Before we dive right into our review of the incredible Spanish horror film, Everyone Will Burn (Y Todos Arderán), we must first talk briefly about an HBO Spain show called 30 Coins. 30 Coins is a semi-religiously involved horroresque show about a priest preventing the 30 coins from being recollected and essentially raising Hell to Earth itself. Amongst their journey they encounter demons and the alike. This is what I find Spanish horror does better than any other language of horror. The culture is so rich in mythology and biblical tribulations that allow its audience to become invested in this near religious experience of possession, demons, rituals and more. Now onto our feature, directed and co-written by David Hebero, who manages to transport his audience into this rich tapestry of terror that is only excelled by the performances he commands of his cast. Everyone Will Burn sears itself into your soul, makes you face your inner demons, and gets you deeply invested in this story with troubled characters and the looming apocalypse that is prophesied by the town.
L-R: Macarena Gómez as Maria Jose and Sofía García as Lucia in EVERYONE WILL BURN (Y TODOS ADERAN).
The movie focuses on Maria Jose, played marvelously by Macarena Gómez (who is also featured in 30 Coins), and Lucia, who is played by Sofía García in her first ever acting role. The movie starts with Maria Jose standing on the edge of a bridge about to take her own life. She stops when she hears a faint voice in the background calling for a mother. She turns around and sees Lucia, who looks like she’s been through it all, covered in mud and looking rough. Unaware of who Lucia is, Maria Jose decides to try and help this young girl. While Maria Jose is getting her bearings together, she takes Lucia and starts to drive into town, until she is promptly pulled over by the police, and Lucia makes her presence known. However, when Maria Jose realizes that Lucia is not an ordinary girl, she starts to get worried that she is in fact the girl from the prophecy, the girl who is meant to stop the apocalypse, despite the fact that decades prior the town supposedly fixed this issue.
Macarena Gómez as Maria Jose in EVERYONE WILL BURN (Y TODOS ADERAN).
David Hebero and Javier Kiran, who wrote the script together, create a tense world for the audience to get lost within. Every moment of the film is filled with anxiety and horror, never revealing too early what is going to happen, truly capturing every element of horror that is needed. This is only excelled by the performances from the incredible two leading ladies. What Hebero and Kiran manage to craft is sublime and will satisfy the cravings of even the diehard genre fans who have seen it all. Everything in Everyone Will Burn serves its purpose and none of it ever relies on cliches or overdone tropes; it truly is a refreshing take on the mythological horror genre.
Sofía García as Lucia in EVERYONE WILL BURN (Y TODOS ADERAN).
Now, with a horror film, or any film for that matter, a story can only be as good as its telling. That’s where the actors come in and convey the story they’ve been gifted to new heights. The performances by both Macarena Gómez and Sofía García are nothing short of impeccable. The intensity of their performances, like Macarena trying to come to terms with her past and her state of wanting to take her own life while now being plagued with taking care of Lucia and protecting her despite the town having other ideas, is remarkable. While Sofía García, who’s never had an acting credit to her name prior to this, proves that she is going to be a force to be reckoned with as the horror that lays on her face and the subtle things she can do that evoke such terror is something that cannot be taught. It is something she does so well that lends itself to a brilliant, terrifying journey through and through. Macarena Gómez and Sofía García are the heart and soul of Everyone Will Burn, which will sear its presence in the souls of its audiences.
Screening during Fantastic Fest 2022.
For more information, head to the official Everyone Will Burn Fantastic Fest webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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