With Halloween and Día de Muertos just around the corner, you’re probably in the mood for a scary movie marathon. Growing up on tales of the occult and mythological creatures like La Llorona and La Chupacabra, Latines are predisposed to loving a good fright.
Despite being historically underrepresented in the horror genre, Latine audiences tend to make up nearly a third of moviegoers on opening night. Demonstrating that Latines have been true horrorphiles, even before the currently growing repertoire of beloved Latine horror. This list, in no order, is a mix of films new and old that Latines love, with a varying range of Latine representation.
‘American Carnage’ (2022)
“American Carnage” (2022 Movie) Official Trailer — Eric Dane, Jenna Ortega
“American Carnage” is a satirical horror-comedy about a group of Latinos, children of immigrants, who are arrested after the governor issues an immigration crackdown. Featuring Jorge David Lendeborg Jr. and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), the group is offered to volunteer at an elderly care facility in order to drop charges against them. Once inside the facility, the group begins to understand that things are not what they seem.
Where to Watch: Hulu, ROW8, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘Satanic Hispanics’ (2022)
“Satanic Hispanics” Trailer
Five Latine Filmmakers Mike Mendez (“Big Ass Spider!”), Alejandro Brugués (“Juan of the Dead”), Eduardo Sánchez (“The Blair Witch Project”), Gigi Saul Guerrero (“Culture Shock”) and Demián Rugna (“Terrified”) come together to create “Satanic Hispanics,” an anthology of five short horror films.
The film begins in El Paso, where the police discover a house of dead Latinos, with the just one survivor. Known as the Traveler, played by Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite), the mysterious man is interrogated, where he recounts gruesome events filled with inexplicable terrors.
Where to Watch: The film should be available on Prime Video by Oct. 29.
‘The Nun’ (2023)
“The Nun” - Official Teaser Trailer [HD]
The film begins with a young nun taking her own life in Romania. A priest with a questionable past (Mexican actor Demián Bichir) and a novitiate (Taissa Farmiga) on her final vows are sent by the Vatican to uncover the reason behind the suicide. They are confronted by a demonic force that risks their faith and their lives.
The film’s large Latine audience, 36%, propelled the flick to the top of the box office, proving Latines’ fondness for all things horror. The National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) credits the fusion of Catholicism and the supernatural as a tried-and-true formula for a big Latine turnout.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Max, Apple TV, Tubi
‘Juan of the Dead’ (2012)
“Juan of the Dead” - Official Trailer
A must-watch for laughs, this fun horror comedy movie is set in the streets of Havana in the midst of a zombie invasion. Juan, usually un perezoso, bands together with other opportunists to start a business as zombie slayers. Hilarity (and gore) ensue as zombies scour the island for human life to consume.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘La Cara Oculta’/’The Hidden Face’ (2011)
“La Cara Oculta/The Hidden Face” is a Spanish-Colombian production in which Adrián, a young orchestra conductor, has just been hired as the head of a distinguished orchestra. Belén, his girlfriend, suddenly goes missing and he falls in love with another woman. He allows her to move into the house he had shared with his missing girlfriend. As the two become closer, strange things begin to happen in the house that cause the new woman in Adrián’s life to question what really happened to Belén.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘Alucarda’ (1977)
“Alucarda” revolves around two orphaned girls, Alucarda and Justine, who arrive at a convent and experience supernatural events such as satanic worship, vampirism and demonic possession. The film, despite being a Mexican production, was originally filmed in English.
Where to Watch: for purchase on DVD at Amazon
‘Cronos’ (1993)
A list of scary movies would be incomplete without Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. In “Cronos,” an antique dealer name Jesus comes across a beetle-shaped gem that transforms him into a vampiric being. He finds out that its previous owner is looking for it and has sent his nephew to retrieve it. Jesus’ thirst for immortality makes him put up a fight, one where he could possibly overlook the lives of his loved ones.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘Aterrados’/’Terrified’ (2017)
“Aterrados” Trailer
Considered one of the best horror productions in Argentina, the film takes place in Buenos Aires, where people suddenly experience an onslaught of paranormal phenomena that have led to several crime scenes and unanswered questions. Three paranormal investigators take on the case and begin to encounter the supernatural forces themselves.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones’ (2014)
“Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” - Official Trailer
“Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” is another film cherished by Latine audiences, except this time the franchise leans into creating a film geared toward its viewership. While dealing with the same themes and similar lore of the other films, this film focuses on a predominately Latine community in California and places Latine actors at the forefront.
After a neighbor dies, Jesse and Hector break into the dead neighbor’s apartment, where they come across a variety of strange items. Jesse decides to take one of the items and his behavior suddenly changes, terrifying his family and friends, who question who or what looms in the neighbor’s apartment.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘The Curse of La Llorona’ (2019)
“The Curse of La Llorona” - Official Trailer [HD]
“The Curse of La Llorona” takes the haunted tale of the weeping woman and sets it in 1970s Los Angeles, where a social worker removes two children from an unstable household. The social worker and her own two kids encounter the wrath of La Llorona at full force.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Max
‘La Llorona’ (2019)
“La Llorona” - TRAILER OFICIAL
Another take on the vengeful ghost, this version blends the supernatural and the political, basing the film on the real-life events of the Mayan genocide in Guatemala.
A native woman, Alma, is murdered with her children during a military attack in Guatemala. Decades later, the general responsible for the genocide is found not guilty, which angers the town. The ghosts of his past haunt him with the arrival of a new maid.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” – Official Trailer
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” has only one Latine actor, Filipina and Mexican actress Andrea Andrade, in a small role as a murder victim. Yet, this did not deter Latine audiences. The flick performed best in cities with big Latine populations like Los Angeles, New York and El Paso.
This installment focused on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, documenting the exorcism of an 8-year-old boy in Connecticut that forever changes the pair.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Max
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006)
According to Vulture, “Pan’s Labyrinth” is Guillermo del Toro’s magnum opus. It is also considered one of the best fantasy films ever made. The renowned filmmaker melds the fantasy genre to depict the harsh reality of war.
The Spanish-language film follows the coming-of-age of a young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who has a nefarious stepfather who is a Francoist officer in the Spanish Civil War. The child ventures into a world of magical characters in an ancient labyrinth garden, where she is put to the ultimate test through a set of trials.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV
Allison Argueta-Claros is a Salvadoran American writer based in North Jersey. She studies migration studies, journalism and creative writing at New York University. @allisonargueta_
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