Every now and then I like to watch foreign horror films. It’s not something I’m very active about, since I’m typically working on stuff while watching movies and therefore can’t give the subtitles their due attention. In the case of Shudder’s 32 Malasana Street, I’m sure as hell glad I gave my undivided attention.
The movie follows the Olmedo family, who move from a small village to a house in Madrid. While the family struggles with their own issues, which include caring for an elder with Alzheimer’s disease, a malicious entity within the house begins to prey on their insecurities while luring the children away from their parents.
32 Malasana Street is directed by Albert Pinto, who’s directed a few other Spanish horror films (Killing God, RIP). Pinto’s storytelling style reminds me of the Blumhouse standard, where much of the terror is presented in either blurred reflections or in things just outside our focus, adding to the creepiness while maintaining a level of minimalism.
In fact, the scariest parts of the movie have little to do with scary images. One of my favorite scary moments involved an innocent looking puppet on a children’s television program. When the child is alone, the puppet on the screen begins talking to him and promises to introduce him to “a friend” soon. The puppet’s laughter is outright haunting, and the jump scare tagged on to this scene feels unnecessary.
There are quite a few jump scares throughout the movie, which turned me off. The more 32 Malasana Street felt like a standard haunted house movie, the less engaged I felt. That’s not to say the jump scares weren’t exciting in the moment, only that I began to expect them after a while and they became less effective each time.
Other reviewers have compared 32 Malasana Street to The Conjuring, which I don’t think is a completely fair comparison. I would argue that 32 Malasana Street delves quite a bit deeper than the latter film. The Olmedo family is far from the naïve and wide-eyed nuclear family in The Conjuring, and their individual struggles are far more memorable. Also, 32 Malasana Street takes risks by presenting subjects like gender identity and the rejection of transsexual youths by their families. While the visual style and jump scares of 32 Malasana Street are certainly influenced by The Conjuring, I’d say that’s about as far as the similarities go.
My only complaint about 32 Malasana Street is the time it takes for the story to unfold. I feel like ten minutes could be shaved from the hour-and-forty-minutes runtime without cutting anything crucial to the plot. I’ve spoken to others who’ve seen the film, and they said the story became too muddled after a while, which I think a shorter runtime would’ve fixed.
32 Malasana Street is one of the better haunted house movies I’ve seen over the past decade, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s not afraid of subtitles. Even if your attention begins to stray around the halfway mark, the movie will pull you back in eventually and take you all the way to the bittersweet ending.
6/10
Throughout the month of October, I’ll be reviewing 31 movies I’ve never seen before. Is there an excellent movie you think I haven’t seen? Tell me in the comments below, and I’ll check it out!
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