Anathema () is a 2024 Spanish Gothic horror film directed by (in her directorial debut feature) and written by Sabadú and Elio Quiroga. It stars Leonor Watling alongside Pablo Derqui, Keren Hapuc, and Jaime Ordóñez.
Plot Acting on behalf of the Archdiocese, hard-boiled nun sor Juana gets into a church in Old Madrid built over a maze of underground passages, finding that Evil has taken root.
Cast
Production The screenplay was written by and Elio Quiroga. Sabadú stated that the film "is a story of Gothic horror with roots rooted in the most ancestral Madrid, that of passages and lost architectures". The film is a Pokeepsie Films production, and it had the association of Sony Pictures International Productions and the participation of Prime Video. It was lensed by Luis Ángel Pérez. Shooting locations in Madrid and Bizkaia included Bilbao and the in Karrantza.
Release The film was selected for a special screening at Tokyo's Latin Beat Film Festival (LBFF) on 2 November 2024. It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 8 November 2024.
Reception Carmen L. Lobo of La Razón rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, positively highlighting Watling's dedicated performance and the supernatural entities' looks, while negatively mentioning some somewhat jarring lines and mawkish ending.
Philipp Engel of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, writing that "all is well on its costumbrista side", which can be encapsulated in the phrase "blacker than Pantoja's hair", pronounced by one of the characters.
See also List of Spanish films of 2024
References