There are all different types of horror, as everyone already knows, and pregnancy is, in a way, an accepted form of body horror that we are used to seeing around us in everyday life. Once someone becomes pregnant, the many horrors of the world can become amplified, and new horrors can come to light. But Huesera: The Bone Woman isn’t necessarily about that, although it is an important look at the complexity of being pregnant without immediately being flooded by feelings of maternal care.
Natalia Solián plays Valeria, a woman who becomes pregnant after deliberately trying to achieve that result. We know this because we see one post-coital moment in which her partner (played by Alfonso Dosal) does what he can to help the chances of fertilization. Once pregnant, which happens quite early on, Valeria starts to experience some terrifying visions. Is someone coming after her? Is her baby going to be safe? And will reconnecting with an old flame (Octavia, played by Mayra Batalla) help to take her mind off her current predicament?
An impressive feature debut for director Michelle Garza Cervera, who also co-wrote the script with Abia Castillo, this is an intelligent horror movie that combines traditional scare moments with a growing sense of real darkness and pain. It also has some very impressive imagery throughout, mis-shapen bodies appearing here and there to create a nightmare that our lead cannot easily wake up from, and the third act clarifies the real point of the film, an oft-ignored truth that feels obvious as soon as the layers of obfuscating imagined horrors start to be peeled away. There are some tangents that I don’t think were needed, but nothing detracts too much from the forward momentum of the central narrative.
Solián is very good in the central role, put on edge by her inability to trust her own senses, and she reacts believably to the madness she starts to see creeping up on her. Both Dosal and Batalla also do good work, as do other cast members, but the film feels carried on the slim shoulders of Solián, and the strength she has belies her slight frame, as can often be the case with an anxious mother aiming to protect her child.
Huesera: The Bone Woman provides another example of what horror can do at its best. It tackles a complex and difficult subject, something that is rarely properly discussed in our society, and does so while building a growing sense of unease and dread, as well as some well-executed frights. Cervera is exceptionally talented as a director, and her name should now be on your radar if you’re interested in smart and effective horror.
8/10
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