Directed by:
Jaume BalagueróScreenplay:
Fernando NavarroCinematography:
Pablo RossoComposer:
Vanessa GardeCast:
Ester Expósito, Ángela Cremonte, Federico Aguado, Fernando Valdivielso, Magüi Mira, Inés FernándezVOD (3)
Plots(1)
A dancer steals a bag from the nightclub where she works. Pursued by a horde of thugs, she hides out in her sister's apartment. The problem is that the place where she has decided to take refuge appears to harbor a threat that's even more powerful than the men trying to hunt her down. (Sitges Film Festival)
Reviews (4)
In the details, perhaps a slightly more satisfying genre film than the last few by Balaguero (there are a few fine scenes), but as a whole, unfortunately not so much. I would have liked a lot less boring gangster stuff and a lot more fat henchmen and cosmic horror. By the way, for the second time in less than a month in a new horror film, a character solves a slit stomach by clamping it shut, popping pills and cheerfully going into action. Fuck that shit, man. The very end – meaning the exit from the apartment building – was so out of place that it almost knocked the film down a star. 5/10
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Balaguero off the chains and still in good form! After his cult hit REC, he may have made his best horror film. Finally this year I can shout my favourite phrase ‘What a fucking ride’! Balaguero cleverly combines two sub-genres here, where on the one side we have a crime drama with drug dealers and on the other side occult horror with witches, and both genres fit very well, so the result couldn't be bad. It has a highly attractive protagonist, Ester Expósito (after watching it I immediately went check if she has a video on pornhub and at least lick the TV!), who plays a dancer who escapes from work with a backpack full of drugs and hides in her sister's apartment. Pissed off drug dealers are scouring the city, but other dangers lurk for the main character: there are also witches in the apartment complex who want to resurrect a demon, The first hour is just things getting going, but it's a good watch thanks to the beautiful Esther, and things only to erupt into a pretty decent brutal massacre at the end (nothing crazy, but the bloodiest genre film so far this year without a doubt). The atmosphere, which is uncomfortable in places, is also good, there's some minor plot twists, the whole film has a great pace, it builds up nicely, and in a few scenes the film evoked Martyrs and Inside, which is a great calling card! The finale is a bit of a stretch though, the main character gets a crazy beating, she's slowly covered in blood and full of open wounds, but when she picks up the shotgun it's proper Female Heroism with all the trimmings. It's a bit of a shame that the demon only gets one scene, because it looked awesome and deserved more space, and of course Esther doesn't show her tits, which is the most disappointing thing, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to give it a full score. 8/10,
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For a B-movie, it’s very good, watchable, playful and entertaining stuff. The combination of the occult, gangsters and a ghost story surprisingly worked and although it sounds silly on paper, the film was a success. It's hard to say if the positive feeling of satisfaction is due to the incredibly beautiful lead actress or the overall work, but either way the result is fine, original and fast-paced entertainment.
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I was gradually drawn in. After meeting Auntie Galga, a people locator, I even considered giving it five stars. The film's highlight was the bathroom encounter with the one whose name corresponded to the name of the building, but from then on, the initially action-horror spectacle started going downhill. The whole plot started to resemble a failed farce, completely burying the well-built atmosphere and not only losing me but also two stars, which suddenly felt excessive. / Lesson learned: The idea with the pills was not very original. I've seen a much better version in The Russian Bride.
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