10/30/18 - Veronica (2017) - 6+/10

A proper old-school inspired possession/occult flick that is able to pull off the creep, dread, excitement and emotional core necessary to make it work - and work it does. Based off supposedly real events and police case files, the titular character messes with a Ouija board and bad stuff ensues. To be expected, but they capture the wonder and terror well, keeping things stripped down and quickly paced. It never tries to build a rocket ship when a bicycle will do, but it also doesn’t excel far past its conventions or expectations. It is a good solid horror flick.

The plot is lean and spartan, but they are able to pack enough tangible metaphor and psychological baggage in a light-handed manner that it only adds and doesn’t detract. From the questions of her budding sexuality and womanhood, to the the burden of being the parent as her mother is always gone , to the loss of her father & childhood, or the parting of teenage friendship; the empathetic weight of these elements amplifies her isolation and impact of the supernatural monster coming for her/her family. I appreciated the screenplays deft touch and the light pulses of exposure the director gives to these elements, helping to create a larger story without blasting us in the face.

There are some striking  shots and a buzzing 80’s/Carpenter-esque synth score throughout, which felt like nods to the classics and the early 90’s time-frame. Some solid editing and cool effects (the “reverse walk” was effective as was the sidewalk turning into her occult magazines as if it was Alice running through wonderland. The creeping shadows, and wisely placed spooky stuff clicked too.) that worked really well.

It’s simplicity was a strength, but it also held it down from really exploding into something special. There was a repetition of plot and some of the metaphorical components were too on-the-nose (a certain bloody element made me roll my eyes for a second). If their integration into the drama of the plot had been more fundamental, that might have helped, but they weren’t integral to her paranormal plight and felt weak. There also isn’t much of a question of what is happening to her, which I think would have made the drama more compelling.

Certainly not the “scariest movie ever” (so tired of that moniker being thrown around), but it was engaging and nicely scaredy. If you want a low-frills well executed horror film, Veronica will hit the spot.