The Communion Girl ★★½

THE Communion Girl is a solidly-made horror in the vein of the Annabelle spin-offs from the Conjuring franchise.

This 2022 Spanish film isn’t outstanding in any way but it does the job of providing some tension and jump scares for those whose staple is the horror genre.

Set in 1987, the churchgoing residents of a small town are participating in a special service for all the children making their first communion, including Judith.

The ceremony is interrupted by a woman desperately looking for her daughter. Later, Judith’s older sister Sara is driving at night with friends when they appear to see a young girl in a communion dress carrying one of the dolls that are handed out by the church.

Sara keeps the doll thinking she may be able to find out the girl’s identity, but the local priest isn’t interested.

Strange occurrences lead Sara and her friends to a search for something that may be evil and demonic.

It’s handled quite well for the first hour, until the last act when director Víctor Garcia’s story and characters fall into standard fare.

Garcia has certainly learned the camera, editing and lighting know-how required for this type of film over the course of a few lesser B-grade efforts.

The Communion Girl is another step up the rung.