‘Lechuza’ Descends Into Owl Witch Madness [Giallo Julian’s Indie Spotlight]
I tell you what, Fright Fiends, when it comes to scary stories to keep your blood chilled during hot nights, Latin-American folklore has some bangers. La Llorona, El Chupacabra, El Coco, Pishtaco. I had to look that last one up, but that doesn’t deter from how unnerving a vampire who drains people’s fat is.
There are plenty of ghosts and monsters creeping across the Latin American landscape from one folkloric tradition to another, so you’d think there would be a plethora of flicks with them in it. And I’m sure there are… just not here in the States. At least, not many come straight to my mind. So if you know any, please leave a comment so I can check them out!
On that note, director Miguel Martinez is trying to change that issue with his short proof-of-concept film LECHUZA.
Read the full synopsis below:
“Gaby’s life has ended. Her mother dies in front of her and she refuses to cope. The only people left in Gaby’s life are her sisters who bring out the worst in each other. Upon learning how deep magic really goes, Gaby’s curiosity gets the better of her and she attempts to cross the line and resurrect her dead mother… In the process, she unknowingly calls forth a Lechuza who unleashes hell upon everybody for their misuse of magic. La Lechuza takes on each sister individually, exploiting their fears and insecurities. They have to battle their individual demons and then come together to rescue their possessed adopted sister, Perri. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
Before we dig deeper, let’s have a quick rundown of what La Lechuza is. Basically, they’re these old brujas (witches) that are “able to take on the form of an owl”, with the purpose of “terrorizing those who [they feel] have wronged nature.” I believe this mostly involves attacking innocent children involved with said nature-wronging. So be sure to teach your kids about being respectful to Gaia’s domain.
The goal of this short film is to pique the interest of “financiers, producers, and some festivals” in the hope of gaining funding for a potential feature film version. Which, you know, would be great because there’s not as much Latin American representation in American horror cinema as there could be. Any way to fill that void is a plus in my grimoire! Also not to mention the SEVERE lack of bird-women attacking people in film. We need to bump those numbers up.
About the film, Martinez said:
“I intend to make a film that uses the horror genre for a complex study of familial ties and how we cope with the loss of a matriarch in the Mexican culture with the trademark polishes and frills normally associated with the genre. In a sense, it’s The Evil Dead meets Hereditary. I want to make a film that viewers can watch when they need to understand the complicated emotions inside of them and be thrilled in the process.”
You can back the film’s Kickstarter right here, and help bring La Lechuza to life to terrorize us alongside her more well-known cousins. As always, I’ll keep you updated once I am!
Until next time…
Ciao, friends!
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