Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Blood Window and 6 Latin American Horror Films
by Marisha Howard
Blood Window is a Latin American based platform that helps connect Latin American film makers specializing in horror to the global market. The company supports early-stage projects seeking funding and partnerships, fostering strategic alliances between Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The initiative promotes talent by collaborating with industry professionals, helping filmmakers gain visibility in international film festivals and markets.
“Since 2014, our idea has always been to give greater visibility to the projects that have gone through Blood Window at Ventana Sur,” says the head of the program Javier. C. Fernández, calling the films they are bringing to Cannes, “a celebration for the Latin American genre film community.” This year alone, Blood Window sent six films to the Cannes Festival with the hopes of them being purchased by the international market.
Here’s a look at the six films they presented this year:
Eyes of the Abyss (Los Ojos del Abismo)
Location: Argentina
Genre: Action/sci-fi
Director: Daniel de la Vega
It’s 1982 in the South Atlantic. Surrounded by corpses, a soldier wakes up on a warship with no memory. Suddenly, a group of soldiers storm the ship. She’s forced to fight for her life. These wars transcend death, creating haunting echoes of revenge.
Produced by Néstor Sánchez Sotelo for Del Toro Films, this is an intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Are you brave enough to face it?
Eyes of the Abyss sold to North American and U.K. markets just before Blood Window’s Cannes Market Debut. The film was bought by Uncork’d Entertainment.
Eyes of the Abyss photo from Blood Window
1978
Location: Argentina, New Zealand
Genre: Horror
Directors: Luciano Onetti, Nicolas Onetti
This Black Mandala Films production follows a group of people during the World Cup finals who are kidnapped by a dictatorial military regime. But after being tortured it, becomes obvious the dictators have kidnapped the wrong people. What starts as a brutal interrogation turns into a nightmare when the captors realize these youngsters are actually part of a mysterious cult. Soon, the secret detention center becomes pure chaos…
1978 photo from Blood Window
Fifteen (Quince)
Location: Mexico, Argentina
Genre: Horror/comedy
Directors: Jack Zagha, Yossy Zagha
Ligia and Mayte—two besties on a mission to throw the ultimate quinceañera party. They’re hoping this party will be their golden ticket into the popular crowd. But things take a dark turn when Ligia’s boyfriend, Joel, gets attacked by a mysterious creature and starts transforming into something terrifying. After Ligia loses her virginity to him, she finds out there’s something equally dangerous growing inside her. Drama, horror, and high school all collide in this wild ride of a horror film.
Photo from Blood Window
Parvulos
Location: Mexico
Genre: Horror/coming-of-age/drama
Director: Isaac Ezban
Can you picture a crazy dystopian world inspired by Goodnight Mommy, Lord of the Flies, A Quiet Place, Stephen King, and Guillermo del Toro? This is the thrilling story of three brothers surviving in the woods. Directed by Ezban and co-written with Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes, this intense movie is brought to you by Red Elephant Films and Maligno Gorehouse, with help from Corazon Films, Toushka Ventures, and Gekolor Studios. Starring Felix Farid, Leonardo Cervantes, Mateo Ortega, Horacio Lazo, Norma Flores, Noé Hernández, and Carla Adell, it’s the kind of thriller that will definitely keep you hooked.
Parvulos photo from Blood Window
Remanence: A Voltage Cosmic Tale (Remanente: Voltagem Cósmica)
Location: Brazil, Canada
Genre: Horror/fantasy
Director: Kapel Furman
In Novo Hamburg, Brazil, two rescuers stumble upon hidden treasure. Long story short, they accidentally open a dimensional portal bringing to life a creature by the name of Anton Meiher, aka The Engineer—a being with wild electromagnetic powers. His mission? To get those jewels back no matter the cost, Why? Because they help him hop between dimensions.
This high-stakes adventure is produced by João Fleck and Nicolas Tonsho from Fantaspoa Producoes with co-producers James Fler, Andrew Hunt, and Michael Paszt from Canada’s Raven Banner.
Buckle up for a ride through space and time!
Remanence: A Voltage Cosmic Tal: photo from Blood Window
The Tree House (A Casa da Árvore)
Location: Brazil
Genre: Thriller
Director: Flávio Ermírio
Dora lives alone in a remote mountain house, diving into some sketchy science experiments for research. In need of a trustworthy partner, she hires Mateus as her caretaker. Little does she know, he’s got secrets of his own.
As they get closer, Mateus uncovers the shocking truth behind Dora’s research: it’s all about turning humans into compost. Intrigued? This dark, twisty tale is brought to you by Poetika productions.
The Three House photo from Blood Window
***
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for these 6 captivating films in the international market, brought to you by Blood Window. Blood Window is all about shining a light on up-and-coming Latin American horror and genre filmmakers. They’re not just showing off the coolest new projects, they’re also hooking up Ibero-American talent with key industry connections and opportunities. With a focus on global collaboration, it’s a crucial platform for both new and established filmmakers to gain visibility and find success in the international film scene.
