Small-Town Corruption Sets the World on Fire in Everyone Will Burn (2023)
Title: Everyone Will Burn
First Non-Festival Release: June 1, 2023 (Theatrical Release)
Director: David Hebrero
Writer: David Hebrero, Javier Kiran
Runtime: 125 Minutes
Starring: Macarena Gómez, Rodolfo Sancho, Sofía García
Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here
Just as she is about to end her life, María José (Macarena Gómez) is stopped by Lucía (Sofía García), a strange girl who is connected to her small village’s history. In her town, there is a local legend about the apocalypse. With a newfound strength and purpose and Lucía at her side, María José faces the people who have wronged her, fully intending on embracing the terror that comes with Lucía’s support.
Simmering melodramatic supernatural horror and strong performances stokes the end of the world in chaotic Everyone Will Burn.
Mashing up the dramatic beats of soap operas with the anxieties of the apocalypse, Everyone Will Burn occupies a niche approach to horror. María José has been plagued by the trauma of losing her son and living in the village that let his death go unpunished. When offered the opportunity to seek revenge, her brief hesitation leads to complete acceptance. From there, Everyone Will Burn explores how small-town corruption leads to destruction. Interwoven conspiracies of complacent priests and suspicious busybodies work to ensure the town’s submission. When this fails, their social power is used to excise the perceived rot leading to a religious fervor-induced riot that seals their own fate. A clear condemnation of groupthink and fundamentalist rhetoric, Everyone Will Burn posits the conclusion of such thinking leads to ruin. María José’s life was shattered by those seeking to destroy her, and she ensures she spreads this hurt accordingly.
Interesting characters and captivating performances distract from the overstuffed story. María José’s struggle with accepting the death of her child and the cruelty of the town’s treatment toward his disability leads to some interesting moral dilemmas. Restraining herself from going fully nuclear, she has a clear understanding of who is to blame, and tries not to include innocents in her plan, no matter what the voices emanating from Lucía share. The mystery behind Lucía is certainly more compelling than her character itself. Infused with deadly psychic abilities and a childlike relationship with the world, she works more as a stand in for María José’s deceased son and the town’s derision for disabled people. Their kinship shines because of these similarities and allows the pair to grow and fight in ways that María José lost out on when her son died. Of course, the enigmatic Lucía and the deliciously complex María José bring much to the table with their odd relationship, but Everyone Will Burn rounds out the cast with a solid rung of secondary characters.
Sleek camerawork and strong production values elevate the terror of Everyone Will Burn to new heights. Impressively filmed, every shot of Everyone Will Burn revels in the beauty of a small town’s destruction. From botched home invasions to fights of fireballs, Everyone Will Burn has a flair for the dramatic in all senses, not just its overwrought story. The attention to detail in the set makes the village feel lived in, particularly the home of María José. Dazzling colors and striking imagery showcase the grim beauty of destruction while allowing the more provocative faith-based elements to shine.
Not everything sticks in Everyone Will Burn but there is something so hypnotizing about a film that takes so many risks and turns into left field that makes up for the iffy execution. The outlandishness of the town’s inhabitants makes for memorable moments but threaten a more consistent tonal experience. The silliness is explored in hilarious dialogue exchanges and inappropriate situations. Its long-winded pacing and inclusion of multiple subplots makes it so Everyone Will Burn loses focus. No one is saying that the journey to the end of the world should be strait-laced and direct, but a leaner approach would heal some of these wounds.
Another solid entry in the genre, Everyone Will Burn continues the trend in Spanish cinema of executing truly unique visions of terror. Mashing up melodrama with horror in a truly absurd manner, Everyone Will Burn creates a different approach to the apocalypse that will either have you scratching your head or gripping the edge of your seat. Complex characters and horrific imagery propel this dizzying Spanish feature up to greatness. It won’t set the world on fire compared to other genre fare, but Everyone Will Burn will excite patient horror fans, nonetheless.
Overall Score? 7/10
