One of the more popular horror films in recent years happened to be REC, a Spanish movie from director Paco Plaza. It proved that the found footage genre could be rather successful, and many horror fans have been eager to see Plaza’s next foray into the genre. It just so happens to be a film titled Verónica, which premiered on Netflix this Monday.
The movie follows the titular character who must take care of her siblings between her father’s death and her mother’s tough working schedule. The film spins into motion once Verónica, along with her friends, activate a Ouija board during a solar eclipse. As you can expect, it not only disturbs the spirit of Verónica’s father – but another evil entity as well.
Verónica is a film based on a supposedly true case from Madrid’s 1990’s police records. The movie was already shown at a screening for the Toronto International Film Festival, and gained positive reviews. These reviews have continued to grow since the film was released on Netflix, leading it to a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with some of the reviews:
Hollywood Reporter: Aided by some great child performances, plenty of stylistic chutzpah and a strong sense of place, [Plaza] makes it work, despite the project’s overall lack of finesse.
SciFiNow: The film ultimately favours the paranormal – yet Plaza still slyly insinuates an alternative explanation, rooted in the protagonist’s psychosexual unravelling.
NOWToronto: Supposedly based on actual events, Verónica likely owes more to [Paco] Plaza wearing out his videotapes of A Nightmare On Elm Street, Prince Of Darkness and Witchboard as a kid. Turns out imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.
The Film Stage: At the end of the day a horror film is successful if it can make your heart pound out of your chest. And for most of Verónica, Plaza and Navarro do exactly that.
And some of the Twitter reaction:
there’s a new horror movie on netflix that’s crazy SCARY called Veronica and i am LIVING
— vern⚗ (@Slim_Bitzel) February 28, 2018
decided to watch the movie Veronica on Netflix while I’m home by myself. It’s 15 minutes in and I’m already terrified pic.twitter.com/1rcMvLXusf
— J✨ (@Jaymazing11) February 28, 2018
Just watched the movie Veronica on Netflix. Sleeping with the light on tonight 😱😩💀
— Woody (@LouiseWoodhatch) February 28, 2018
Well Veronica on Netflix is fucking terrifying 🙂
— Ashleigh Thomas (@ashleighhthomas) February 28, 2018
Started watching Veronica on Netflix (huge REC fan so interested in anything Paco Plaza is involved in) but the demon walking down the hallway scene freaked me out so much I had to turn it off… #SuchAWuss pic.twitter.com/4oCcjQUJST
— Nancy at Chase HQ (@weyland76) February 25, 2018
It’s certainly an interesting premise for a horror film, and there’s always something good about an independent filmmaker getting to continue their career. Hopefully Plaza will keep getting to create some awesome horror films and bend the genre in exciting, scary new ways. Let’s also hope that Netflix will keep functioning as a platform for new independent horror films to be released in an era where distribution is becoming increasingly difficult.
What did you think of the movie Verónica? Was it as scary as everyone suggests? Let us know in the comments section down below!