Like many Hispanic and Latino children, I grew up with Walter Mercado’s astrological predictions, stories about El Cuco, and a very intense fear of going to Hell. I didn’t realize this was unique until I invited a friend over to my house to watch A Haunting after school. Her mom never let her visit after that. I wasn’t sure what the issue was since we watched The Last of the Mohicans together at her house (and that was rated R!). Turns out, the typical American child isn’t exposed to ghosts, exorcisms, and the supernatural on a daily basis. Whoops!

So it’s no surprise I grew up to be, as one dating app hopeful wrote in his message to me, “a real-life Wednesday Addams.”

It wasn’t until I was older that I realized just how much horror resonates with Hispanic and Latino audiences. In fact, Latinos represent 26% of horror movie audiences (Hispanic and Latino viewers made up 38% of the audience during the opening weekend for 2022’s Prey for the Devil and 44% of the audience during the opening weekend for Saw X in 2023). This might have something to do with the fact that though we come from diverse cultures with their own histories, we have some shared experiences with war, magical realism, folklore, and religion—elements that blend perfectly with horror.

So to celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month and beyond, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite Hispanic and Latino horror films. Be warned, though: we know how to tell a good scary story.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

It’s hard to make a film from a child’s perspective compelling, unless, of course, you’re Guillermo del Toro, a director who is great at telling stories about children who are capable, strong, and most importantly, lovable. You want to live from their perspective because you actually feel for them, something most American films fail to do (we’re obsessed with quippy, precocious child who lives through everything and does no wrong, which is pretty annoying, in my opinion).

Pan’s Labyrinth tells the story follows 10-year-old Ofelia, a curious girl with a love for fairy tales who travels with her pregnant mother to meet her new stepfather, Captain Vidal—a ruthless officer hunting resistance fighters in Francoist Spain. Ofelia discovers a labyrinth and meets a faun who believes she is the reincarnation of Princess Moanna. He tells her she is destined to reclaim her kingdom, but only if she can complete a series of dangerous tasks.

As beautiful as it is brutal, Pan’s Labyrinth shocks not only with its fantastical creatures but with Captain Vidal’s cruelty—just watch the scene with the rabbit hunters and you’ll understand.

Terrified (2017)

Terrified is one of the most relentless horror films I’ve ever seen—so effective and so intense that I’ve only managed to watch it once. There’s one single image specifically seared into my mind that still creeps up on me whenever I’m making breakfast. I won’t spoil it here, but you’ll know it when you see it.

Set in a neighborhood in Buenos Aires plagued by escalating paranormal disturbances, Terrified is packed with hovering bodies, rattling furniture, creatures lurking under beds, and corpses that refuse to stay buried. It starts at 100 and stays there, so if you’re not into slow burns, this is the film for you.

And if you make it through, director Demián Rugna also directed 2023’s When Evil Lurks. You know, just in case you’re looking for the kind of double feature that will make you physically ill. Do your thing, though, I won’t judge.

[REC] (2007)

There are a lot of great found footage movies, but [REC] might just be the best. Directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, this fast-paced Spanish horror follows television reporter Ángela and her cameraman, Pablo, as they cover the night shift at a fire station for a show called While You’re Sleeping. When the firefighters respond to a call at a nearby apartment building, they find themselves trapped under strict quarantine as a mysterious infection spreads, turning the residents into aggressive, flesh-eating zombies.

Relentless from start to finish, [REC] keeps the tension ratcheting higher until its unforgettable final 15 minutes. You might be tempted to watch the American remake, Quarantine, but, respectfully, why the hell would you do that? No, seriously. Do yourself a favor: watch [REC] with the lights off and the blinds drawn. It just might make you a little more grateful for your local news crews and firefighters.

Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)

Few films have captured the body horror of pregnancy as accurately as Michelle Garza Cervera’s Huesera: The Bone Woman. Huesera: The Bone Woman tells the story of Valeria, a creative young woodworker whose much-anticipated pregnancy turns into a waking nightmare. Instead of experiencing joy, Valeria compulsively cracks her knuckles, sees visions of faceless women jumping from buildings, and realizes with growing dread that perhaps motherhood won’t bring the fulfillment her family and partner have promised. Something incredibly dark is following her, and she needs to find her way out, fast.

As someone who feels ambivalent about marriage and motherhood, Huesera: The Bone Woman is a very important film to me. It speaks to the suffocating societal pressures so many women face, specifically the expectation to embrace permanent, life-altering choices simply because “it’s what you’re supposed to do.” The film’s incredible sound design makes it almost unbearable to sit through—you can physically feel every broken bone and cracked knuckle.

If you want more from Garza Cervera, we have good news: her version of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle is coming to Hulu on October 22, 2025. You can read our exclusive interview with her here.

Satanic Hispanics (2022)

Alright, it’s time to have some fun. Satanic Hispanics is a 2022 anthology film from our sister company, Dread, that features a collection of shorts directed by Mike Mendez, Demián Rugna, Eduardo Sánchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, and Alejandro Brugués, featuring an impressive cast, including Efren Ramirez, Jacob Vargas, and Patricia Velasquez.

The stories range from a man summoning a spirit in his apartment to a politician under siege by a group of shapeshifting creatures (there’s also plenty of demons). It’s thrilling enough to keep you hooked, playful enough to laugh through, the practical effects are impressive, and the shorts are delivered in both English and Spanish. I’m personally a fan of the vampire short because it’s surprisingly sweet, but there’s something here for everyone.

Consider throwing Satanic Hispanics on during your Halloween party this month, and watch our panel with the directors here.

Santa Sangre (1989)

Okay, fun’s over. But that doesn’t mean you should click away—I’ve saved Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre for last for a reason. Santa Sangre tells the story of Fenix, a circus performer whose life unravels under the influence of his mother, a mystic and cult leader who pushes him to commit unspeakable acts in her name. What unfolds is a very strange (and gory) coming-of-age story, one that Roger Ebert called “a collision between Freud and Fellini.”

I appreciate Jodorowsky for his lifelong fascination with tarot and mysticism, and Santa Sangre is full of interesting images and symbols that seem to pull from his own practice. This is the kind of movie you watch if you genuinely want to see something new, which seems impossible to expect from a movie that’s 36 years old, but Santa Sangre delivers.

If you’re intimidated by the “Freud and Fellini” of it all, don’t be: this is by far Jodorowsky’s most accessible work. It’s gorgeous in 4K, but if you can watch it on Tubi for free, too.

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