Venus

I had not heard about this 2022 Spanish horror movie titled "Venus" before I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it. And seeing that the movie was based on the short story "Dreams in the Witch House" by H. P. Lovecraft, of course I was rather interesting in watching it. Especially so since Lovecraft happens to be my favorite author.

Writer Fernando Navarro delivered a fair enough script for the movie. However, it wasn't particularly reminiscent of the H. P. Lovecraft atmosphere. Yeah, there was a bit of cosmic dread in the storyline, but saying that "Venus" was based on the "Dreams in the Witch House" short story might be stretching that fact quite a bit. Loosely based, in anything at all.

"Venus" certainly was a watchable enough movie, though it didn't make for a particularly outstanding or memorable movie experience. Nay, director Jaume Balagueró delivered a movie that you will watch once, then shelf it and never return to watch it a second time.

The narrative in the movie was somewhat monotonous. While there certainly was a drive forward in the narrative, the story was just lacking that particular spice to make it outstanding and memorable. It wasn't there, and that made "Venus" a somewhat bland horror experience. I was harboring a bit more expectations to the movie than what director Jaume Balagueró delivered, I have to admit that much.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but then again I am not overly familiar with Spanish cinema. But I will say that the actresses and actors on the cast list did good jobs.

Visually then "Venus" was okay. It wasn't a movie that was depending on a massive amount of special effects, and whatever effects were in the movie certainly worked well enough in favor of the atmosphere of the movie.

All in all, "Venus" is a watchable movie, albeit a somewhat forgettable and bland one.

My rating of "Venus" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Jaume Balagueró is a filmmaker who loves telling stories about horrors that take place in apartments. REC, REC², Sleep Tight, To Let, Inquilinos (short).. the list goes on. Venus is a genre-bender with heavy inclinations towards cosmic horror (loosely inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The Dreams in the Witch House"). Venus begins as a crime-drama about stolen drugs, though the film drops early hints about the horrors that await the protagonist Lucía. Things aren't what they seem, and there are mysteries surrounding the building she takes refuge in, i.e. Her sister's residence. Fernando Navarro's writing gives nearly equal footing to both crime and horror angles, but I was obviously more invested in the latter.

The visual style of Balagueró is still something to watch out for, and when coupled with practical effects, the outcome in certain scenes is a Lovecraftian horror fan's wet dream. That said, the way both stories eventually blend into one isn't really smooth, and as a viewer, you have no choice but to lean into the absurdity of it all. Ester Expósito gets a meaty role and she's the only one in the film to come out looking absolutely badass. The other characters purely exist as victims or villains. The finale will leave some viewers perplexed (like, THAT'S IT?) whereas some may deem it poetic justice.

Director Jaume Balagueró is internationally known mostly for his Rec zombie flicks, and one more time he dwells into the pits of the horror genre - and he delivers: Venus is a well made trip with a solid production and good acting. The story: a dancer girl takes a good load of drugs from a drug lord and then gets some more deep trouble because some elderly women have some devilish plans of their own. Venus is for sure not a new classic or brilliant movie and will not stir as much fuzz as the first Rec movie did, but in the endless ocean of mediocre to bad horror movies that are produced these days, it is an entertaining entry, and that's not the worst thing to say about a movie of that genre.

This was at least a little original and was well acted throughout. It was actually a great watch until the end. It was like the writer couldn't figure out how to end the film. It felt cheap and rushed. Also, considering there was lots of blood, there was nothing horrific or scary about it. It couldn't decide if it wanted to focus on the crime aspect or the supernatural. This is definitely worth a watch, but it could have been sooooo much more than the mediocre offering it became. In the right hands, this movie would be served well with a remake, that focuses more on the supernatural, adds a few more kills, and cleans up that absolutely idiotic ending.

Whoa! A LOT of blood, violence, gangsters, drugs, twisted witches and enough WTF moments. And lead Ester Expósito is gorgeous.

Also inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. This was a BLAST. Well directed and shot. Well acted and an interesting watch throughout. I watched it in Spanish and my Spanish is far from good. But Venus was easy enough to follow and has shades of Rosemary's Baby, Hellraiser, and even for some reason reminded me of Troma's Rabid Grannies, even though it is nothing like that. Venus is a solid film and I was glued. This was fun.

Highly recommended Spanish horror. From the director of REC.