BAILEY MERRITT
staff writer

Rotten Tomatoes, the well-known movie rating website, has a reputation of grading films harshly.
After hearing through the grapevine that a Netflix movie had a 100 percent rating on the site, I had to see it for myself.
Set in Madrid during 1991, “Veronica (2017)” is loosely inspired by true events, though the truth is difficult to decipher.
The 15-year-old Veronica and two of her friends decide to use a Ouija board in the basement of their Catholic school during recess.
In attempt to communicate with her late father, Veronica sees no danger in contacting the dead, despite her mother’s disapproval.
The scene takes an unexpected turn, causing Veronica to convulse and lose control of her body.
She regains consciousness in the nurse’s office and her two friends avoid her from this point on.
Confused, Veronica continues on with her normal routine of caring for her younger siblings while her single mother works long hours to provide for her family.
Being alone every night, Veronica starts to witness strange occurrences, especially in her dreams — most involving being overtaken by something eerie.
As time goes on, physical bruises and marks appear on her body and her siblings begin to be affected too.
Desperate for help, Veronica tries to tell her mother about these occurrences, but gets shut down immediately.
After being told to grow up by her mother, Veronica is completely helpless as her life continues to spiral downward.
Without spoiling the ending, the beginning scene with the police and detective at their house ties in again at the end of the movie.
The true story that inspired “Veronica” comes from Estefania Gutierrez Lazaro, who in 1990 used a Ouija board at school in attempt to contact her friend’s recently deceased boyfriend.
Witnesses said smoke came from the girl’s nose and mouth immediately after the ritual.
In the following six months, Estefania began to have seizures and claimed to see and hear dark entities.
She died suddenly in 1991 in her bedroom.
Though the movie doesn’t follow much of the real story, the actual police report deemed the case paranormal and unexplainable, which is completely unheard of.
There were no overly jumpy scenes and the acting was great, but most importantly, the special effects were very realistic.
“Veronica” is not the scariest movie to exist, but having some truth behind it may make your hair raise.

BAILEY MERRITT
[email protected]