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)

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.

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.

After the suicide of her beloved father, the biologist Daniella Logan (Erica Prior) visits her catatonic mother in a mental institution to tell the tragic event and her mother calls her "Josephine". Daniella goes to the cemetery and finds that her father's grave had been opened and his corpse was profaned. She decides to investigate, and receives a message of a diabetic priest, Father Elias (John O'Toole), who tells her about an ancient fanatic religious sect of followers of Abraham that kills the first child. Later, she meets a weird man, Toby Harris (Craig Stevenson), who claims to be his legitimate father. Daniella continues seeking the truth about her origins and discloses very dark secrets about her family and friends.

"Le Segundo Nombre" is a great low paced horror movie and the association with "Rosemary's baby" is inevitable, in spite of having different stories. The non-linear and intriguing plot is complex and very well tied without any flaws, with an interesting mystery and disclosing a very dark secret in the end. I only do not understand why a Spanish movie is released spoken in English instead of in the original language. Hollywood complex? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Segundo Nome" ("Second Name")

Second Name follows the female mystery-investigation storyline that has been used so successfully in recent horror/suspense films like Ring, The Eye etc. This time round our heroine investigates the suicide of her father in strange circumstances, leading her to uncover the secrets of her own past, and the discovery of an ancient religion dedicated to the ritual killing of their first-born.

I have not read the novel but judging by the film Ramsay Campbell has crafted a clever, twisting-turning tale with that elusive what-happens-next factor that will keep anyone guessing. Direction and performances are restrained, which thankfully suits the film (none of the gimmicks that damaged the US remake of Ring). And the bleak ending really packs a punch. Recommended.