In Hispanic horror, you see sides of cinema that aren’t so much on the jumpscare side but rather focus on eerie, spine-chilling storytelling. It often mixes culture and folklore to convey a type of message. Understanding this message, however, comes at a price as they must endure horrifying events. That’s if they make it out alive with their sanity intact.
The Wolf House (2018)
A stop-motion fairytale nightmare. This film uses the tale of Little Red Riding Hood to showcase how Maria runs away from a tyrannical wolf leader to an innocent home, inspired by the Dignity Colony cult in Chile, only to end up living in his stomach, hence the title. As the house reacts to Maria’s emotions, you get to see things spiral out of control as black stencil marks spill out of the walls. The movie will make you feel like you’ve witnessed a distorted fever dream.
The Old Ways (2020)
This film follows a Mexican journalist, Cristina Lopez, on a horrifying spiritual journey in Veracruz. On her mission to research witchcraft, Cristina is kidnapped by a group that claims she is the devil incarnate. It ignites the classic horror trope of exorcism; however, it shies away from the religious aspect of exorcism, rather focusing on cultural elements. Follow as the character goes through stages of self-awakening in order to reclaim her soul.
La Llorona (2019)
Unlike past stories of La Llorona where the mother would kill her children, this version involves a villain who kills all of them instead. The mother, Alma, comes back as La Llorona to haunt the general who killed her family during the Guatemalan Civil War. She does so by working as his family’s housekeeper, secretly causing strange occurrences such as her famous wailing cries. It blends folk horror with politics, eerily showcasing how the Guatemalan upper class mistreats its indigenous Mayan communities.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Combining horror and fantasy, little Ofelia goes through a door that takes her to a land of mythical creatures, similar to “Alice in Wonderland.” Except, these creatures are frightening, such as the Pale Man who has sagging white skin and eyes on his palms. When she enters, she goes through a complex maze showing that two different worlds exist, both containing evil, as it takes place five years after the Spanish Civil War. Watch to find out if Ofelia can make it out of the labyrinth, antidote included, to save herself and her ill mother.
Rec (2007)
The documentary-style film follows a reporter’s lens through a shaky camera, discovering an apartment complex in Barcelona with people acting abnormally. It turns out they’re infected with a virus that turns humans into cannibals. The reporter and cameraman duo become trapped, needing to find ways to escape without getting infected, while still keeping their journalist instincts to discover how the virus started. If you prefer a more deadly virus-type jumpscare movie, consider this your perfect watch.
Editor’s note: This story was originally reported in Spanish. Check out more of our original Spanish reporting on our Texan en Español Reporting page.
