Mar 21, 2018
Today’s movie is “Verónica” (2017), the Spanish (as in from Spain) independent horror film directed by Paco Plaza and written in collaboration with Fernando Navarro. The film follows Verónica (Sandra Escacena), a fifteen-year-old girl who uses a Ouija board with two friends during an eclipse, summoning an evil force that haunts Verónica and threatens her siblings.
Paco Plaza is best known as the creator of the [Rec] series, which I’ll admit, I haven’t seen. I’m not sure if that was a benefit or drawback when heading into this film. Demonic summoning films are a dime a dozen now, so I judge them on whether they bring something new to the genre, like last year’s “A Dark Song” (2017). And unfortunately, there’s nothing new here, other than the period piece setting.
However, that doesn’t mean this film isn’t worth watching. While the story is largely recycled, it is produced with above average practical and special effects, not to mention some well-composed scenes that really stand out. Plaza uses some great camera angles, particularly with the odd floor plan of the apartment, and I really enjoyed his use of reflections and imagery, particularly Sister Death.
I also thought the core cast was excellent. Escacena sells her lead role as Verónica, but her siblings Lucía (Bruna González), Irene (Claudia Placer), and Antoñito (Iván Chavero) provide awesome support. I expected more in the story from her two friends, but in the end, it made sense to concentrate on the events in the home, especially with the film teasing the ending at the very beginning.
“Verónica” (2017) is pretty standard fare for demonic summoning films, and while it doesn’t deliver anything new to the genre, it is executed with above average skill from the cast and crew. It doesn’t offer much for folks outside the horror genre, but for fans within the genre, it will provide a solid story with some great standout moments.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 7.2/10
“Verónica” (2017) is rated TV-MA and is streaming on Netflix.