WHAT’S IT ABOUT
Wall Street stockbroker Rosario Fuentes returns to her grandmother’s apartment after her sudden death. While sorting through her belongings, Rosario discovers a hidden chamber that’s filled with occult artifacts tied to dark generational rituals. As supernatural occurrences begin to plague her, she must confront her family’s buried secrets and face the truth about the sacrifices and choices they made.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Felipe Vargas’s first horror feature, “Rosario,” begins promisingly but degenerates into a jumble of tired clichés and wasted potential. The film deals with compelling topics such as the struggles of immigrant families, guilt, and sacrifice but places them with cheap, low-budget scares and confusing plot twists. Rosario (Emeraude Toubia), or Rose, is a prosperous Wall Street stockbroker. When her estranged grandmother, Griselda, passes away, Rose is forced to go back to her old Brooklyn apartment to stay with the body until the police arrive. Of course, a snowstorm strands her overnight. Soon after, strange things started happening that were linked to her grandmother’s Palo practice, a religious system that had rituals and sacrifices. Through cheesy flashbacks and Google searches (yes, she reads the results out loud), we discover that Rose left behind her family and heritage for success. Her grandmother placed a curse on her, and now she’s being stalked by a creepy creature. The scary moments seem lifted from better movies – strobing lights, dark shapes, and gross scenes where Rose gets covered in larva-filled gunk. The film relies on the same frightening gimmicks over and over again: creepy hands appearing from out of nowhere, people suddenly appearing in dark places, and a sleek-looking evil creature that does nothing original. The character of Rose makes frustrating decisions that only serve the plot. Once paranormal activity starts – like a worm tunneling into her arm and random symbols on her palm – she stays instead of running away. A blinding snowstorm pins her back when she tries to leave for the last time. The screenplay also relies too much on convenient exits. Want to research a century-old curse? Google it! Phone not working? You can simply find some handy books! Rose tends to narrate what she’s thinking in order to advance the story for viewers, as if we can’t keep up. The music becomes annoying as well, with the same tedious horror noises repeating themselves ad nauseam when silence would have been more effective. Practical effects and creature design are solid – Vargas is obviously influenced by Sam Raimi’s aesthetic with the gory, vile supernatural attacks. The gross apartment gives one the creeps when the lights constantly go off. Toubia does an okay job with the character, particularly in the horror scenes. She acts frightened but resourceful, although the character doesn’t develop much. David Dastmalchian, known for “The Suicide Squad” and “Dune,” plays an eccentric neighbor who is obsessed with finding his air fryer. His skills are wasted, however, as he’s relegated to a meaningless part that doesn’t develop. The biggest disappointment of “Rosario” is that beneath all the usual horror elements, there is a compelling story about immigrant families, pressure from their parents, and the cost of success. The movie suggests that Rose has ambivalent feelings about prioritizing her career over her family and cultural background, but it doesn’t explore these ideas. Instead of looking at these complicated emotions, the movie focuses on easy scares and plot conveniences. It also makes Rose too sympathetic, not challenging her choices or making her face real consequences. If you have not seen a possession movie, “Rosario” can be worth watching for its 90 minutes. For others, it is a disposable horror movie that does not take advantage of its cultural heritage and emotional complexity and compensates with tired frights and predictable plots. Vargas does show some directional talent, especially in the special effects, but not enough script to really shine through. Skip this one if you absolutely need some comfortable-looking, familiar horror movies.
OUR RATING – A BURIED SCARES 2