VERONICA is the first feature post REC 3: GENESIS from Paco Plaza and promises to deliver more scares than any of the zombie saga has produced. Not content with redefining Spanish horror, VERONICA delivers even more fear from Europe and will stay with you for years to come.

 

Set in 1991, after the recent passing of her father, Veronica (Sandra Escacena) seeks out her father along with her two classmates via a Ouija board. The repercussions are predictable bad and the horrific nightmare that begins to unfold is both terrifying and indulgent. As she comes to grips with her actions, those around her are quickly embroiled in the madness that unfolds.

Where VERONICA brings an originality to a tale told a million times before is through the perfect pacing and moments that scare with Plaza teasing the beguiled spirit to a gruesome and nerve shredding climax. With some of the most horrific effects seen on film this decade, VERONICA features the scariest manifestation of evil since THE CONJURING and will haunt your dreams for years to come.

 

Plaza’s script flawlessly blends the desperate notions of isolation that were so prevalent in POSSESSION mixed with the European elegance of European horror seen in RAW. At no time does VERONICA hold the pretence it is something else and even in quieter moments has horror at the forefront of its drama. Where the likes of IT COMES AT NIGHT and PERSONAL SHOPPER place their horror in the background of their story and take slow pacing to conjoin the human drama and supernatural, this film never strays too far away from the evil that it becomes a side note.

 

As well as the stellar performances including those of Escacena and Bruna Gonzalez, chilling screenplay and horrific visuals another of VERONICA’s strong points is its soundtrack. Taking riffs from the chords of Giallo era European horror and could easily have been used in Mario Bava or Dario Argento’s works but never feels out of place in a 2017 horror film.

 

As a horror fan there is nothing not to like about Paco Plaza’s post REC feature. The pacing is done to perfection and while it may lack the action that bought a lot of the frantic adrenaline to the zombie series, it makes up for in sheer edge of your seat tension.