Nemsia Studios’ “Ms Kanyin” Reimagines an Urban Legend for Modern Times

There’s hardly anyone who grew up in Nigeria who doesn’t know the infamous tale of Madam Koi Koi—the bloodthirsty woman in red heels who haunts school corridors. Her legend has many versions, but the most popular says she was once a beautiful teacher, remembered for the ominous click-clack of her stilettos echoing through boarding school hallways.

As the story goes, her beauty was matched only by her cruelty—until her students had enough. A group of them beat her to death. But she came back, vengeful. Ever since, her ghost is said to stalk those involved in her murder, and her heels still echo at night in empty hallways, waiting for her next victim.

“Ms Kanyin” (which takes its name from the pronunciation of the word “Koi Koi”) is a modern retelling of this urban legend, with a few twists of its own. The story takes place in a bougie Nigerian boarding school in the 1990s, where the children of the elite are educated and prepped for Ivy League futures. Ms Kanyin (Michelle Dede) is the young Parisian teacher hired to teach French at the school. She’s sweet and posh, and most students and faculty seem to like her.

The calm doesn’t last long. Ambitious student Amara (Temi Otedola) is horrified to receive a C in French during her mock WAEC exams, a grade that puts her conditional Harvard admission in jeopardy. To fix things, she asks Ms Kanyin to help her cheat, since the teacher has access to the exam questions. Ms Kanyin declines, so Amara hatches a bright idea—steal the questions from Ms Kanyin’s chalet.

For the “exam questions” heist, she enlists her friends Lami (Damilola Bolarinde), Fiona (Aduke Shitta Bey), Fin (Kanaga Jr), Chisom (Toluwani George), and Uti (Natse Jemide). While Ms Kanyin is out on a date with fellow teacher Mustafa (Ademola Adedoyin), they break into her house and steal the questions. But the plan unravels when Ms Kanyin comes home earlier than expected.

She finds her place completely trashed, and in a cat-and-mouse chase with the amateur heisters, she ends up in the forbidden forest—red dress and shoes in tow (a lot happened that night; a dog chased her). She trips, falls, and hits her head on the infamous “tree of life,” known for its supernatural powers. Anyone whose blood spills on it becomes one with the tree. Her blood spills. She transforms into a bloodthirsty spirit.

The gang thinks they’ve pulled off the perfect crime until Ms Kanyin doesn’t show up for work the next day. Their worry grows as strange things start to happen—crops die, livestock perish, and people drop dead. As the urban legend goes, Madam Koi Koi—or Ms Kanyin—returns for her pound of flesh. She kills Lami, Fiona, Uti, and Fin.

In the final act, only Chisom, Mustafa, and Amara survive to tell the tale of her animosity. But all is not so grim. With the help of an old baba, they destroy the tree, restoring Ms Kanyin’s “clean soul” to her original body.

“Ms Kanyin” is a stellar entry into the horror genre, retelling a familiar urban myth with fresh twists. It reignites a nostalgic memory of growing up and hearing those chilling school tales. One standout scene has students turning off the lights while chanting something—a nod to the lore that if you stand in front of a mirror, turn off the lights, and call “Madam Koi Koi” three times, she’ll appear.

Nemsia Studios deserves credit for delivering a good Nigerian horror film. While there have been many adaptations of Madam Koi Koi, this one is particularly polished: beautiful production, sharp cinematography, and a location that looks like it was plucked from a remote paradise in Nigeria. The attention to detail is commendable—from the haunting trees and scenic school building to the iconic red heels and clawed nails that Ms Kanyin embodies. Even the school uniforms, with the classic navy and light blue colors, accurately capture the Nigerian school experience: wear the same drab uniform, attend class, go home late, study, repeat.

While it’s unclear if CGI was used, the visual effects were mostly convincing—except that opening scene where a white tourist’s head is decapitated in the most unconvincing way. Seriously, Nemsia Studios, what was that? Other than, well, that, the visual effects were crisp and the production budget was clearly well spent.

The music score and surround sound—key ingredients in any horror film—worked wonders to build suspense and tension. The stronger the sound, the louder it rings in the viewer’s mind: someone’s about to die.

The budding romance between Ms Kanyin and Mustafa was a welcome subplot. Who would’ve thought Madam Koi Koi had an admirer? And one who was head over heels in love? It’s a shame their flame was extinguished before it became a full-on volcano, but props to Mustafa: handsome, protective, loyal—he gave full film boyfriend energy. He punched a colleague for disrespecting Ms Kanyin, took her on a date, and even helped with her exorcism. Nothing says “I love you” quite like participating in someone’s exorcism.

The cast gave standout performances. Temi Otedola truly leaned into her role as Amara, delivering a scream queen performance. Her gaze, her wails, her emotions—all on point. Without a doubt, her acting has improved. But still, something about her portrayal felt off. It wasn’t fully her fault, but it felt like she was trying too hard to be a perfect lead actress—forgetting that she was playing a teenager. And no, putting her in cornrows didn’t help. The performance felt a bit too polished, especially for a hormonal teen watching her friends die one by one. Also, her “posh accent” slipped a few times, which isn’t very realistic for a Nigerian student.

Michelle Dede gives a solid performance, transforming from sweet-as-sugar French teacher to full-on American Horror Story-level nightmare.

The supporting cast; Natse Jemide, Kanaga Jr, Aduke Shitta Bey, Toluwani George, and Damilola Bolarinde bring their A-game, anchoring the narrative with energy and emotional range.

Still, for a film set in a Nigerian school, “Ms Kanyin” doesn’t fully capture the Nigerian student experience. Can Nollywood stop pretending every high school drama has to be set in a bougie school? Not every Nigerian student attends a posh school with Ivy League ambitions. Let’s see a story set in a “ghetto” school or even a modest private one. This rich-kid setting steals some of the film’s relatability—and risks alienating even horror die-hards.

Another misstep, why is Amara wearing makeup? It’s obvious the “no makeup” look was lightly applied, but there’s no school in Nigeria that allows makeup. This isn’t an American high school. That’s another minus for relatability.

Also, the timeline is murky. The film seems set in the 1990s, but the props raise questions. Why does Amara have a 2024 planner? Why does Mustafa’s car have a 2022/2024 license plate? These continuity errors while seemingly small steal the horror. And in this genre, attention to detail is everything. Just ask anyone who’s seen the Scream franchise.

That aside, perhaps the real horror of “Ms Kanyin” is the pressure to overachieve. The crushing expectations from parents and teachers hang over Amara like a boulder. She cracks under pressure, planning the heist for fear of failure. Even her own parents tell her to “do better,” as if she’s not already top of her class. And Fin’s father scoffs at Uti’s dream of being a professional swimmer. This vividly captures how some Nigerian parents still equate success solely with academic excellence.

Unfortunately, the film’s ending falls incredibly flat. After 90 minutes of buildup, the solution to exorcising Ms Kanyin cutting down the tree feels anticlimactic. Like, “No way, why didn’t the first settlers think of that?” The film’s answer? They sold the land. But how does that stop someone from chopping down a tree?

And what happens to the survivors? Maybe the vagueness is a setup for a sequel, but we never find out what happens to Ms Kanyin (who miraculously survives her head trauma), Mustafa, or Chisom. Only Amara seems to get a happy ending—shown writing her WAEC French exam in the epilogue. Whether she passes is anyone’s guess.

A food for thought: why did Amara deserve a happy ending? She was the root of the entire mess and, quite frankly, should have been the first to feel Madam Koi Koi’s claws. Her desperation set everything in motion, ultimately sealing the tragic fate of her friends and even members of the faculty.

“Ms Kanyin” is a bold and promising entry into the horror genre, drawing strength from its connection to the iconic Madam Koi Koi folklore, which makes it an easy recommendation. However, at this stage in Nollywood, rookie mistakes and glaring realism errors simply shouldn’t be happening. Yet they do, and perhaps that’s the film’s greatest horror of all.

“Ms Kanyin” is available to watch on Prime Video.

Release Date: June 27, 2025
Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes, and 52 seconds
Streaming Service: Prime Video
Director: Ikechukwu Jerry Ossai
Cast: Temi Otedola, Natse Jemide, Toluwani George, Kanaga Jr, Aduke Shitta Bey, Damilola Bolarinde, Adedamola Adedoyin, Michelle Dede, Kalu Ikeagwu, Keppy Ekpenyoung Bassey, Nosa Alakiri, Blessing Onwukwe, Francis Onwuchei, and Miron Nadvinski