Voice of Shadows has elements of a haunted house story combined with possession and religious horror. After the death of her aunt, Emma (Corrinne Mica) stands to inherit a house. All she has to do is adhere to some strange stipulations. And deal with the evil that seems to be a part of her new home.
The opening gives a good idea of what is to come. Gabriel (Guillermo Blanco) gives an emotional confession. The camera is closely focused on his face as he tearfully delivers his monologue. This is just the first of many moments when Gabriel’s outbursts are the focus of the film.
Voice of Shadows is not the first movie to have a Final Boy, but it is still rare enough to where it is interesting to see how it plays out. Many of the tropes are still there; Gabriel is seeing and hearing things while everyone around him seems to be unaffected. As he is targeted, he tries to figure out what force is going after his family. And there are the constant displays of anger and shouting.
It sounds like a cut and dry horror story because it is. The title card even has two upside down crosses and a pentagram. Voice of Shadows also has some pretty good jump scares. Things never come together as well as they should, however. This is partially due to characters that are hard to get behind. Celeste (Maria Jose Vargas Agudelo) is insufferable from her introduction and Blanco cannot quite pull off the more emotionally charged scenes. Compounding matters are some glaring plot holes. One instance sees the Big Bad talk about how difficult it was to turn someone when no resistance is actually shown.
Though the performances are certainly lacking, nothing is offensively bad. Everything is in place for a perfectly acceptable horror movie, but each additional miscue takes away from the overall enjoyment. That being said, there is enough here to make for a fine watch for the upcoming spooky season.
Voice of Shadows is available now on digital and streaming platforms.
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