Netflix's new horror movie that's scaring people into turning it off is loosely based on the real mysterious death of a young girl — here's what you need to know (2024)

• "Veronica" is a Spanish horror movie now streaming on Netflix.
• The film is said to be based on real events — and official police reports support part of this.
• A teenager died in Madrid in the early 1990s after reportedly conducting a séance at school.
• Her cause of death was ruled unknown in the hospital.
• Months later her parents called 9-1-1, and the ensuing police report included mention of supernatural events (including mysterious noises).
• "Veronica" changes the timeline of events and combines two separate incidents.
• The movie takes a lot of liberties, but the director has acknowledged this in an interview.

"Veronica" is a fictional horror movie that recently arrived on Netflix. The film is reportedly so terrifying that people are turning it off before finishing it (though not everyone finds it scary). But is it really based on a true story?

The movie's versions of events take place in 1991 Madrid, where a girl named Veronica holds a séance with her friends at high school. Later, while babysitting her siblings at home, Veronica begins experiencing terrifying supernatural events.

"Veronica" touts itself as a movie based on true events and a real police report. Let's take a closer look at exactly what transpired in Spain more than two decades ago.

The strange death of young girl in Vallecas, Madrid

According to several paranormal blog sites, including Ghost Theory, police reports from 1992 indicate that a young girl namedEstefania Gutierrez died several months after performing a "makeshift sèance" at her high school. The ritual included a Ouija board, which the girls used with a glass turned upside down.

Though the exact cause of her death is unknown, the reports indicate that she began having seizures and telling her parents about seeing shadowy "evil" figures stalking her.

Estefania's health eventually deteriorated until she died in a hospital, though the report indicates that doctors were never able to diagnose an illness.

A police report filed months after her death is the real source of mystery

The reason paranormal aficionados have latched onto this case lies in the unusual police report filed after officials were called the to Gutierrez household.

Estefania's parents placed a frantic call to the authorities after experiencing mysterious events, including seeing shadowy figures walking through their house and even feeling as if a pair of invisible hands had grabbed them.

According to reports based on the lead detective's account of the event, when police arrived the house was eerily quiet and calm. But as they began walking through the Gutierrez home, a number of inexplicable noises were heard. Several of the police thought they heard a loud boulder rolling across the deck of the home — but there was nothing there when they looked outside.

There were other reports of loud banging noises and an armoire opening suddenly for no apparent reason. The police file also includes mention of a photograph of Estefania burning inside its frame.

In the movie "Veronica," a 9-1-1 call is played, mimicking the real call made to Madrid police by Estefania's parents. Though this report was filed months after the real death of Estefania, the movie makes it seems as if the 9-1-1 call is connected to Veronica's death.

As noted by Newsweek, the director of "Veronica" addressed how the Vellacas case is a popular story in Spain, mainly because it's a rare time when a police officer has written "paranormal" events down in an official report.

"In Spain it's very popular, this story, because it is, as we say in the film, the only time a police officer has said he has witnessed something paranormal," Paco Plaza said. "And it's written in a report with an official police stamp and it's really impressive when you look at it."

Plaza continued on to say that he knew from the start that "Veronica" would warp the real story.

"I think when we tell something, it becomes a story, even if it's in the news," Plaza said. "You only have to read the different newspapers to know how different reality is, depending on who's telling it. So I knew we were going to betray the real events."

You can stream "Veronica" now on Netflix. For one account of how scary (or not) the movie truly was, read INSIDER's review here.