Making its way onto Netflix today is the Spanish supernatural horror movie, Phenomena (aka Fenómenas). Inspired by true events, the movie – directed by Carlos Therón – stars Belén Rueda, Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, Toni Acosta, and Gracia Olayo, and follows the story of three middle-aged women who investigate paranormal events in Madrid.
In the movie, the year is 1998 and priest and paranormal investigator, Father Pilón, is on a case when he is attacked by an unseen entity. While he is in hospital recovering, his female friends Sagrario, Gloria, and Paz decide to follow in his footsteps to find out what happened to him.
The three ladies are part of a paranormal group known as Hepta. They are professionals when it comes to chasing spooks and spectres, and along with their new colleague Pablo (a physicist), they make their way to the house where Father Pilón had his ghostly encounter.
Upon arrival at the property, they become aware of a strange presence and pull out a Ouija board to make contact. But as they soon discover, something strange is going on inside, and they could be putting themselves in grave danger.
Borrowing a few shades from The Conjuring movies, as well as one or two other classic horror pictures, Phenomena is a fun little movie about the afterlife. The film mixes old fashioned frights with light humour, to present a spirited picture that is enjoyable to watch.
Phenomena is unlikely to scare the pants off anyone, but it should prove more than entertaining. The story is uncomplicated, the tone is good-natured, and at just over 90-minutes it never out stays its welcome.
The film also benefits from a fine cast, who really understand the vibe this movie is going for and lean into it perfectly. The core trio (Rueda, Acosta, and Olayo) are on fine form as the three chain-smoking members of Hepta, and they add a touch of class to proceedings.
It’s also good to see a slightly older collection of actors leading a movie such as this. By casting actors of a certain age (over 50), it adds believability to the film by making it clear these women have been at this business for quite some time.
As noted above, Phenomena focuses its horror on old school tricks when presenting the spooky side of its story, with swinging chandeliers, creaking doors, and a dash of possession thrown into the mix. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, but it is expertly handled thanks to good staging, great lighting, and a confident director who knows how to bring this altogether.
The movie also doesn’t rely on an abundance of CGI, nor does it show too much too soon. Director Carlos Therón wants the audience to be more afraid of what they don’t see, rather than anything they do, and builds a picture through atmosphere and mood.
This works very well and over the course of the movie the suspense and tension mounts, as the ladies of Hepta get close to uncovering the truth about the haunting. All the while, the narrative moves along neatly, with the occasional bit of humour helping to keep things from getting too uncomfortable.
If you’re a fan of haunted house horror or paranormal pictures then give Phenomena a go. There is much to like in this film and plenty to keep things interesting throughout.
Sure, it doesn’t add anything particularly new to the genre, nor will it terrify seasoned horror fans, but hey, not every spooky movie needs to reinvent the wheel. Phenomena has all the right ingredients, in all the right places, and is likeable stuff.
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