‘The Condemned’ creeps up on its viewers

The Condemned, the new horror film from director Roberto Busó-García, is an anomaly. As a moviegoing experience, it’s rather dull and anti-cathartic. The scares are minimal, and the storyline seems overly manufactured, the work of careful screenwriters and not based on reality. Yet, there’s no denying that Busó-García’s film achieves a Hitchcockian atmosphere that draws the audience into the narrative. The town of Rosales pictured in the movie feels haunted and off-kilter, as if every local resident is both a victim and voyeur. The Condemned is not much of a film, but it can keep one’s interest for 90 minutes.

Ana (Cristina Rodlo) has returned to her family’s mansion in the desolate town of Rosales. Her father, a controversial doctor, is nearing death, and she plans to turn the old estate into a museum that honors his advancements. The problem is that the local population doesn’t want anything to do with Ana’s family. There are unspoken nightmares still permeating the neighborhood, something involving the doctor’s practices and so-called advancements in the scientific field. Ana tries her best to stay focused on the museum, but soon enough she needs to face the sins of the past.

Rodlo, offering her first lead performance in a movie, is not quite ready for such a weighty role. Her emotion and domineering personality feel pushed and unrealistic. She can never speak the lines of dialogue with believable ferocity or leadership for the new homestead. Instead, she comes off as a typical horror movie actress, chosen to look the part but not act it.

The supporting actors who make up the local townsfolk fare much better. They are meant to be eerie, bordering on a line between sorrowfulness and terror. They make the movie watchable, lending the narrative much of its atmosphere and intensity.

The old mansion is similarly creepy, the type of place where ghosts appear out of nowhere and everything seems slightly off. Busó-García knows how to heighten the drama without overdoing the scares. Those looking for jump-out-of-your-seat moments will be sorely disappointed. The Condemned, despite its many faults, is an exercise in methodical storytelling (perhaps too methodical, bordering on dull).

The cast will likely attract fans of Puerto Rico’s film industry. The assembled actors are a who’s who of legendary names. If they were given source material that matched their talents, The Condemned would be a must-see in the same vein as the many great Spanish-language horror films to come out in recent years. Instead, because Rodlo’s performance fails to captivate and the story meanders into predicatbility, the film will be remembered for its fine atmosphere and numerous missed opportunities.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Condemned

• In Spanish with English subtitles

• 2013

• Directed by Roberto Busó-García

• Written by Busó-García, Danielle Schleif and Luis R. Trelles

• Starring Cristina Roldo, Réne Monclova and Luz Odilea Font

• Running time: 90 minutes

• Not Rated

• Rating: