Verónica is a 2017 supernatural horror drama set loosely based on the true events of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro in the Vallecas District of Madrid, Spain, where after playing with a ouija board, she mysteriously died. 

The film is highly dramatized and does not represent the true events, but it still delivers a reasonably exciting storyline with a good cast of young actors.

Plot

The plot is relatively common among the concept. Teenagers play around with a ouija board, thinking it will be all fun and games, and then one (or all) is haunted by something. It quickly turns to an “oh, shit” moment and ends with deaths or traumatised teens. 

I’m not saying hauntings aren’t terrifying. On more than one occasion, I’ve been watching a NukesTop5 video a bit too late at night, and I’m unable to fall asleep. I can’t imagine that being a reality.

Despite that, the story was good! It was constantly moving forward, either by the main character, Verónica, discovering something new to help or the hauntings worsening. There was plenty of foreshadowing and callbacks to link the story nicely, some hidden more than others. 

The sibling relationship was well written and performed as well. Sometimes these types of relationships can lack in certain ways, either through performance or writing, but this was well done, especially since there were four young actors, some very young during filming. 

And let’s not forget the sense of reality. It wasn’t too obvious at first, but it is fantastic once it all uncovers itself! It’s done so well that the seeds of doubt take root in the viewer’s mind, but it isn’t apparent what is happening, just that something feels off. Very well done.

Attraction

Its attraction was so hyped up, but it never lived up to it. Despite that, it held its own.

I had heard, years ago when the film first came out, that people who had seen this film either in cinemas or pre-screenings had wild experiences. Some stories I heard were that people had walked out or became ill from watching the film.

As much as there were some shocking and graphic scenes, there wasn’t anything I could say was that bad to feel ill or walk out of the film for.

However, it was still a good film. It still had jumpscares and good graphics, with a classic storyline to attract an audience. It just never lived up to its “so scary you’ll walk out terrified” hype I was led to believe it had. 

Theme

As for the theme, it nailed the “stupid teens fuck around and find out with a ouija board.” It stuck to its theme of introducing common knowledge about ouija boards as the film progressed while keeping the board as a key part of the story. It wasn’t ever tossed to one side story-wise.

Acting

The acting for this was excellent, especially for such young actors. The main cast consisted of four actors; Sandra Escacena (Verónica), Bruna González (Lucía), Claudia Placer (Irene) and Iván Chavero (Antoñito). At the time of filming, the oldest, Sandra, would have been around 16 years old, with Claudia around 11 years old and Bruna around ten years old. Iván’s birthday and age are hard to find, but he seems to be around nine or ten at the time of filming. 

Regardless, the main cast is very young, but they did an amazing job! Their portrayal of a sibling relationship and the horror they would be facing during the storyline was amazing. At no point did I feel like any of them needed to be improved. This was Sandra’s first big film, which I think was for them all. Seeing that they held themselves and the story so well was amazing.

Cinematography 

The cinematography was beautiful. Some shots were stunning, while others gave the right amount of horrifically creepy that fitted the film perfectly. 

Some of the horrific shots were so well done that there were points where there wasn’t just one place to look, but rather my eyes were darting all over the frame, trying to pick up every little detail that was happening. Perfect for creating a sense of unease!

The subtle changes in shots as well were fantastic. It truly has beautiful cinematography!

Editing/Pacing

The editing overall was great and very well done. The build-up was there, cutting away just when it needed to; all good.

The only thing I would say that didn’t fit all the well was some of the establishing shots, normally signalling a new day, were a bit long. It wouldn’t have been much of an issue if things were happening in the shot, but the two I can remember where just shots of the outside of the building. They were beautiful and worked well as establishing shots, but they went on for too long. Making them a wee bit shorter would have worked perfectly.

As for pacing, the film was well-paced. There were any points where the story lingered for too long on certain points. Even the emotional parts were quick but just long enough to be nice. This is a horror; after all, we came for horrific scares and frights.

Did I enjoy it?

Yeah, I enjoyed it. It was a good horror overall, and it held my attention for the duration of it. 

Conclusion | My Opinion

Overall, Verónica was very good. As I said, not “walk out the room petrified” scary, but scary and disturbing enough that it satisfied the spooky craving needed. It stuck to its concept well, and the young cast executed their parts very well.

Information & Rating

Rating: 5/7

Where Did I Watch?: Netflix UK

Date Watched: Thursday 12th January 2023

Film: Verónica 

Run Time: 1h 45m

Original Release Date: 25 August 2017 (Spain)

BBFC/UK Age Rating: 15

Director(s): Paco Plaza

Writer(s): Paco Plaza (screenplay) | Fernando Navarro (screenplay) | Coral Cruz (story editor)

Main Cast: Sandra Escacena | Bruna González | Claudia Placer | Iván Chavero

Native Language: Spanish

Sub/Dub: Both | Watched Subbed

Genres: Horror, Drama, Paranormal,