The House of Snails (Spanish: La casa del caracol) is a 2021 psychological thriller film with rural horror and fantasy elements directed by Macarena Astorga from a screenplay by Sandra García Nieto based on García Nieto's novel La casa del caracol which stars Javier Rey alongside Paz Vega and Carlos Alcántara.
| The House of Snails | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Spanish | La casa del caracol |
| Directed by | Macarena Astorga |
| Screenplay by | Sandra García Nieto |
| Based on | La casa del caracol by Sandra García Nieto |
| Produced by | Álvaro Ariza Tirado |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Valentín Álvarez |
| Edited by | Beatriz Colomar |
| Music by | Karin Zielinski |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmax (es) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editThe plot is set in the 1970s in a fictional village ("Quintanar") in the Andalusian sierra, where Antonio Prieto, a writer addicted to mezcal rents a house there so he can write his novel in relative isolation.[1][2][3] The mysterious folks and the village are connected to superstitions and rumours about a strange and frightening creature known as El Vímero.[4]
Cast
edit- Javier Rey as Antonio Prieto[2]
- Paz Vega as Berta[2]
- Norma Martínez as Carmen[5]
- Pedro Casablanc as Sargento Mauri[5]
- Carlos Alcántara as Padre Benito[5]
- Elvira Mínguez as Justa[5]
- Vicente Vergara as Carmelo[5]
- Luna Fulgencio as Rosita[5]
- Ava Salazar as Sole[5]
- Jesús Carroza as Esteban[5]
- Fernando Tejero as Editor[5]
Production
editWritten by Sandra García Nieto, the screenplay is an adaptation of her own novel of the same name.[6] Described by Macarena Astorga as "a thriller that mixes a bit of psychological horror, suspense, mystery and fantasy", The House of Snails is the director's debut feature film.[7] A joint Spanish-Peruvian-Mexican co-production, it was produced by Esto también pasará and Casita Colorá Producciones AIE alongside Bowfinger International Pictures, Basque Films, Producciones Tondero and Hippo Entertainment Group, with the participation of RTVE, Canal Sur, and Amazon Prime Video.[8][9][10] It was shot in the mountains of the province of Málaga, including the village of Villanueva de Cauche, belonging to the municipality of Antequera.[3][11]
Release
editThe film was presented in the official selection of the 24th Málaga Film Festival on 7 June 2021.[4] Distributed by Filmax,[12] it was theatrically released in Spain on 11 June 2021.[citation needed] It was also invited to the 27th Lima Film Festival in the Galas section, where it will be screened on 12 August 2023.[13]
Reception
editBeatriz Martínez of El Periódico de Catalunya rated the film 1 out of 5 stars, writing that "none of the elements of this film make any sense", and the film ends up becoming "an incompetent and arbitrary thriller" attempt.[14]
Irene Crespo of Cinemanía rated the film 3 out of 5 stars underscoring as a veredict the film to be "[an] intense psychological thriller. Magical and rural realism".[12]
Raquel Hernández Luján of HobbyConsolas rated the film with 50 points ("so-so") positively citing the good main actors and the well-done cinematography, whilst negatively assessing the "very poorly directed" secondary actors and the film's overly "abrupt and gimmicky" denouement, otherwise pointing out at the result being a "quite unsatisfactory" film overall.[15]
Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País considered that, despite early managing to unsettle the viewer with the atmosphere and setting, Macarena Astorga "gets totally lost when the secondary characters end up reduced to nothing and the main character leaves the viewer, to say the least, perplexed".[1]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1st Carmen Awards | Best Actress | Paz Vega | Nominated | [16] |
| Best New Director | Macarena Astorga | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Diana Sagrista | Nominated | |||
| 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actor in a Minor Role | Fernando Tejero | Nominated | [17] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Fernández-Santos, Elsa (11 June 2021). "'La casa del caracol': el lobo viene, pero no llega". El País.
- ^ a b c García Arribas, Alicia (7 June 2021). "Paz Vega se adentra en el 'thriller' fantástico con 'La casa del caracol'". Diario de Sevilla. Grupo Joly.
- ^ a b "Macarena Astorga presenta 'La casa del caracol' un thriller psicológico de terror protagonizado por Paz Vega y Javier Rey". Festival de Málaga. 7 June 2021.
- ^ a b López, Antonio Javier (8 June 2021). "'La casa del caracol', terror rural con guiños al cine de los 80". Diario Sur. Grupo Vocento.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "La casa del caracol". Filmax. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ Aller, María (22 February 2021). "'La casa del caracol': lo nuevo de Javier Rey y Paz Vega ya tiene fecha de estreno". Fotogramas.
- ^ "Macarena Astorga mezcla "terror y fantasía" en 'La casa del caracol'". Huelva Información. Grupo Joly. 16 November 2021.
- ^ Griñán, Francisco (23 February 2021). "Macarena Astorga estrenará su ópera prima en junio y se sitúa en la órbita del Festival de Málaga". Diario Sur. Grupo Vocento.
- ^ Lang, Jamie (9 September 2020). "Filmax Swoops on Spanish Psychological Thriller 'The House of Snails' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ "La casa del caracol". Festival de Málaga. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Una verbena de cine como final de rodaje de 'La casa de caracol'". Canal Sur. 20 August 2020.
- ^ a b Crespo, Irene (8 June 2021). "La casa del caracol". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ "La casa del caracol" [The House of Snails]. 27 PUCP Lima Film Festival (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Martínez, Beatriz (10 June 2021). "'La casa del caracol': una incompetente intriga rural". El Periódico de Cataluña.
- ^ Hernández Luján, Raquel (10 June 2021). "Crítica de La casa del caracol, adaptación protagonizada por Javier Rey y Paz Vega". HobbyConsolas.
- ^ Pinto, C. (31 January 2022). "Listado completo de ganadores de los Premios Carmen del Cine Andaluz". Diario Sur.
- ^ Aller, María (15 March 2022). "Premios Unión de Actores 2022: El buen patrón arrasa entre los premiados" [Actors and Actresses Union Awards 2022: The Good Boss sweeps among the winners]. Fotogramas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.