Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
In “HOBA”, Emirati director Majid Al Ansari transforms the familiar warmth of home into a source of quiet dread. The psychological horror unfolds not through monsters or ghosts, but through fragile family bonds teetering on the edge of collapse.
“HOBA” (“The Vile” in English) tells the story of a devoted wife and mother (Bdoor Mohammad), whose life begins to unravel when her husband returns home with a second wife (Sarah Taibah) and an unseen darkness infiltrates her home.
“The inspiration for ‘HOBA’ came from a fascination with how fear, love, and resilience coexist within families,” Al Ansari told Aletihad in a recent interview.
“I wanted to explore how unspoken emotions, especially those tied to change and pressure, can quietly reshape personal relationships.”
Though fictional, the story draws on real dynamics he’s observed throughout his life.
“I’ve always been drawn to intimate, emotional conflict; how private struggles can take on darker, psychological dimensions when left unresolved.”
“HOBA” is the first Arabic-language Emirati feature to be released under the Spooky Pictures and Image Nation banner, blending global expertise in genre filmmaking with local storytelling depth.
“It’s a meaningful milestone because it represents true creative collaboration,” Al Ansari explained. “Our goal was to create a film that’s emotionally resonant yet technically ambitious, something that could stand proudly in both regional and international spaces.”
While “HOBA” is unmistakably a psychological thriller, Al Ansari insists that at its core, it remains a deeply human story.
“Every choice, from casting to sound design, was about amplifying the emotional truth, while delivering a cinematic experience that feels fresh for Emirati cinema,” he said.
Bringing that vision to life required precision in balancing emotional depth with technical craft.
“One of the biggest challenges was ensuring the scares serve the story rather than overwhelm it,” Al Ansari noted. “Sound, lighting and pacing had to enhance the psychological tension without losing the emotional core.”
The house itself - dimly lit, narrow and eerie - becomes a silent character in “HOBA”.
“We used small hallways and strange angles to make it feel like the house is watching them,” he explained.
Natural sounds – creaking floors, wind, the hum of pipes – replace jump scares, creating an atmosphere that feels “quietly alive and unsettling”.
While HOBA flirts with the supernatural, Al Ansari says the real terror lies elsewhere.
“For me, the real horror isn’t a monster or a ghost, it’s what happens inside the home and inside the mind. It’s about love turning into control, faith turning into fear, and how people can destroy each other while trying to do what they think is right.”
In a regional film landscape often dominated by drama and comedy, HOBA dares to tread darker ground.
“Horror lets you tell the truth in disguise,” Al Ansari said. “It allows emotions like fear, shame or guilt to come out in a raw, visual way. For this story, those feelings couldn’t live in a straight drama, they needed atmosphere and tension.”
“Horror also gives space for reflection; it turns issues into something you can feel, not just discuss,” he added.
“The goal isn’t just to entertain, but to expand the emotional and artistic range of what stories from our region can achieve.”
HOBA is produced by horror genre veterans Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Derek Dauchy and Rami Yasin.
It also stars young actress Iman Doghoz and Emirati actor Jassem AlKharraz.
The film premiered on Tuesday in Cinemacity Al Qana in Abu Dhabi ahead of its release in the UAE on October 30 - just in time for Halloween.
