.
- What are you talking about? - A pact to never forget Samir.
I agree, I swear to never forget him.
I swear to never forget him.
I swear to find him, we will never forget.
Any sign of Inspector Ali?
We found tire marks on the other side.
Do you think we can catch up with them?
You can run from anything, but the past.