Capitalizing on Spanish artifacts with intrinsically unsettling possibilities, like Catholicism and the country's Civil War, this film brings the creeps without really proposing deeper meaning.
Sure, atrocities in the civil war a decade earlier make up part of the backstory behind the apparitions and frightful events in a convent in 1940s Spain, but Sister Death is more concerned with style than substance. It's also built around a character from director Paco Plaza's previous cult hit, Veronica.
Stylish it is (starting with its fabulous poster), with notable use of chiaroscuro, Catholic iconography, and chilling scenes of characters (including children and nuns) experiencing fear, torture, and death. It would be hard to enter a confessional booth very soon after watching this film.
Sister Death plays more interestingly as a mystery than straight horror, which might disappoint some genre fans. Actress Bedmar also makes a compelling feature debut, but this is a film that won't likely linger in the subconscious long after the end credits roll.
Full review originally ran on CommonSenseMedia.
Images courtesy of Netflix.
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