Directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández
Starring Rodolfo Sancho, Ana Fernández, Ramón Barea, Belén Fabra, Lucas Blas

The Spanish film market has been one of the best countries to continue to deliver some amazing films in the horror genre. Since they really got a rebirth in the late 90s, with the help of names like Álex de la Iglesia, Jaume Balagueró, and Paco Plaza, they have been creating some consistent and incredible films. So as of late, if I’m wandering around on Prime or Netflix, and come across a new Spanish film, I will quickly jump on that without needing any other information. And I really haven’t been let down yet!

When I clicked on the title Don’t Listen, which honestly sounds like a half a dozen titles coming out of Hollywood these days, I wasn’t immediately interested. Then I saw that it was from Spain. The original title is simply Voces, or Voices, which I think works just as well. But none the less, I hit play.

The story is about a small family, that just consists of the parents and their young son, Eric. They have recently moved into a huge house in the country, where the parents, Daniel and Sara, are planning to refurbish and resell. All of their money went into this project, so there is no turning back. But right at the start of the film, we see that Eric is sitting down with a woman who apparently is some sort of consoler or psychologist, talking to Eric about these voices that he’s hearing over the walkie-talkies that he and his family use. The voices, which Eric assumes is his father, are not saying nice things to him, or about him.

I don’t want to give anything else about the story because its better left up to the viewer, but I will say, it packs a punch.

Director Hernández wrote and directed his first film at the age of 12. That’s right, 12 years old. After making several short films over the years, in 2020, we got his first feature film, Voces, that he co-wrote and directed. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can bring us in the future. He seems to be another very promising vision for Spanish cinema.

Rodolfo Sancho, who plays the father, Daniel, carries a lot of the film on his shoulders because he is the one that we sort of are experiencing the events through him, and he does an excellent job. We know something is strange about the house, but at the beginning, we’re not sure just where the story is going, or even what kind of a film this is going to be. Again, that is why I recommend going in fresh and no expectations. Sancho had appeared in some of de la Iglesia’s films, such as The Baby’s Room (2006) and Common Wealth (2000), as well as working with Paul Naschy in Mucha Sangre (2002) and two Valdemar Legacy films, both from 2010.

But for me, the real star is Ramon Barea, who plays Germán, an author who is an expert in EVP, electronic voice phenomenon, who Daniel goes to see after a tragic event, where he’s convinced he’s hearing the voice on his computer that shouldn’t be there. Barea also worked with de la Iglesia on his first feature film, Accion Mutant (1993), as well as working alongside Sancho in The Baby’s Room and Common Wealth. Germán arrives at the house with his daughter Ruth to help out and to see if what Daniel is telling them is real, or just part of his remorse and imagination. The more they delve into the mystery at the house, the worse things happen, and more is revealed to them, as well as us, the audience, and it is one that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

I have no clue why, but IMDB lists the film category as “Adventure, Drama”. I can maybe see Drama, but it is definitely meant to scare the audience. One of the things that stood out for me while watching this film was the score, which is credited to Jesús Díaz. This isn’t a score where there are melodies or themes, but a long stream of atmospheric sounds and noises. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went on Amazon and bought and downloaded the score! It is one that you can play when you want some creepy and somewhat disturbing sounds in the background. For the film, it melds perfectly with what we’re seeing on screen.

One of the things that stood out for me while watching this film was the score, which is credited to Jesús Díaz. This isn’t a score where there are melodies or themes, but a long stream of atmospheric sounds and noises. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went on Amazon and bought and downloaded the score! It is one that you can play when you want some creepy and somewhat disturbing sounds in the background. For the film, it melds perfectly with what we’re seeing on screen.