As I started watching The Communion Girl, my immediate reaction was one of enjoyment. It had all the hallmarks of an intriguing horror flick with strong religious avenues; a mysterious woman in white; ghostly apparitions that drive one to the grave; and perilous teens on the brink of rebellion but treading ever so closer to the reaper.

The feature does well to entice you in with its central female protagonist, Sara (Carla Campra – Veronica) who is relatively new to the province of Tarragona. Socially awkward, Sara relies on her best friend, Rebe (Aina Quiñones) an extrovert who wears her heart and soul on her sleeve, but all this bravado hides a troubled household that she is struggling to climb out of. The two of them hit the town in search of some deeper connection to the world around them, and getting their kicks from some illicit antidote. 

On their journey home though with a couple of guys they meet at the nightclub, Pedro (Marc Soler) and Chivo (Carlos Oviedo) they encounter a little girl who carries a doll and is dressed for her first communion, before disappearing into the night. Was she an apparition or just a figment of their imagination? Before long, they all become haunted by the girl and must find the root cause of this ghostly cause or else it will consume them in her wake.

The Prognosis:

Spanish film director, Victor Garcia is no stranger to the horror genre, having worked on Mirrors 2 and Hellraiser: Revelations, and he weaves his craft with delight in his latest venture. Carla Campra also captivates on screen as the ‘final girl’, but as the narrative unfolds it becomes apparent that The Communion Girl borrows heavily from other successful features, such as Ringu, or folk tales like The Curse of the Weeping Woman. We know that the vengeful spirit has a vendetta that needs to be brought to a satisfying conclusion, and so we walk familiar terrain to get there. Despite this, the feature does still entertain and offers a slight twist in the tale albeit a slightly confusing one.

The Communion Girl is streaming Exclusively on Shudder and AMC+ Film Premieres Friday 11 August

• Saul Muerte