5. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976)
Anyone who knows me knows I love seeing kids in horror films — dead, alive, killers, the killed — in part because so few filmmakers have the courage to include them in the carnage. That, in a nutshell, is part and parcel with the conceit on display here as a small island community is decimated when the children start killing adults. And the adults fall because they can’t quite bring themselves to kill mere children.
Later films have touched on similar ideas, from Children of the Corn (Stephen King’s original short story was published the year after this Spanish film premiered) to The Children, but credit where due, Narciso Ibanez Serrador’s feature was the first to get the bloody ball rolling. It’s a suspenseful film, creepy too, and it builds to a perfect ending as the world’s smallest victims head out to victimize the world. Add this Spanish language horror gem to your watchlist immediately. (Rob Hunter)
4. The Skin I Live In (2011)
The mad scientist/doctor trope is one of the oldest in all of horror. It’s been used countless times to date and will undoubtedly continue to be used well into the future. In 2011, director Pedro Almodóvar had great success using this trope with The Skin I Live In. Antonio Banderas stars as Dr. Robert Legard, a distinguished plastic surgeon that has suffered through unspeakable tragedies that led him to develop artificial skin. Legard perfects his creation on Vera (Elena Anaya), an unwilling participant. But Vera is much more than just Legard’s science experience; she’s a link to his past and a pivotal contributor to him reaching his breaking point. As Legard descends further into madness, it becomes clear that an obsession for revenge can push even the most brilliant of minds too far. (Chris Coffel)
3. Belzebuth (2017)
Sure, you’ve seen procedural horror. And sure, you’ve seen possession horror. But you are missing out in both respects if you haven’t seen Emilio Portes’ Belzebuth. While carrying out an investigation of a massacre in a public school on the U.S. border, special agent Emanuel Ritter (Joaquín Cosío) can’t shake the feeling that the event is somehow tied to the tragic death of his newborn son all those years ago. With his sanity waning, Ritter finds himself sucked deeper and deeper into an unfurling plot of disgraced priests, ritual infanticides, and the impending age of an ancient demon.
Featuring a captivating supporting performance by Saw’s Tobin Bell, Belzebuth boasts one of the most unsettling opening scenes of the past ten years. A gritty, blood-and-dust take on the religious horror sub-genre, Belzebuth is the most fun you can have in a film with ungodly amounts of child murder. Whether it’s a demonic Jesus made from rotten crucifixes or the massacre of innocents, Belzebuth does not pull its gore-caked punches and absolutely earns its spot among the best Spanish language horror films. (Anna Swanson)
2. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Guillermo del Toro‘s second Spanish-language feature is set at a small orphanage during the final days of the Spanish Civil War. A 12-year-old boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives after his father dies during the war and quickly befriends Jamie (Íñigo Garcés), the orphanage bully. While partaking in standard childish shenanigans, Carlos discovers the orphanage is home to some dark secrets involving the janitor Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), a hidden treasure, and a dead boy named Santi (Junio Valverde). Carlos’ curiosity gets the best of him and decides to investigate further.
The Devil’s Backbone is a beautifully haunting ghost story that teaches us that sometimes ghosts are less scary and more sad. I first watched The Devil’s Backbone one evening alone as part of a triple feature with Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth. I was left feeling incurably depressed and now seek therapy. Thanks, del Toro. (Chris Coffel)
1. [REC] (2007)
[REC]’s claim to this list’s top spot was inevitable. It is, after all, a force to be reckoned with in a host of categories: a benchmark of the found footage, zombie, and religiously inclined sub-genres, as well as a candidate for one of the best, and scariest, horror films of the 21st Century. Adding Best Spanish Language Horror Film seems inevitable. Co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, [REC] begins at the dead of night with Ángela Vidal (real-life television presenter Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo (Pablo Rosso) on documentary assignment at a local firehall. While they are recording, the station receives a call for a wellness check: an old woman is trapped in her apartment…and her neighbours can hear her screaming. Accompanying the firefighters, Ángela and Pablo soon find themselves trapped, quarantined, and in mortal peril. A mysterious and highly virulent disease is ripping through the apartment complex, leaving a trail of viscera, torn skin, and bloodied tile. As their numbers dwindle, Ángela and Pablo’s search for a way out implodes into a catastrophic fight for survival. (Meg Shields)
Previous 2 of 2