Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a haunting dive into cursed film, a skin-crawling horror romp that will leave you unsettled.
The story follows Montserrat, a young, but talented sound editor, and Tristan, a fading soap opera store. Montserrat’s struggles cut especially deep. She’s brilliant, capable, and passionate about her work, she has to fight twice as hard to be heard in the boys club that makes up her industry.
Their relationship—part friendship, part tension, with an undercurrent of longing—grounds the story. Watching them circle each other, both scarred and both yearning, adds a balance to the horror that makes us root for them.
When the pair finds a retired director with access to an old, unfinished film rumored to be cursed, they’re pulled in with the allure that “closing the circuit” could not only reverse the curse, but change their fortunes.
However not everything is so simple. Facing down threats, myth, and yes, literal Nazis, Montserrat and Tristan must survive much more than simply finishing the movie.
While the horror is potent, SMG crafts an interesting tonal shift in the final act, where the story leans more into urban fantasy than straight horror. It doesn’t lessen the impact, but rather recontextualizes the narrative. I do like the idea that you can take power back from fascism.
The writing is sharp, cinematic, almost like grainy celluloid unraveling in your hands, and it amplifies the sense that something is always a little off, a little corrupted. This isn’t just about what’s terrifying us on screen. It reminds us that what haunts us isn’t always a ghost. Sometimes it’s power, prejudice, or desire; and those are far harder to exorcise.
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