Die Todesschwester

Sister Death: A prequel to Veronica (2017) which gives the backstory of Sister Narcisca. As a child in 1939 she has a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is much admired. In 1949 as a Novice she travels to a convent to join the teaching staff. The Reverend Mother warmly welcomes her but the stern Sister Julia doubts her sincerity. These two nuns are hiding a secret which is central to what follows. Narcisca sees visions, hears voices, she is guided to the basement where she finds the mummified hand fo a Saint, it had been missing since the Convent was ransacked during the Spanish Civil War. More hauntings occur and the atmosphere at the school becomes darker. Narcisca's investigations puts her in physical and spiritual danger, Not a great horror film but it does hold your attention, The mystery works well, who is child whose voice we hear? Why is Sister Sagrario missing? Quite a few jump scares as the tale leads to a grand guignol ending. The shadow of the Civil War hangs over this entire film. Directed & Co-Written by Paco Plaza, On Netflix. 7/10.

As Greek Orthodox, the first observation after final credits was : "so...Romano -Catholic".

And, indeed, scene by scene, it reminds themes and atmosphere and motives of this confesion.

In same measure, a profound Spanish film, for precise reference to Civil war traumas to the rules of monastery and Marian aparitions.

Inspired photography, wise crafted story, fair construction of tension and admirable acting. And a great end, the venerable Narcisa in classroom being the great definition of essence of story.

I loved the work of Aria Bedman and the craft of each detail . Not original but beautiful made scene by scene, offering a precise circle of dark past and a honest circle of salvation.

I had the good fortune of seeing this at Sitges Film Festival today, and it delivers. In my experience the Spanish like their horror layered in religion, blood, nuns, blood, self-harm, long psychological turns, blood, religion, harm, and to top it all off add in a narrative of historical reference and voila! To me, it's like there should be a whole other category labeled S-Horror akin to K-Pop or J-Horror. But to the matter at hand!

I loved La Abuela, so have a hard time seeing its rating reaching only 5.9!? To be sure Paco Plaza this time around keeps Sister Death firing on all pistons. The black and white (white and black, if we are being Spanish Spanish) archival elements opening and closing, the completely believable religious environments, and the stupendous set design. Mwah, chef's kiss.

But let's talk SCREAMS. Aria Bedmar may just be the newest Scream Queen. My mind rushed with Linnea Quigley, again and again. And really, I wasn't expecting it, because should I have? Maybe. But man oh man it resonates, along with all the play on sight, eyes, and general ocular type things. Which for the record is not a spolier, just look at the movie poster.

In short, kudos to Plaza on another genuinely engaging horrific (in a good way) romp, give it a go -

Good movie. I consider Veronica to be a superior film, but this is how you make a prequel. Completely different on its approach, with significance for the original story, yet very much its own thing.

Very good performance in the lead role by Aria Bedmar, whom I wasn't familiar with, but who showed a range of nuances in approaching this character. I loved the production design and cinematography, with Paco Plaza once again demonstrating his exceptional camera work, one of the best in the horror genre, and always maintaining impeccable mise en scene. Once again, sound - mixing, score and sountrack - is also a standout in his works. I can't say it was scary or terrifying, but it's a very well-paced story, creepy enough, and with some very interesting setpieces.

Without spoiler: The movie Starts slow but it picks up the pace and it gets more disturbing with each passing second. For the last 30 minutes I was so tensed by this movie that I couldn't even look away for a fraction of a second, overall the movie is what horror movies should be. Acting is on point and the plot is just outstanding. The only negative point about the movie is that some scenes are unnecessary according to me. Hope we see more movies like this in the future and get part 2 of Veronica. Director should be praised and I think this movie should have been released in theatres rather than Netflix.