Okay, so I got this idea to dive into Latin American horror movies. I’d seen a few, like, randomly, but never really focused on them. I figured it was a whole world I was missing out on, you know?
First, I needed to, like, actually find some movies. So I hit up Google. Just typed in “best Latin American horror movies,” super basic. I got a bunch of lists – some were from, like, legit film sites, others were just random blogs. Whatever, I went through them.
I jotted down any titles that popped up more than once. I figured those were the ones people really liked. Also, I looked for movies that had, like, interesting descriptions. You know, not just “zombies attack” but something a bit more… unique.
- Aterrados (Terrified) – This one kept coming up. Argentinian, apparently.
- La Llorona – Not the one from a few years ago, the Guatemalan one from 2019.
- Tigers Are Not Afraid – Mexican, looked kinda dark and fairytale-ish.
- Good Manners (As Boas Maneiras) – Brazilian, werewolves, seemed… different.
That was my starting list. I figured four movies was enough to get a feel for things. Then came the fun part – watching them!
Aterrados was first. Man, that movie was messed up! Seriously creepy. Lots of, like, unexplained stuff happening in a neighborhood. Super jumpy. I watched it with the lights on, not gonna lie.
Next up was La Llorona. This one was more… political, I guess? It was about the Guatemalan genocide, and the La Llorona legend was woven into that. It wasn’t as scary as Aterrados, but it was really powerful and sad.
Tigers Are Not Afraid was… wow. It’s about these kids surviving in a city overrun by drug violence, and there’s this fantasy element to it. It was heartbreaking, but also really beautiful in a weird way.
Finally, Good Manners. Werewolves in Brazil! It was… unexpected. Part horror, part musical, part… social commentary? It was definitely the most unusual of the bunch.
My takeaway?
Latin American horror is way more than just jump scares. There’s a lot of social and political stuff going on, and they use horror to explore some really heavy themes. It’s not always “fun” scary, but it’s definitely thought-provoking. I’m totally going to keep exploring this – there’s so much more out there!
