El segundo nombre

Second Name is an average mystery/thriller movie that borrows a lot from Rosemary's Baby and The Changeling but it's far from their level. 1)It fails to create real suspense and tension: it's meant to be slow and thrilling, but don't count much on the latter. There's a couple of interesting twists but... 2)It's not particularly original (that's quite an understatement) and the story is pretty much farfetched. It's one of those movies where you can't help asking yourself: but why are these people doing what they do?

In the end it's not completely bad, it's watchable, but do not expect big emotions, it's just another cliche film, keep it at the bottom of your stack and watch it when there's nothing else left)

5/10 (1=turn it off now! 2=abysmal 3=very bad 4=not good 5=watchable 6=decent 7=good 8=very good 9=must see 10=masterpiece)

I recommend the aforementioned classics instead, or Darkness (if you were looking for a more recent Spanish mystery/horror movie)

Flat Spanish horror movie (shot in English) by the producers of the excellent Los Sin Nombre. Like Los Sin Nombre this is based on a Ramsey Campbell book. Both movies are also similar in that they deal with religious fanatics and endangered children, but while many of the same elements may be in place the second time around this movie doesn't deliver any big thrills or generate much suspense. The performances are bland and the director doesn't seem to have any idea of how to ratchet up the tension even though the story is inherently creepy and should have yielded a much more suspenseful film. Part of the problem lies in the script--the police detective here is so ludicrous and incompetent that his every scene becomes painful to watch and the heroine is simply too passive to generate much sympathy. She seems to be in a valium haze throughout the whole movie and never shows the urgency that would be vital for creating some sense of momentum in the still-born material. See Los Sin Nombre or that same director's Darkness instead.

The movie was good yes, with some surprising mysteries. However, the ending not only unravels various mysteries, it unravels the plot of the movie to stupidity.

Anyone that knows their bible (well) will realize that this "cult" breaks numerous Commandments. -Thou shalt not lie -Thou shalt not bear false witness -Thou shalt not kill

Their actions make the whole cult a contradiction to religion (ie. trying to earn God's favor by condemning themselves)...

Plain stupid.

Spanish terror has been a source of good films over the past few years, many of them even frankly better than their American competitors. However, after having seen this film, I think it is one of the weakest and least interesting Spanish horror films I have ever seen.

The whole story revolves around the mysterious suicide of Daniella's father. Very shaken by these loss, she visits her mother, who is in a psychiatric ward, in order to give her the news, but she calls her by another name. This small fact, associated with the desecration of her father's grave and the appearance of a disturbed stranger who claims to be her real father, set the girl on a search for the real reasons why her father decided to kill himself, discovering that he was associated with a ancient ultra-radical religious sect: the Abramites.

Well, the film has good premises and begins from a promising starting point. But everything is so slow and the film drags on so much that it becomes tiring and, after a certain moment, predictable. Another problem with this film, I think, is that it delivers much of the mystery too soon, taking away from the story a lot of strength and impact. The tension that is almost a prerogative of Spanish horror is so thin and arises so sparse that it hardly feels. The ending is, at the very least, a disappointment. I don't mean to say that all films should have a happy ending, but I think it was a weak ending to what the film promised.

The cast is headed by Erica Prior, who does what she can but does not have, I think, the ability and experience to do better. Perhaps the bet on a more experienced or charismatic actress would have been better. Craig Hill was convincing in his role, along with his real-life wife, Teresa Gimpera. Craig Stevenson, John O'Toole and Frank O'Sullivan do well in what they can do, but they are not enough to support the film, they just give as much support as possible. The rest just appear.

Technically, it is a regular film that does not stand out in any way. The best technical aspect here is the good cinematography, dark and misty, essential to keep the tension that the film, at cost, is able to build. Soundtrack also helps, but it doesn't stand out. The song at the ending seemed especially unreasonable. It could have been maintained but without voice, like an instrumental or piano solo, achieving in this way, I believe, much more impact.

Spanish horrors are not bad at all, some are smart with interesting stories, but is not the case of "Second Name". It is badly directed, badly acted and boring...boring...boring, a missed chance for an interesting story.