Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi cover art

Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi

By: Nyasha Hatendi
Narrated by: Caleb McLaughlin, Jessica Mikayla, Christina Elmore, Kevin Carroll, Tapiwa Mutingwende, Tongayi Chirisa, Charmaine Bingwa, Denise Khumalo, Tendai Maduwa
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

The following contains mature content and language some may find offensive. Listener discretion is advised.

When the sacred is defiled, darkness awakens.

The Wallace family's vacation to a luxury game reserve in Zimbabwe becomes a living nightmare in this heart-stopping psychological thriller from visionary writer/director Nyasha Hatendi. Starring Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things, The Deliverance), who delivers a gripping performance in his Audible debut, Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi (mBeerwee) plunges listeners into a world where ancient spirits collide with inner wounds and family secrets are as deadly as the strange beasts that stalk the savanna.

Lost in his headphones, self-absorbed teen Dashon Wallace (McLaughlin) never imagined that a strained family trip meant to bring everyone closer could unravel so completely. But when he unwittingly desecrates hallowed ground, he unleashes the Mbirwi, a vengeful entity born from centuries of colonial oppression. As possessed wildlife and shape-shifting horrors close in, Dashon must confront not only the supernatural threat but also the horrors of his own past to save what remains of his family.

Presented in spectacular Dolby Atmos, Sacrilege blends pulse-pounding suspense with profound explorations of identity and privilege to deliver a thriller as thought-provoking as it is terrifying. With its lush sound design and sensational ensemble cast, Sacrilege redefines the boundaries of audio storytelling, drawing listeners into an immersive experience they will not soon forget.

©2024 QCODE (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.
Action & Adventure Horror Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Exciting
All stars
Most relevant  
This audiobook took me by surprise, in the best way! I didn’t have any expectations but it had me clenching and hopeful all in the same moment… There are parts of this book that are relatable in terms of how we navigate the relationships with our loved ones, sometimes selfishly. The performance was gripping, a fantastic listen.

Thrilling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Amazingggg all around. Was completely immersed!!!
By far one of the best audio books I have listened to. Highly recommend

Wow wow wow wow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Fast paced & gripping. Ended up bingeing on the whole book, I wanted to know what happened & how it would end. Well written story, aided by excellent performances.

Thrilling!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

well what can I say! amazing, the story line is brilliant and yes had a lump in throat at the end.
everything in this audible was spot on, I felt I was in Africa, animal noises as always I have to press forward as big animal lover but I can not fault this story its just brilliant ! 5 stars to the cast.

amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is totally different to what I normally listen to. I loved how intense it got so quickly, I was hooked from the beginning. I listened to this all in one go. I wish there were more short stories like this, that capture you straight away.

Loved this ❤️❤️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I really enjoyed this! The accents were a bit hit or miss here and there (I am saying as a Zimbabwean) but overall I really enjoyed it and gave me such a warm feeling and homesickness.

Way too short but so good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This was a gorgeous story that was so immersive. I loved the cast and the was that they performed the script but it was a bit disjoined because the timeline was not chronological but I loved the overall performance.

The Emotions

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It's supposed to be set in Zimbabwe but that's only referred to I think twice and every other time it's "Africa", even from the Zimbabweans. Granted I only know people from other countries in Africa, but they tend to refer to their specific country, if not their specific ethnic group rather than just "Africa". Maybe Zimbabwe is different 🤷‍♂️

TBH it follows the same path as the perspectives/representations it (and Hatendi) criticise. A lot of broken promises and an inability to to actually let the audience (or characters) fend for themselves in a starkly harmless place.

The Wizard of Oz in a homongenized "Africa"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The end credits show a huge number of people were involved in creating this. It must have been time consuming and expensive to create. Free for us though, which is a positive.

I nearly gave up halfway in, because the annoying family falsely laughing at non funny things was grating.

The whole “Africa” ancestors / ghosts thing (I won’t say more cos spoilers) - it is the kind of story that could not be written by white people as it would be deemed stereotypical, racist and wrong.

It still seems stereotypical and wrong to me. Also very gory. Also oddly boring and annoying in places.

It got better towards the end. Not sure the actual ending was worth the time though (again would love to elaborate but won’t cos spoilers)

Huge cast

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved how they used some native shona speakers for narration. I wish there was more! This is such a beautiful and high quality production. If you ever go to Victoria falls, be careful 😂😂

Loved!!!!!❤️🤎

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews