Connect with us

News

Paco Plaza’s ‘Verónica’ is Full of Terror and Tenderness [Review]

Published

on

Verónica

We had recently shared the news that Paco Plaza (of [REC] fame) has a brand new film that – to everyone’s surprise – dropped on Netflix without warning. Netflix took a page from their own playbook with the release of Verónica, a Spanish possession horror that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017.

Based on the true events of the supposed possession of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro, Verónica takes place in Madrid in 1991. It’s been hailed for being so scary, some viewers can’t finish it.

via IMDb

So, that being said, let’s get something out of the way here.

Yes, this is a Spanish film with subtitles. If you’re avoiding watching it just because you don’t like watching a movie with subtitles, I’m disappointed in you. You’re closing yourself off to a whole world of absolutely incredible horror films. I’m not trying to lecture, but seriously. You will get used to subtitles, I promise you.

Additionally, let yourself be scared! If you’re going into a film with a defiant attitude, you’re not going to actually enjoy it as much as you were hoping to. There are no awards for remaining stone-faced during a movie. Just have fun.

Moving along.

Plaza masterfully weaves a tale of terror with Verónica. The titular character (played by newcomer Sandra Escacena) meets with two of her friends during a total solar eclipse, taking advantage of the supercharged natural phenomenon to try and contact her recently deceased father with an Ouija board.

via IMDb

As this is a horror film, their seance doesn’t go as planned, and soon Verónica is plagued by suspicious and discomforting unexplained activity. She placed a call to the other side and someone – or something – answered.

As an audience, we’re drawn in by the relationship that Verónica has with her young siblings – twin sisters Lucía and Irene and little brother Antoñito. With their mother working long hours at a local restaurant, the teenaged Verónica is left in charge of caring for the children.

As we observe this bright young girl though her daily life – waking, dressing, feeding, and bathing her siblings as the primary present caregiver in the home – it’s easy to understand why she would long for a connection with her father.

via IMDb

She has essentially taken over the duties as a parent and – under enormous pressure to “grow up” – you can absolutely sympathize with her for wanting to be able to act as a daughter again, even for just one brief conversation with an Ouija board. She is unable to properly grieve for her father – there’s no time in her day or room for weakness in front of her siblings.

We are constantly reminded of her youth – from the oversized school uniform and braces to the band posters decorating her room. She’s not a confident, rambunctious, wild teenager. She’s a girl who is desperately trying to maintain normalcy for the sake of those around her.

via IMDb

Once the threat becomes more and more apparent, Verónica is dedicated to protecting her siblings. An effective and often-used horror trope is childhood isolation – that sense that the monsters are real and there’s no one there who can protect you. Verónica thrives on this.

Fans of [REC] will notice that Plaza’s Verónica shows a stylistic maturity. The camera movement is sometimes subtle, but at the climax of the film it tracks the action so deliberately that you feel like you’re part of it. These frantic finale scenes are finessed with long takes and constant movement to drive the horror forwards.

via IMDb

Music is also a key component. The score is dissonant and unsettling, but offset with pop hits provided by Verónica’s walkman (from her favorite band, Heroes Del Silencio). This builds atmosphere while adding a personal touch to our connection with the character.

The film builds dread in an incredible way – some scenes are so thick with tension that you feel like you could cut it with a knife.

All of the young actors are phenomenal in their roles; while Escacena does the heavy lifting as Verónica, we should definitely acknowledge the wee Iván Chavero as Antoñito. He’s absolutely adorable and steals every scene with a sweet innocence.

via IMDb

Also, a shout out to Consuelo Trujillo as Hermana Muerte (aka “Sister Death”) for nailing the dichotomy of a wise and good-intentioned yet terrifying nun.

Overall, Verónica is a solid film with a healthy balance of fear-inducing dread and genuine heart.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

on

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading