Venus

I have visited Spain three times so far and everytime i came back to visit the country i always feel welcome. The Spanish people were very friendly and easy to talk to, and i have to say i love the Spanish kitchen. I have tried several traditional Spanish meals and i especially loved Spanish beer ( something you don´t see very often here in Sweden, at least not in ordinary restaurants ). One of the most fun moments i experienced in Spain was the Malaga Summer Festival. So many different Spanish artists and bands i have never heard of before, and it is always nice to hear something else from the usual Spotify list. I did see Las Ketchup live who had a huge hit with The Ketchup Song and the whole audience seemed to know the lyrics, as well as the ketchup dance. If you plan to visit Spain at some point there are several locations i could recommend for you to visit, but i do feel that Barcelona is a city worth visiting if you love arts, music and experience Spanish culture. I hope to go back to Barcelona at some point, especially to visit Spanish breweries and try different beers. Perhaps even visit a Spanish whisky destilery since i am a big whisky fan. Since we are speaking about Spain, i have seen a lot of really good films from Spain for many years. All the way back to the 80´s when i first discovered some films from this wonderful country and in the 2000´s when i really digged into a lot of releases. One of my absolute favourite films from Spain is without a doubt the 2007 horror film known as REC from directors James Balaguermó and Paco Placa. Even if this is a zombie film it is definetely one of the more interesting films in this genre, considering that this is a found footage horror film. REC begins telling the story of Reporter Ángela Vidal ( Manuela Velasco ) and her cameraman Pablo ( Pablo Rosso ) are covering the night shift in one of Barcelona´s local fire stations for the television series While You´re Sleeping. While they are recording, the firehouse receives a call about an old woman, Mrs. Izquierdo ( Martha Carbonell ), who is trapped in her apartment and screaming. As the firefighters arrive to the apartment building with the film crew, they are about to find out that something is seriously wrong with Mrs. Izquierdo. REC is not only a very effective found footage horror film but is especially effective when it comes to zombie attacks. This film got 3 more sequels and i do enjoye the second film a lot. The other sequels are ok but you could tell it was getting difficult to keep the same level of quality as the first REC film. One of the directors of REC who i mentioned earlier under the name James Balaguermó have directed several films since the original film, and when i heard his latest film Venus have been released i was very happy. I didn´t check out the trailer just to keep the plot unknown. Is this horror film known as Venus another highlight from Spain, or is this the worst film from director James Balagueró so far?

Go-go dancer Lucia ( Ester Expósito ) steals a bag full of drugs from her working place, a night club dowtown. One of the night club workers notice that Lucia is trying to leave without permission, as he tries to stop her. Lucia is stabbed in her leg and manage to escape to her sister Rocio´s ( Ángela Cremonte ) apartment building. Rocia doesn´t want to have Lucia in her home but accept to let her stay to heal her wound. This also gives Lucia the chance to get to know her niece Alba ( Inés Fernandez ). The night club criminals are looking for Lucia, but there is another danger that seems to be coming from the floor above.

Let me begin by saying that Venus is not in any way related to any of the REC films or remind us about that franchise at all. This is a completely different kind of horror film and i am actually happy that director James Balagueró decided to tell a completely different story. Venus is really more about the importance of fixing a broken sisterhood between two sisters, even though they have gone through a lot of rough moments in their lives. I would also say that Venus tries to show that everyone deserves a second chance in life, if you have made some bad choices in the past. At first i was getting vibes from the 2002 Japanese horror film Dark Water, since there are some strange things that seems to be happening from an apartment above. But that part changes a bit as the film goes on and we even get Rosemary´s Baby vibes in this film. And if you are a fan of both of these films i do think you will appreciate Venus for trying an interesting combination for a horror story, mostly taking place within an apartment building. The ending though in this film turns into a horror version of the Denzel Washington film The Equalizer with plenty of violence, and i did not expect this honestly. Does it make any sense to end this film in this way? I doubt it considering how damaged the girl really is, but i still had fun watching the film. Ok, let´s get into the characters for a bit and let us start with our main character Lucia played by actress Ester Expósito. At first you might think Lucia is just a night club dancer, but she really turns into a bad ass character as she is forced to survive against drug dealers. Ester Expósito does not only act great in this film, but i also feel that she manage to bring out her emotional pain that the character is carrying within her. Lucia´s sister Rocio, played by actress Angela Cremonte also deliver a solid performance and i love her scenes together with Ester as they argue over their past. This is where you feel how damaged these sisters really are, and need to find a way to move on. I love child actor Inés Fernández as Rocio´s daughter Alba. Her screen presence is charming and just feel so natural as this character. Venus is actually better than i expected and should be appreciated by fans of foreign horror films. It is still not as good as REC but definetely a great attempt to bring back the horror genre that is clearly inspired by apartment horror films from the 60´s and 70´s. Director James Balagueró knows how to make effective horror films and proves it once more with his latest film Venus. Do you feel the need for some Spanish heat? Then i suggest you sink your teeth into Venus and see if you enjoy this film, just like i did.

Rating: DDD