Horror has long been a vessel for the fears we can’t name and the histories we try to forget. Rosario, the latest supernatural indie from filmmaker Felipe Vargas, attempts to thread inherited trauma, immigrant identity, and religious ritual into a tight, 88-minute thriller. On paper, it has all the ingredients of a genre gem. But while it conjures dread with style and intention, the final spell feels incomplete.
The Premise: Family, Faith, and the Dead Who Don’t Stay Down
Wall Street careerist Rosario Fuentes (played by Emeraude Toubia) returns to her childhood home during a deadly New York blizzard. Her estranged grandmother, Griselda, has died under eerie circumstances, and Rosario is left to spend the night alone in the apartment—with the body. But grief is not her only companion. The apartment hides more than mold and silence: there’s a locked altar room filled with symbols of Palo Mayombe, an Afro-Cuban spiritual practice. As night falls and supernatural phenomena escalate, Rosario is dragged into a confrontation with both ancestral forces and her own inner exile from her cultural roots.
Performances: A Mixed Bag of Potential and Restrain
Toubia steps into the spotlight with a confident lead turn, and while she has the screen presence for the role, her emotional range doesn’t always land. Critics have noted that Rosario’s reactions to the nightmarish events often feel muted or performative. The horror genre requires either total commitment or radical detachment. Toubia floats somewhere in between—never bad, just never transcendent.
David Dastmalchian, usually magnetic in offbeat roles (The Suicide Squad, Late Night with the Devil), is given very little to do here. He plays a shady property manager who’s both comic relief and exposition machine, and not much more. The rest of the cast—including Rosario’s family through flashbacks or phone calls—are underwritten, giving the story a narrow emotional palette.
What the Film Gets Right
1. Atmosphere and Production Design
The apartment itself is a character—a decaying, claustrophobic labyrinth of cultural relics, candle wax, and crawling insects. The film’s art direction excels in making you feel the rot. The use of real, physical effects (worms, dripping ceilings, unlit corners) grounds the horror in texture and physicality. You can practically smell the mildew.
2. Pacing
Unlike so many modern horror films that stretch thin ideas across two hours, Rosario keeps things tight. The story unfolds in real time across one haunted night, giving it an immediacy that makes up for some narrative shortcomings.
3. Cultural Themes
This is not a whitewashed exorcism story. Rosario attempts to explore the erasure of immigrant spirituality, the shame that can surround “old world” traditions, and the generational split between assimilation and remembrance. There are flashes of something meaningful—Rosario scornfully dismissing her grandmother’s practices, only to need them later—but the film never pushes deep enough to make those moments resonate.
Where It Falls Apart
1. The Script Lacks Depth
The dialogue often feels functional rather than inspired. Characters explain rituals via Google searches or vague memories. Emotional beats—Rosario reconciling with her heritage, confronting childhood trauma, uncovering family secrets—are rushed or sidelined. This could’ve been a complex portrait of identity wrapped in horror, but instead it plays out like a haunted house game with cultural seasoning.
2. Palo Mayombe as a Plot Device
The film’s biggest missed opportunity lies in how it handles Palo. Instead of inviting us into the belief system with context and care, it uses it as exotic window dressing. There’s no spiritual anchor, no practitioner voice, no real exploration of what Palo means beyond “dark ritual stuff.” The result? A watered-down portrayal that risks misinforming rather than enlightening.
3. Jump Scares Over Substance
There are some solid frights—particularly involving Griselda’s corpse, which behaves in ways corpses shouldn’t. But too many of the scares are standard: faces in the dark, loud strings, slamming doors. Once you realize there’s no deeper mystery unraveling beneath the surface, the tension drains quickly.
Threads That Never Fully Tie Together
The most frustrating thing about Rosario is that you can feel the filmmakers reaching for something larger. The narrative hints at Rosario’s rejection of her heritage, her guilt for abandoning her grandmother, and her inner fracture between Wall Street logic and cultural spirituality. But these threads never converge in a meaningful climax. The film ends with ritual and blood, sure—but not revelation.
There’s a version of Rosario that could’ve sat alongside Hereditary, The Vigil, or La Llorona (the Guatemalan one, not the Conjuring spin-off)—where horror is a mirror held up to a fractured identity. This isn’t quite it.
What the Critics Are Saying
“Rosario fights hard to leave an impression, but it’s ultimately mired in pretty good problems.” – Alison Foreman, IndieWire (C+)
“A film that leans into aesthetic discomfort but can’t elevate its possession-horror tropes above the familiar.” – Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting (2.5/5)
“It’s inoffensive and at times visually impressive, but narratively vacant.” – Reddit review
Final Thoughts: Style Over Substance, but Worth the Watch
Rosario isn’t a bad film. It’s a well-crafted, aesthetically bold, and culturally conscious attempt at horror. But it doesn’t break ground or stick the landing. It’s the kind of movie where you walk out saying, “That could’ve been amazing.” The premise had teeth. The direction had vision. But the execution? Too tame.
Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars
Watch it if:
- You love moody, tightly paced horror.
- You’re curious about cultural horror that almost goes there.
- Practical gore and haunted apartments are your jam.
Skip it if:
- You want a plot with emotional payoff.
- You’re hoping for religious horror that truly honors the source.
- You can’t tolerate weak third acts.
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