History of the Occult

Atmospheric, mysterious, somber, oblique, apocalyptic. Goes needlessly off the rails a bit when hallucinogens are introduced in that always-disappointing way which has the filmmaker apparently thinking that gas lighting the viewer into wondering what is real and what is a hallucination is somehow entertaining or clever. It's similar to movies in which something creepy or startling happens but, oh gee, it was just a dream. These tactics are ineffective cliches and almost always bring a movie down a notch or two in my book. Despite these shortcomings this is a pretty cool movie with an impactful inclusion. It does come down to literally the last 30 seconds, in which we see that a stylistic element that had been introduced earlier in the film as seemingly a mere stylistic element is actually part of the story.

Side note: I have to wonder whether the name of one of the antagonists being Belasco is a nod to The Legend of Hell House, the Richard Matheson novel, and if a reference to Beaumont Street is a nod to Charles Beaumont, who wrote some of the best Twilight Zone episodes. This movie does have a very Twilight Zoney feel to it so maybe it's not a coincidence.

...and we liked that a lot!

Great acting, you really feel like you're watching an old TV broadcast, and the people outside that do transmit an old way of acting on movies of that era.

Good atmosphere, wasn't expecting it to look so old but relatable at the same time.

Of course, the end is a bit frustrating, but it is part of the movie, so it is somehow expected to end that way.

Hope to watch more of this director soon.

Spanish horror film "History of the Occult" (2020) is a film full of mystery and understatement, which with its atmosphere intrigues and frustrates the viewer at the same time. The plot centers on the TV show "60 Minutes to Midnight", the last episode of which is supposed to reveal the biggest conspiracy of a certain sect. The program's creators have gathered a wealth of information and "dirt" on the mysterious organization, and their goal is to interview its guru.

The film unfolds on three parallel narrative paths. The first is a live interview, the second involves a group of program employees who seem to know more than they are willing to reveal, and the third involves a woman on an outside mission to reach the recording studio. Unfortunately, neither of these paths provides clear answers. The mystery of the cult remains undiscovered, and the viewer is thrown into a vortex of strange, unexplained events that only add to the feeling of confusion.

The film's biggest problem is its incoherence. The story seems to be a conglomeration of loose threads that lead to a goal, but never defines what that goal actually is. The mystery around which the atmosphere is built is never fully explained - just like the audience in a movie show, we, watching *History of the Occult*, are left in limbo. And if you're hoping for a satisfying ending, you may be disappointed - the filmmakers leave it completely open-ended, forcing the viewer to make his own interpretation.

Is it a horror film that scares? Rather not. More than frightening, it evokes feelings of unease and makes you think. It has a few moments that can be considered scary, but they are not typical jumpscares. Rather, it's a film about atmosphere, analysis and the search for hidden meanings that are difficult to read clearly.

The visual layer is also noteworthy - the film is almost entirely in black and white, except for a few scenes in which the color red appears. Why exactly red? That is not known. This treatment is somewhat reminiscent of *Sin City*, but in the case of *History of the Occult* it does not seem to have a clear justification.

All in all, this is a horror film that is more thought-provoking than actually frightening. It is mysterious, incomprehensible and full of puzzles that we have to search for the solution ourselves. If you like movies that force you to analyze and interpret, you might like it. However, if you are looking for a more classic horror film in which the plot leads to a definite punchline, you may feel disappointed.

History of the Occult is not a documentary or a mockumentary. This is a movie. It's not filled with possessed little girls climbing on the ceiling or evil ghosts. It's not supernatural, paranormal, or even scary... And I'm thankful. This movie is all about building suspense through a simple premise- a news station is going to expose a satanic conspiracy among the political powers of Argentina.

The movie is cryptic and deliberately vague. If you need movies spelled out for you than this isn't a movie you'll enjoy. The ending is not neatly wrapped up, you'll have to think about it afterwards to make sense of it, and that's what makes it good.

Saw this at the Imagine filmfestival 2021, usually in Amsterdam but now 100% online. Could not make heads or tails of it. I sat it out but had to force myself while attempting to follow what happened. For us Europeans there is not enough material to make a connection. An introduction of the parties involved, and especially the role of the journalists trying to phone-in with extra material, would be in order. I soon got lost what exactly the issues were. I kept watching in eager anticipation of a finale, hopefully revealing all secrets and intrigues, but it did not happen.

During the Q&A after the screening I thought I heard that the complete history around the TV-show was made up, and not related to reality. Freely translated: a vehicle to keep the story in motion. That was the moment I stopped the Q&A, lost my leniency to follow it, and switched to writing this commentary. I may have missed something important when the protagonists were introduced, however.

The black&white is another annoyance. It may intended only to suggest we are back in the 80-ies (color-TV existed more than 15 years before that time). It did not work for me and it is redundant anyway (whoever wants The Ten Commandments and/or Ben Hur shot in black&white to remind the viewer that this happened in the past??).