Gabriel S
The debut feature film of David Casademunt is an interesting folk horror piece that works as a whole, but it is not without its flaws. With its interesting design and pacing, it captivates horror fanatics, but throws away generalists.
The story follows Diego and his parents who live a secluded life in rural Spain, away from whatever current war is happening at the moment—I guess the Second War? Their lives are modest and ordinary, as mundane as you can get living in a big barren land in the middle of nowhere. That is until Diego's father, Salvador, tells the scary story about The Beast and how it tormented his sister.
From there on, it is down hill for Diego and their family, and we get to watch them wither and wither. The Wasteland is one depressing piece, and that is a positive thing: the story is very compelling. We root for Diego and his family, and we also want to understand what the hell is this entity, if there is any.
But The Wasteland is off on a few things.
The visuals are great, so is the horror element, but the pacing is somewhat repetitive. The story is keeping us in this enclosed space where there is nothing more to do (or lose), and well, the gist is also the blist that, after a while, we are kind bored that all we get is the same house and the same haunting scenes and nothing much is really happening and, oh well, we are at the end of the movie.
The ending is nice though. Super nice, actually, so it compensates for the runtime—but getting there, will ya, is a bit of a chore. If you endure, the film will deliver its final blow with glory.
Overall, The Wasteland is like an experimental story, one that works great on paper—like in a book with introspection and a lot of foreshadowing—but kind does not translate well to the screens. The movie is short for today's standards, so you can give it a pass, if you are a horror fan.
Casuals, I believe just avoid.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
10/14/25
Full Review
Lovell T
Beautifully filmed, visceral and surreal. But that's pretty much it. Almost 90 minutes of chasing, or being chased by shadows, and constantly startled by unknown sounds in a completely desolate no-man's land where sustainability is practically zero just to expound metaphors of war trauma, self-isolation, desperation and paranoia is akin to watching storm clouds moving across the sky for the same duration. On the same premise, The Sand Castle, also on Netflix, is far superior.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
07/10/25
Full Review
Nelson M
Never thought I would write a review for a movie but here we are. First off this movie has a great vibe you feel like your In the movie. Loved it very well told
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
12/11/24
Full Review
Jerod S
A solid start, opening with a family in severe isolation post war and a dying man floating up on their land. But when papa leaves and something sinister shows up (or does it) - things go sideways...and so does the film.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
07/15/23
Full Review
T T
This movie was not good at all. There really is no actual horror, in the classic or literal sense. Just a neverending buildup to that supposed horror. The actual horror is how horribly this film was directed and filmed. The lighting was absolutely terrible. I couldn't see so much of the film because of the amateurish lighting and filming skills of this film's director. The movie started out ok, because the story itself and the setting were excellent. This could have been a good horror movie, but the director totally ruined it. There was almost no clear visual of the "entity" when it finally decided to make an appearance. Most of the movie was this boring and tense buildup that went nowhere. The movie had no direction. It was lost and aimless. Then finally when the entity decided to show up, you couldn't even really clearly see it. Due to bad lighting and filming, it's difficult to follow some of the details/developments of the film. I could have done a better job with my cellphone camera. Really, what a shame because the setting and story had good potential.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
the s
This is more of an art film than a horror or thriller. Just know that in advance if you're looking for horror. This ain't it.
Stylistically and thematically it's very similar to 2018's "The Wind," which I thought was brilliant. The problem with Wastleand (or one of them, at least) is that it doesn't offer much of a narrative or any real storyline. So aside from the visuals and the repeated on/off sightings of something they may/may not be there that may/may not be a "monster" or "beast," it just becomes an empty set of visuals. And to be fair, cinematically it is striking at times…it creates an appropriately creepy environment but that part isn't backed up by any substantial plot development or dialogue. And a movie cannot exist as just creepy visuals or sets…I know because lots have tried over the years and failed.
What we're left with is kind of an empty shell of a situation more than a plot. And even the situation itself doesn't come to any kind of crescendo or conclusion.
Which brings me back to the idea it's more of an art film than horror or thriller. And to be frank, it feels a little like a movie about how a parent's mental illness can affect their children. I got that theme out of it more than anything else. And I get that the mom was crazy (or was she…one of the unsatisfying parts of the movie) but randomly firing off all your shells into the air if you honestly think there is a threat is the best way to frustrate an audience who is looking to be tethered to some level of realism. Nobody would do that, not even a crazy woman.
In the end, you feel sorry for Diego, you come to decide that his mom is crazy and you're left without any real resolution or conclusion to a story that didn't even have much of a plot to begin with.
It's not a "bad" movie…not a total waste of time if you enjoy slow burns rich with dark atmosphere that seem to be more about art and style than plot and substance but I have a feeling the reviews are so bad on this is that most people want the full experience of rich dialogue and elaborate plots (or at least *some* type of plot and character development) and this movie lacks pretty much all that stuff except the scenery and atmosphere.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
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