A young, struggling family moves from the countryside to the big city of Madrid in 1976. They have tied up all their money into a flat that they are moving into, and not only that, but their hopes and dreams for the future, as well. This is to be a fresh start for a family that has some dark history of its own. The father and mother both take on menial jobs to make ends meet, while the oldest daughter looks after the youngest son and the ailing grandfather. The oldest brother looks for a job. Very soon, they discover that a malevolent spirit is living next door to them, infecting their apartment with its vile evil. The boy is snatched but returned, and strange things are happening all around. The daughter begins to investigate the history of the abandoned apartment next to theirs, even as the mother enlists the help of a medium to purge the spirit from their home. What they discover is a shocking and tragic story of a life twisted by ignorance, bigotry and abuse, and now that warped spirit is left thirsty for revenge and hungry for a life it never got to lead. And only a dreadful sacrifice can save the family from what is coming.
32 Malasana Street is a haunting ghost story that tells not only the story of family struggling to make ends meet and to create some kind of meaningful life for themselves, but it is also a dark and terrifying tale of what happens when prejudice and homophobia is let loose and runs unchecked. This is a deceptive movie in that it plays as a pretty straight-forward ghost/haunting story. Things move. Shadows flinch. Images flicker in the background. Voices speak to the child through the TV. It’s pretty by-the-numbers, although it looks gorgeous and the atmosphere is so thick you would need a chainsaw to hack through it. And while all of this is done masterfully, you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve seen this all before. This is a playbook that has been, quite frankly, played out. If you’ve seen a Conjuring movie, you know what’s going on here. Until it turns out that you don’t. It’s that bit at the end, the twist, where we learn the truth behind the haunting, and what this terrible secret has cost not only this family, but the lives of another two families, as well. This gut-punch is best left unspoiled, but it’s safe to say, this is a very modern and honest take on something that would have been quite commonplace in that time period and, sadly, in our own. It is in this moment the film takes on a much deeper resonance, and the by-the-numbers feel goes right out the window. That was all just sleight of hand to get you to see the deeper truths of prejudice and bigotry.
I would caution patience with this one. No doubt it’s good and no doubt it’s scary as hell in a few parts. Again, the atmosphere is dripping with dread and terror. The characters reveal hidden depths as the story unfolds, and while the scares might be excellent and still somehow seem tired, if you hold on you’ll get your reward. And that reward is to have your heart ripped out of your chest. Truly haunting, on many levels, this one will linger like a ghost and hang over you for days to come.
★★★☆