Tin & Tina is a Spanish psychological thriller that hints at something supernatural throughout its two-hour run. In the process, it creates a climate that is more suitable for the genre of supernatural horror.
Tin & Tina already has a dark tone and decent pace that goes well with psychological thrillers. It’s when Lola and Adolfo first go to meet the titular twin siblings that a viewer will start feeling that there is something unknown surrounding the characters of the film.
Though, in the end, it is established that there is nothing supernatural here, Tin & Tina builds horror elements in a way that some horror movies that do have something out of the world don’t.
The atmosphere, the music, and the jump scare
Tin & Tina makes use of thunderstorms as a means to push fear in the characters and the viewers. Clearly, thunderstorms are spooky by nature and are often used in horror movies to instill fear.
Thunderstorms in Tin & Tina are at their best during the introduction of the twins and the convent they have grown up at. The thunderstorms add to the eerie atmosphere the place already has.
Furthermore, the character of Lola observes the convent carefully, and the cameras too put a special focus on the architecture of the convent. In the film, Lola has lost faith in God since going through a miscarriage and learning that she can no longer bear another child.
Lola herself grew up in a convent, and her keen observation of this place suggests that she is questioning God. Then the introduction of Tin and Tina is not only backed by thunderclaps but also melancholic music and ghostly singing.
This atmosphere and this kind of music stay throughout the film’s run. The creators may not push it the way they do during the introduction of Tin and Tina, but it does.
Tin & Tina is more about story-telling and rarely about jump scares. Still, there are a few instances where the movie does implement a bit of this technique.
For example, when Lola agrees to play a game with the kids, they make her close her eyes. Then they disappear, turn the lights off, and attack her with a plastic bag. This is a game they occasionally play, where they suffocate a person and bring them closer to death. By doing so, they believe the person can see God.
Tin & Tina’s belief in God and the exterminating angel
Religion has primarily been part of horror movies. Tin and Tina just take their obsession with religion to a horrific level. Although it’s them committing the sins throughout the film, it is mentioned that they fear an entity called the exterminating angel.
The viewers will find themselves questioning the psychological state of Tin and Tina and what motivates them to commit certain acts. Tin and Tina heavily suggest that there is God, but whether the exterminating angel or some other entity exists or not is a thought that does cross a viewer’s mind from time to time.
The final one-shot sequence
The climax of Tin & Tina follows Lola through the house in one prolonged shot that runs for around 20 minutes. A lot happens during these twenty minutes. Again, the thunderstorm and their house itself look creepy.
Then Adolfo stops responding after going to fix the television antenna, leaving Lola on her own. The flickering of lights and the tape recorder playing the twins’ favorite Super Disco Chino song hints at either the presence of Tin and Tina or something else.
Adolfo catches fire after being struck by lightning. He enters the house and dies while setting it on fire. Then somehow, Lola’s baby goes missing. She only finds her son when she attempts to see God the way Tin and Tina used to. She discovers her baby crying in Tin and Tina’s room.
Since the camera follows Lola, the viewers see what she is seeing. So they feel Lola, and the presence of someone else in the house instills more fear in the viewers.
Also Read: Tin & Tina summary & ending explained