Review: “Veronica,” not as scary as advertised?

Review: Veronica, not as scary as advertised?

Amber Ollari, Staff Writer

A new horror movie has hit Netflix and is considered by some to be the scariest horror film ever. But while this movie had its fair share of jump scares, it really is just like any other “Ouija board” related movies.

Veronica is a Spanish film that was released in Spain in August of 2017. For those who are not fluent in the Spanish language, the film does have subtitles and is somewhat easy to follow.

The movie revolves around the life of Veronica and her little siblings. Veronica, or “Vero” for short, is going through a tough time due to her father’s passing and her mother having to work very long hours to support her children. Veró is responsible for making sure her siblings are fed, bathed, and ready for school.

On this particular day, a Solar Eclipse is present, and their school based the classes on the eclipse. Veronica and her friend, Rosa, are planning on interacting with a spirit board while everyone is witnessing the eclipse. Rosa brings along her friend, Diana, and the girls sneak off to begin the séance. They lay out the spirit board and place a glass in the center.

At some point, Veronica takes out a picture of her late father, which represents a personal item, which the séance calls for. They begin the ritual and the board starts “speaking” to them. The movie does not do an amazing job at showing the spirit’s response, but the viewer does get the point.

As the board moves rapidly, the glass begins to become very hot causing Diana and Rosa to rip their hands away from the glass, but Vero’s hand still remains. Veronica is stuck in a trance, not able to move or speak. The glass shatters and Veronica’s hand is cut.

The board then splits in half and the girls are left in complete darkness. Veronica then jerks up and lets out a scream that resembles a demonic being.

Throughout the movie, Veronica becomes increasingly odd. She is marked with scratches and bruises, her siblings are being targeted, and she is having realistic nightmares. Her youngest sibling, Antoñito, was burned by the entity while he was taking a bath. The demon also made Veronica choke one of her twin sisters, in the middle of the night.

The demon starts to devour Vero’s life, slowly taking over her mind and trying to harm everyone around her. She eventually realizes that she did not end the first séance and needs to repeat her actions to properly say goodbye.

She grabs her broken board, tapes it back together, and has her sisters, Lucia and Irene, conduct the ritual with her. The demon refuses to leave after Veronica demands it to go, thus resulting in the harassment of her and her siblings.

During the demonic rampage, a frantic Veronica calls for the police help, telling them someone is in her house and confessing that it is a spirit.

While carrying Antoñito, Vero tries to escape with her siblings and manages to get the girls out. She then realizes that she was not carrying her brother and it was just an illusion. She races back to her apartment and tries to find him and soon realizes that she is possessed.

After finding her brother in the closet, she realizes the only way to save them is to sacrifice herself. She then tries to slit her throat, but the spirit takes control of her, yet again, and starts to attack her. This effectively ends Vero’s life, as she passes out and is taken to a hospital. The police enter her home and witness the horrendous site. Antoñito is carried away unharmed thanks to his courageous sister.

The movie ends with detectives searching around the house for any clues. A voice comes of a walkie-talkie saying that Veronica has died. The detective then picks up a framed photo of Vero and is shocked when the frame is burning hot. The photo then begins to burn. The detective begins to file a police report and states that paranormal activity was involved in the incident in some way or another.

This movie was pretty good, however it really does not take the trophy for scariest movie ever. There were teeth clenching moments, but they happen to be similar to movies of the same nature. Overall, the movie is worth the view but could be a letdown, for those expecting more from it.