SATANIC HISPANICS is a new horror anthology that works like a charm. While horror is the main genre, comedy also plays an important part. Screened at Fantastic Fest 2022. Read our full Satanic Hispanics movie review here!
SATANIC HISPANICS is a new horror anthology with a lot going for it. Even the “wrap-around” story is awesome, so you look forward to that part as well. Sure, the various short films that make up the anthology differ in style and tone, but never too much.
Personally, I enjoyed the darker stories just as much as the more lighthearted ones. In fact, the combination and diversity were part of what made this work. Especially since a runtime of around two hours can easily be too long, but not with this one.
Continue reading our Satanic Hispanics movie review below.
I love a good horror anthology
Anthologies have long been popular and especially horror anthologies have been around for a long time. From V/H/S to The ABC of Death to The Holidays, these anthologies help highlight amazing short films in our beloved genre.
And while horror is definitely the main genre in Satanic Hispanics, comedy also plays an important part. Again, this is often the case with anthologies. Maybe not in all the short stories, but usually as part of the wrap-around segment.
In this horror anthology, it’s both prevalent in the wrap-around story and in several short stories. Actually, there’s a touch of comedy in all of them, but sometimes it’s just a little while, for others, it’s a core part of the vibe.
The stories in this Satanic anthology
Obviously, there’s a Satanic touch in all the stories of this anthology, just like the key characters are Hispanics. Hence the title! The wrap-around story focuses on a man, The Traveler (Efren Ramirez of Napoleon Dynamite), who was the sole survivor of a gruesome murder scene.
However, he has chained up himself, so he doesn’t look like the killer.
Still, he needs to be questioned by the police, which is where we get his story. Also, he needs to leave soon (or the world will end), so we need to make it all a bit snappy. The two detectives, Gibbons and Arden, are portrayed by Sonya Eddy (I Live Alone) and Greg Grunberg (Alias) respectively. They are perfectly cast here!
DOES THE TITLE SEEM FAMILIAR?
Maybe you’ve heard of Satanic Panic which we’ve covered here >
The stories in this anthology are told by The Traveler as a way to explain his crazy life and how he ended up in that terrible situation. Not that we ever get that specific explanation, but we certainly get enough information to understand that he is very special.
Watch Satanic Hispanics when you get the chance
The directors of Satanic Hispanics are Alejandro Brugués (Pooka Lives!), Mike Mendez (Tales of Halloween), Demián Rugna (Aterrados), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell), and Eduardo Sánchez (The Blair Witch Project). All the Satanic Hispanics stories are named after the key person or object at the heart of the story.
They include a Rubik’s Cube expert who manages to open a strange doorway. A real-life vampire having fun on Halloween because he can be out in plain sight. A lesson not to mess with Mother Earth, and just wait till you find out what “The Hammer of Zanzibar” is.
Overall, the casting is amazing and the actors seem to be having a blast. I was really happy with this anthology which was so much better than I ever imagined. We screened this movie as part of our Fantastic Fest 2022 coverage, and can only recommend that you check it out as soon as you get the chance. It’s a real horror treat!
Satanic Hispanics had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2022 on September 25, 2022. It’ll be out in theaters on September 14, 2023, and on digital on November 14, 2023. Also, it will be available on Shudder from March 8, 2024.
Details
Directors: Alejandro Brugués, Mike Mendez, Demian Rugna, Eduardo Sanchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Demián Rugna
Script: Alejandro Mendez, Demian Rugna, Lino K. Villa
Stars: Efren Ramirez , Greg Grunberg, Jacob Vargas, Hemky Madera, Patricia Velasquez, Jonah Ray Rodrigues, Demian Salomon, Luis Machin, Ari Gallegos
Plot
In the horror anthology film, when police raid a house in El Paso, they find it full of dead Latinos, and only one survivor. He’s known as The Traveler. When they take him to the station for questioning, he tells them those lands are full of magic and talks about the horrors he’s encountered in his long time on this earth, about portals to other worlds, mythical creatures, demons, and the undead.
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