10 horror hidden gems on Netflix

10. Veronica

Fans of horror based on real events will walk away from Veronica shuddering. Veronica and her two school friends conduct a séance at school during a solar eclipse, trying to contact Veronica’s deceased father. However, as the eclipse nears its completion, things begin to escalate; by the time the sun is no longer in shadow, Veronica is lying in a stupor whispering things that the audience cannot hear. She wakes up in the nurse’s office and is quickly written off as having low blood sugar, but the strange events of the séance follow Veronica home, and she is soon plagued with awful nightmares, inexplicable bruises, and visions of a dark figure that only she can see.

The family element is a strong contrast to the horror in this film. At home, the effect Veronica’s father’s death had on the family is obvious—her mother is scarcely ever present, either working endless shifts at the local diner or sleeping the long hours off. As a result, caring for the three youngest children is left to Veronica herself. Themes of growing up and lost childhoods are prevalent throughout the film. It’s a tiny detail, but the fact that Veronica wears braces is an excellent touch. It really hammers home how young she was, and how unfair the circumstances which required her to become a mother to her younger siblings.

This Spanish film is loosely based on the case of Estefania Gutierrez Lazaro, who conducted a séance at school and then mysteriously died six months later. The police report which informed much of the movie is actually from a year later, when the police were called back to the house and witnessed strange phenomena there. Though the movie takes many liberties, the grain of truth at the story’s center makes it all the more terrifying.