Malasaña 32 – Haus des Bösen

A perfect Spanish ghost story in the style of Insidious! I should point out up front that I probably like ghost stories the least out of horror movies, so the chances of one catching my eye are maybe 1 in 20, and this one pleased me greatly. Story-wise, the film doesn't really bring anything new to the table. A family moves into an apartment where ghosts appear to them, which is perhaps the most basic plot, but never mind, the important thing is the feelings while watching and the impressions after watching, and they are very positive. The craftsmanship is superb, the atmosphere is very impressive, the scares are spectacular. The main character is likeable and most importantly there is a jump-scare every five minutes or so, and nasty and unpleasant ghosts appear, so it's quite a heart-attack-inducing ride with an almost perfect soundtrack. An unexpected surprise and the Spaniards score points with me again this year. Story***, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence*, Entertainment****, Music*****, Visuals****, Atmosphere*****, Suspense****. 8/10. (10.05.2020)

A bit like a Spanish Insidious, a very well crafted spook flick that suffers mainly because of how generic it is (the appearance of Javier Botet playing the same emaciated supernatural monster as always is symptomatic). If it was eighty-minutes long, I wouldn’t complain and I’d have no problem giving it four stars, but the second half was unpleasantly long. That said, it can be taken without hesitation as a snack to kill boredom. (03.05.2020)