Emirati filmmaker Majid Al Ansari burst on to the scene in 2015 with his feature debut Zinzana. The film starred Saleh Bakri and Ali Suliman and showcased Al Ansari’s talent and ability to create something exciting within the borders of budget constraints and filming space.
Since then, Al Ansari has moved away from cinema, most recently directing episodes of the Netflix mini-series Paranormal. Now, he’s back to the big screen with a horror film in time for Halloween.
The Vile, which is titled Hoba in Arabic, made its debut at Fantastic Fest 2025 in Texas, where it won Best Horror Feature. The film stars Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik and Sarah Taibah.
Surprise second wife
In a nondescript Emirati home in an unnamed Emirati city, a mother and her daughter’s playful conversation is interrupted by the doorbell.
At the door is Khalid (Alkharraz), a husband and father with an unpleasant surprise for his family. He has taken a second wife, seemingly out of nowhere, and she is already pregnant with the son he has always wanted but could not have with his first spouse.
This revelation comes crashing down on his first wife Amani (Mohammad), who had seemed certain up to that point that her husband was satisfied with their life. Their daughter Noor (Tarik) also suffers, feeling that she was never enough for her father.
The second wife, Zahra (Taibah), is the new, unknown factor in this equation – a complete stranger who now lives with this family and must assimilate.
Before they know it, Khalid must leave for work and will be away for weeks. What should be a time for introspection, conversation and attempts at amiability between the women, turns nightmarish and surreal.
Who is she?
Emirati cinema has been screaming for a good horror film – one that could travel the world and thrill, no matter the audience.
Horror films can be the easiest to make because they often do not need large budgets, and then can achieve good returns. Some of the most profitable films have been horror movies on shoestring budgets, such as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.
In The Vile, Al Ansari makes use of filming mostly in one house to zero in on a fear that may be experienced by wives across the Islamic world: what happens if your husband suddenly marries a second wife?
Men in Islam are, of course, allowed to, but how does it feel? Especially if it comes as a complete surprise. Even before we learn more about the second wife and her intentions, it is a terrifying notion to have the marital relationship split so suddenly.
What Al Ansari also does so well is to use horror language that has been honed in other films over the years, using a handful of skilled actors. There are elements of everything from Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession, Italian Giallo cinema and the more recent The Conjuring films.
But there’s no copying. On the contrary, The Vile feels fresh and authentic within the context of Emirati cinema. Al Ansari shows flourishes of his love for the genre, and his understanding of how and why it works.
I was more than happy when the film ended, both because I was suitably terrified and also because there is now an Emirati horror masterpiece that can be watched in any country and still be as scary.
The Vile (Hoba) will screen in UAE theatres from October 30
