REVIEW: EL SEMBLANTE aka FACIES

By Elena Anele (*)

EL SEMBLANTE aka FACIES is a short-film directed by Raúl Cerezo and Carlos Moriana.

We are set in Spain in 1692. The Holy Inquisition in a long decline leads its servants to be harder and stricter than ever. We deal with an inquisitor who has been searching for the perfect torture device that captures the purest face of pain as they want to show the world the terrible consequences of serving Evil. His engineer’s new creation called el semblante is now ready to be tested, and it will on some beloved ones…

Being not the biggest fan of historical films due to their lack of budget problems, I must admit that the setting, costumes, and FXs are more than correct here. The short is an original one with a surprising twist at the end. Even though the slow pace at the beginning made me fear boredom its last scene is full of gore, dreadfulness, and thrill.

It was premiered in cinemas last February 28th and released at Medina del Campo Festival and in the official short-films selection at Sombra Festival. You may find it at some cinema fests soon.

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Elena Anele is the woman in charge of SPANISHFEAR.COM, and  Horror Rises from Spain. A literature and cinema researcher, finishing her postgraduate studies with a thesis about the mystic filmmaker José Val del Omar. She has published in different media and books as Fangoria or Hidden Horror. She has also been in charge of several translations including Javier Trujillo’s complete works, La Mano Film Fest, The Man who Saw Frankenstein Cry and many more.