Zero (2024) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐
Two Americans searching for a sense of purpose in Dakar, Senegal, wake up with bombs strapped to their chests ticking down from ten hours. With their fates in the hands of a mysterious voice on a phone, the foreigners must complete a series of seemingly random missions, each with dire consequences.
Waking up in a strange place is disorienting—seconds to figure out where you are, how you got there, and whether you’re in danger. So when #1 wakes up on a packed bus in Senegal, no luggage, no memory, and a sign hanging around his neck, panic sets in fast.
A mysterious woman on the bus tells him: “Answer the phone. Put in the earpiece.” Confused and furious, he tears the sign from his chest. The second it hits the floor, the 10-hour bomb strapped to him arms itself. Game on boi!
Across town, Man #2 isn’t having a better day. He carjacks a bickering couple, forcing his hostage into the back seat. Sweat pours down his face as he unzips his jacket, revealing the bomb on his chest.
Record scratch: So, you may be wondering, how did we get here?
If Jean Luc Herbulot‘s award-winning Saloum (2021) was any indication of his ability to take the audience to it’s anxiety-ridden peak and create atmospheric chaos meshed with hardscramble intensity, then ZERO will thrill those who love action/thrillers and a bit of body horror.
The film plunges you into the tense, volatile undercurrent of escalating protests against Western influence in Senegal, where global political tensions loom like a storm threatening to rip the country apart. Herbulot doesn’t hold back, exposing the raw brutality and relentless pressure weighing on Senegalese citizens. Amid this unrest, the Americans find themselves trapped in an unforgiving, task-laden nightmare—pawns in a larger, dangerous game they barely understand.
Herbulot’s style is a clever mix of action, thriller, and horror, all while weaving in social and political commentary. His films tackle themes like colonialism and Western influence, but he keeps things pulsing along with fast-paced tension and high-stakes scenarios. He also has an eye for visually striking scenes, using bold cinematography to create a rich, atmospheric world that pulls you in.
Hus Miller, Cam McHarg, Roger Sallah and Gary Dourdan in ZERO, 2024
Man #1 and Man #2 in ZERO are layered and often morally gray, making you feel the weight of their struggles as they navigate personal and political conflicts as they encounter temporary taskmaster Onaye (Roger Sallah), tactical India (Moran Rosenblatt) and a wonderful appearance by an unnerving Gary Dourdan as Daniel. By blending local issues with global dynamics, Herbulot’s films manage to be both thrilling and thought-provoking, striking a balance between edge-of-your-seat action and meaningful storytelling.
ZERO shines a spotlight on Senegalese culture, turning the vibrant city of Dakar into more than just a backdrop—it becomes a character in its own right, adding depth and tension to the story. With producers Hus Miller (Man #1) and Gary Dourdan involved, the stakes are higher, and it shows in the way the film elevates the thriller genre.
After its premiere at BeyondFest on September 30th, the film is gearing up for screenings at the Sitges Film Festival, where it’s already generating buzz.
ABOUT ZERO
Written by: Jean Luc Herbulot, Hus Miller, Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot
Starring: Hus Miller, Cam McHarg, Gary Dourdan, Moran Rosenblatt, Annabelle Lengron, Jessical Lorraine, Roger Sallah
Produced by: Hus Miller, Steven Adams, Paméla Diop and Gary Dourdan
ZERO HAS IT’S WORLD PREMIERE AT BEYOND FEST ON SEPTEMBER 30TH!
Mo Moshaty is an acclaimed horror writer, lecturer, and producer whose work combines visceral storytelling with the psychological insight of her Cognitive Behavioral Therapy background. She has lectured internationally, including as a keynote speaker at Nightmares from Monkeypaw: A Jordan Peele Symposium (Prairie View A&M), No Return: A Yellowjackets Symposium (Horror Studies BAFSS Sig), The Whole Damn Swarm: Celebrating 30 Years of Candyman (University of California), and with the Centre for the History of the Gothic (University of Sheffield). Mo has also presented at the BFI, Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and Final Girls Berlin Film Festival’s Brain Binge on women’s trauma in horror cinema, Cine-Excess on The Creepy Kid Horror Subgenre and Mother/Daughter Trauma in Horror, and Romancing the Gothic on Cosmic Horror’s Havoc on The Body Electric Her short film, 13 Minutes of Horror: Sci-Fi Horror, won the 2022 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Short Film. As a core producer with Nyx Horror Collective, Mo co-created the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Fest and partnered with Shudder in 2021 and 2022, while also establishing a Stowe Story Labs fellowship supporting women creatives over 40+ in horror. A member of the Black Women in Horror Class of 2023 and featured in 160 Black Women in Horror, Mo’s short fiction appears in A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales (Brigid’s Gate Press) and 206 Word Stories (Bag O’ Bones Press). Her debut novella, Love the Sinner, was released July 5, 2024, with Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment released in October 2025. The first of her five-volume non-fiction series, The Annex of the Obscure: The Afterlife, will be released in 2027 from Tenebrous Press. As the Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine and founder of Mourning Manor Media, Mo champions marginalized voices in horror. Under her leadership, NightTide plans to launch a film festival in 2028, furthering her mission to reshape the genre through inclusivity and representation.
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