Venus

Director Jaume Balagueró is internationally known mostly for his Rec zombie flicks, and one more time he dwells into the pits of the horror genre - and he delivers: Venus is a well made trip with a solid production and good acting. The story: a dancer girl takes a good load of drugs from a drug lord and then gets some more deep trouble because some elderly women have some devilish plans of their own. Venus is for sure not a new classic or brilliant movie and will not stir as much fuzz as the first Rec movie did, but in the endless ocean of mediocre to bad horror movies that are produced these days, it is an entertaining entry, and that's not the worst thing to say about a movie of that genre.

A disco dancer , Lucía (Ester Expósito), steals a cache of pills and begins to be chased by gangsters , the film centers its action on the Venus Building , located on the outskirts of Madrid, where a badly injured woman flees to take refuge . Once there , she will discover that her true nightmare has only just begun. As Gogó girl at a disco, she flees after hitting the club where he works . Lucia taking refuge in an apartment block with her sister Rocío (Ángela Cremonte) and her niece Alba (Inés Fernández) .Along the way, the three discover that malevolent supernatural forces possess the building.

Creepy and eerie horror movie with thrills , chills , terrifying scenes invading the concrete corridors of a cursed apartment complex , strange rituals , twists and turns . This is a surprising , gory film starts with a noisy discoteque and follows to surprising us at a ghastly building by means of scary happenings and lots of plot twists . Including an interesting and mysterious script with plenty of superstition, witchery , ritualistic killings , shocking scenes and supernatural elements . It is a pity that the outcome does not live up to what has been stated up to that moment, destroying many of the findings , even with its convincing criminal part , which undoubtedly deserved that the marked line not depart so abruptly, and even ridiculously from the path . Second film of 'The Fear Collection', after the premiere of 'Veneciafrenia' in 2021, 'Venus' is also produced by Alex de la Iglesia , something that is noticeable in some aspects of the story , which , as happened in 'La Community' (2000) , surely his best film as a director , and which basically focuses on its peculiar inhabitants , all female , of a sinister and practically abandoned building . The trick of the unique setting also allows Balagueró himself to exploit, curiously on the fifteenth anniversary of REC , many of his genuine terrors , located in that abandoned building , where the traditional and the ancestral come together with a gloomy as well dark production design and achieving the best moments of the film . Regarding the leading role of Ester Expósito as a go-go girl , the main sufferer , and at the same time the heroine of the film , it should be noted that she succeeds physically , in a job that requires great involvement and effort , unfortunately this girl needs to vocalize better, an endemic disease that is spreading by several of the interpreters of the film, which exalts the true queen of 'Venus', a really sinister Magüi Mira, a veteran stage actress who gives a lesson in restlessness and restraint.

It displays an atmospheric and shading cinematography with full of lights and shades by cameraman Pablo Rosso . As well as a chilling and bizarre musical score by Vanessa Garde . The motion picture was professionally directed by Jaume Balagueró and in his usual style . Balagueró takes as reference a story by H. P. Lovecraft , 'Los sueños de la casa de la Bruja' or 'Witch house dreams' and based on his own script , written together with Fernando Navarro . After a dozen films , as many short films , and several works for television , Balaguero forged an unquestionable talent over the last three decades, the Catalan Jaume Balagueró no longer needs to confirm his interest as a filmmaker , while at the same time representing one of the few filmographies of great interest , within the generally barren national outlook . This Spanish director Balagueró is a good craftsman who has written/directed various succesful horror films , such as : Rec 2 , Rec 4 , Fragiles, Sleep Tight , Darkness , Los Sin Nombre, among others . Finally, Jaume Balagueró has perpetrated this nocturnal and bloody job, which is sadly spoiled in its ending part , that results to be absurd and some ridiculous and not precisely because of the Lovecraftian excesses, which are in the right measure , rather because of not having been able to finish off with originality enough such as contain his best films : 'The Nameless' (1999), the aforementioned 'REC' (2007), or 'While you sleep' (2011) , true examples of how to brilliantly close a plot .

This was at least a little original and was well acted throughout. It was actually a great watch until the end. It was like the writer couldn't figure out how to end the film. It felt cheap and rushed. Also, considering there was lots of blood, there was nothing horrific or scary about it. It couldn't decide if it wanted to focus on the crime aspect or the supernatural. This is definitely worth a watch, but it could have been sooooo much more than the mediocre offering it became. In the right hands, this movie would be served well with a remake, that focuses more on the supernatural, adds a few more kills, and cleans up that absolutely idiotic ending.

Well shot Spanish mystery horror with elements of a slasher and action movie: drugdealers, ancient witchcraft and mysterious eclipse converge in modern Madrid and create a nice atmospheric mix, a little condensed ending but the matter is rather on a small budget, the actors especially Ester Expósito main character and Magüi Mira played very well but the rest of the cast also tried. Special effects are certainly not outstanding but not the worst of them, interesting finds in the form of interpretation of the magical guardian. The creators gave as much as they could and it turned out very well, I recommend giving a chance.

Jaume Balagueró is a filmmaker who loves telling stories about horrors that take place in apartments. REC, REC², Sleep Tight, To Let, Inquilinos (short).. the list goes on. Venus is a genre-bender with heavy inclinations towards cosmic horror (loosely inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The Dreams in the Witch House"). Venus begins as a crime-drama about stolen drugs, though the film drops early hints about the horrors that await the protagonist Lucía. Things aren't what they seem, and there are mysteries surrounding the building she takes refuge in, i.e. Her sister's residence. Fernando Navarro's writing gives nearly equal footing to both crime and horror angles, but I was obviously more invested in the latter.

The visual style of Balagueró is still something to watch out for, and when coupled with practical effects, the outcome in certain scenes is a Lovecraftian horror fan's wet dream. That said, the way both stories eventually blend into one isn't really smooth, and as a viewer, you have no choice but to lean into the absurdity of it all. Ester Expósito gets a meaty role and she's the only one in the film to come out looking absolutely badass. The other characters purely exist as victims or villains. The finale will leave some viewers perplexed (like, THAT'S IT?) whereas some may deem it poetic justice.