Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month with 5 Horror Films that Challenge the Colonial Mindset
Latinx Heritage Month is a month-long celebration in the United States. It’s a time to highlight the cultures, folklore, and traditions that emerge from these countries. If we closely examine the start date (September 15), it coincides with the Independence gained from Spain for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Other Latin American countries gained their Independence between September and October. This separation from Spain and Portugal paved the stepping stone to reject ideologies fabricated from colonization. While colonialism may seem like a thing of the past, its effects are still felt today. This is why there are plenty of contemporary Latin American horror films that defy and display the dangers of sustaining the intergenerational indoctrination from Catholic conversion and colonization. Here are five streamable films that challenge the mindsets ingrained in western imperialism.
Bacurau
As I gravitate towards films that depict the effect of colonization in Latin American media, it’s no surprise Bacurau was one of the first pieces I wrote for my column, Horror En Español. Bacurau is the epitome of Latin American cinema using the horror genre to display the harmful effects of the colonial perspective in contemporary times. The film follows a small rural village as they protect their town from invading Western foreigners. While the neo-colonizers are American in this narrative, they are still dehumanizing the Indigenous people of Brazil similar to the Portuguese settlers upon their initial arrival.
In the film, the Americans are killing men, women, and children for sport as they view the residents of Bacurau solely as a pawn in their cruel game. But instead of focusing on the trauma, directors Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles use Brazil’s history of silent Indigenous genocide as a reference to create a hopeful film about standing firm against the oppression of colonialism, racism, and fascism.
Skull: The Mask
As we stay within Brazil, Skull: The Mask follows the supernatural slasher icon Skull (Ruiki Jr.) as he walks through the concrete jungle of Săo Paulo savagely murdering any human that comes down his path to complete a ritual. While the film may not seem heavy at face value, the underlying themes don’t stray away from the violent history of colonized Brazil. Skull: The Mask depicts a manipulative approach Portuguese colonizers used to gain leverage against the Indigenous people, in this case the Tupi-Guarani.
In order to gain control, the Portuguese translated the term Anhangá, a spirit of Indigenous belief who protects the jungle, to the Catholic version of the Devil. In the film, whoever wears Anhangá’s mask is transformed into Skull. This adds a layer of vengeance against the imposed religion brought onto the Tupi-Guarani tribe, as one of the major plot points involves Skull searching to kill Father Vasco Magno (Ricardo Gelli).
Wekufe
Demonizing Indigenous beliefs is a recurring theme within certain Latin American horror films. As mentioned in Skull: The Mask, this was a tactic used by settlers to conquer but Latin American cinema is now acting against this horrendous and xenophobic act. The Chilean film Wekufe is extremely overt in how colonizers displayed their fear against the Indigenous people. The film follows a couple who venture to the island of Chiloé to investigate a link between abnormally high crime rates and a local myth. Following the steps of The Blair Witch Project, the couple brings a camera to record the investigation as they ask the Indigenous population about the local myth. What is quickly realized is how the Indigenous people of Chiloé aren’t fond of foreigners, especially because of how they transformed the local myth into an evil entity.
The Light on the Hill
For our final horror film from South America, The Light on the End of the Hill takes a more subtle approach to the imbalance and mentality created by colonization. The film follows two coroners from Lima, the capital of Peru, as they unravel a mystery in a rural village. As there is a chance for riches, the two big-city coroners will stop at nothing to attempt to find the hidden gold from the Peruvian Inquisition. Just like in Bacurau, we see how outsiders view the Indigenous population and have no remorse for their beliefs or person as a whole. On top of this, there is plenty of talk about who are the rightful heirs of the land and how the white-passing Peruvians assume superiority.
The Untamed
While the other four films in this list are about the effects of colonization, The Untamed displays the dangers of another factor with colonial roots that is still a major problem in Latin America. The film goes after an ingrained mentality that is stemmed from Catholic values. The Untamed follows a group of Mexican people who come across an alien life form that either provides the highest sensation of pleasure or punishes you with death. As we follow the mix of hetero and queer relationships, director Amat Escalante makes it clear that Catholicism is an oppressive force. He depicts how indoctrination is prevalent regardless of religious beliefs. A connection can be made between Angel’s (Jesus Meza) self-loathing and the subconscious mentality of homophobia formed from the imposed religion.
The topic of colonialism and the subconscious mentality it created is nothing new. To be able to experience Latin American horror cinema revolting against these ideas is refreshing and needed. In order to overcome it, the first step is to acknowledge these fabricated ideologies. They all run deep from generation to generation and the process of decolonizing is a tough journey. But with films like these to remind us about the dangers, the process becomes just a little easier. Happy Latinx Heritage Month everyone!
Categorized:Editorials Lists News
