2017’s Veronica was a phenomenon that took over the world. Based on a true story from 1991 about an urban legend in Madrid, the film, which was released worldwide on Netflix, was considered one of the scariest movies of all time. While it isn’t as scary as it was made out to be, the sinister nature of the film as a whole could easily get under your skin and keep you at the edge of your seats throughout its short 1-hour, 30-minute run time. It’s also mainly the performances of the young actors that make this film thrilling and amusing to watch. Not only do they carry the entire film, but they make us want to keep going even with a predictable story and a simple premise. Without knowing this film was based on a true story, it is still plenty ominous. Now, six years later, director Paco Plaza hopes to mimic the success of Veronica with a prequel titled Sister Death, based on one of the characters from Veronica.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Film?
Veronica is a 15-year-old high schooler with a single mom and three siblings. Because her mother is busy making ends meet, she is the primary caretaker of her younger siblings. Out of desperation, Veronica chooses to fool around with a Ouija board to speak to her father. She and two of her classmates choose to do it on the day of the solar eclipse, opening the gates to the other side. Veronica unknowingly becomes the host of a being from the other side. The Ouija board splits into two, separating the side with the sun on it and the moon. She whispers something in the ears of her friend Rosa before screaming with her mouth agape to an unnatural width. After that, strange, paranormal activities occur in Veronica’s home. She sees her father, but it’s a strange, naked man who then turns demonic. When she has to leave her brother unattended in the bath after hearing noises from her room, he gets burned as the water turns piping hot, while she gets locked inside. She dreams her sisters are biting her skin off, and no one is there to help her or believe her. Veronica realizes that something strange has come into her life and decides to take matters into her own hands again. Her friends ignored her because what she whispered in Rosa’s ear was that she would die on June 15, 1991, scaring them away.
Ultimately, Veronica chooses to do the seance with her sisters herself, leaving her brother Antonito out of it. With no older kids to help her, she asks her little brother to draw the Viking symbol of protection on her house walls, but he ends up drawing an invocation symbol instead, making things worse. When Veronica and her sisters do the ritual again, she tries to cover the points that had been missed previously. They sing a song requested by Antonito as their “mantra” because it’s one they all know. Veronica had told Anonito earlier that if he were to hear their father call out to him, he should ignore the voice and call for Veronica instead. In the middle of their singing, the glass they’re using to speak to the spirit rolls off into Veronica’s room, getting her separated from her siblings. Antonito gets taken by the evil spirit into the bathroom. Veronica makes a phone call to the police, which is the first scene of the movie as well. She tells them that somebody has entered and she needs help. Veronica finds Antonito somehow, then finds her sisters in order to get them out of the building safely. When they’re safely outside, and Veronica is still inside, they ask her where Antonito is. She’s shocked to realize she’s not holding him in her hands and returns to find him. In the house, things are crashing and burning, but she goes to the bathroom, where the faceless demon slaps her, making her slam her head against the mirror. This triggers something in her. When she goes into the room and sees her brother, he doesn’t respond to her voice. Instead, he has his ears covered and repeats Vero’s name like a chant.
This is when she realizes that she’s the one who has been possessed and harming her own siblings the whole time. She thinks killing herself is the only way to fix things, and as she tries to slit her throat, the demon stops her. Her body contorts into an impossible position, and we see the demon choke her by putting her hand inside her mouth. This is when the police come in and see Veronica in her inconceivable position with her mouth open too wide and screaming. She quickly faints, and on her way to the hospital, she dies.
The True Story Behind The Film
The Vallecas case is one of Spain’s most infamous paranormal cases to date. An 18-year-old girl named Estefenina tried to play with a Ouija board, and then strange things happened to her and her family. When she would die mysteriously in a psychiatric ward, her case would become the most talked about in Madrid because it was the first case to have the word “paranormal” included in the police report. At the end of Veronica, we see a similar situation where the police officer mentions seeing something unnatural in their house.
How Does Sister Death Come Into The Picture?
Sister Narcisa is a nun who works at Veronica’s school. She is blind and tells Veronica that she blinded herself after she could see the unholy, only to find out that she didn’t need eyes to see at all. According to rumors, Narcisa was psychic, and she could see the paranormal, which is why she is called Sister Death. She also tells Veronica that God has nothing to do with her case and that she should be the one to fix it. Sister Death also tells Veronica that she has to look after her siblings after seeing whatever it is that has attached itself to her.
The new prequel to Veronica is set in post-civil war Spain and tells the story of Sister Narcisa when she was a novice. We will learn about how and why she blinded herself all those years ago.
