When Father Girón (Emilio Gutiérrez Cava) finds out about paranormal events, he knows who to turn to: Sagrario (Belén Rueda), Paz (Gracia Olayo) and Gloria (Toni Acosta). After all, all three of them are absolute luminaries when it comes to guiding spirits and other supernatural beings. He also builds on that when he finds out about an antique store where things are said to be not right. In fact, it doesn't take long for Girón to realize that there is something really evil hanging around the house. What begins as a routine case threatens to become an absolute disaster, and only by joining forces do the three friends have a chance to make it out of history alive...
There is no shortage of horror titles. Several movies that feel right at home in this genre are released on DVD every month. You can also find them regularly in theaters, this month, for example, The Pope's Exorcist and Evil Dead Rise have been replenished. Streaming services are also always happy to be there when it comes to teaching the audience fear. At least in theory. In practice, the rush of representatives of the genre means that many must inevitably go under. If you do not have a few stars with which to build advertising, the ideal is that you have something in terms of content that allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition. The Spanish film Phenomena shows how this can be, which is available exclusively on Netflix.
Director: Carlos Therón
Writers: Marta Buchaca, Fernando Navarro
Stars: Belén Rueda, Gracia Olayo, Toni Acosta
More specifically, it's the main characters that are out of the ordinary here. In principle, there are no laws that determine who assumes the fight against evil in this genre. And yet, what appears to us as an area of identification is often quite interchangeable. Phenomena is a laudable exception if we follow three women over 50 here. How many horror movies are there that can claim that? Of course there are always strong women in the genre. Jamie Lee Curtis is famous for dressing up for Halloween, he didn't want to just give in to a superhuman serial killer. In this aspect at least, horror movies are often more advanced than others. Aging heroines are still a rarity though, Lin Shaye still being an exception in the Insidious movies.
The rude attitude of the three friends is somewhat offset by humor. Officially, Phenomena is a pure horror movie. At least in the first half there are so many deliberately humorous scenes that it would be more appropriate to categorize it as a horror comedy. Director Carlos Therón doesn't even necessarily need interludes of slapstick. A lot of things come from the characters and the dynamic between the three women. Really big laughs don't jump. But it's pretty fun and you do enjoy watching the idiosyncratic trio take on the bad guys and somehow have to come out of it.
The environment is also worth a look. Almost the entire movie takes place inside the antique store. Surely that is also due to the budget, it will not have been so high with the Spanish production. But it offers enough to look at and adds to the charm. Phenomena may not be an absolute highlight of the genre, but that's not enough, both in terms of ideas and tension. But it's enough for a solid, likable rep who stands on his own, at least up to a point. If there was a sequel, which would be quite conceivable in this scenario, it might well be a slightly more interesting story. The unique selling proposition of the three heroines should no longer be enough.
Three women in their 50s who hunt ghosts and ghouls? That is something different. Overall, the humorous “Phänomena” is an enjoyable horror film that pleases with its antique store setting. It might not be the highlight of the genre, but it's solid enough to check out.
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