4 Spanish thriller films to watch this fall

One of my all-time favorite classes to teach is Contemporary Spanish and Latin American film. Why? 1. I love movies and 2. if the course falls during the fall semester I get to plan my horror movie unit. How great is that? I get to show, watch, and analyze scary movies with my students. It’s win-win for all. Here are a few of my favorite horror films that I’ve shown over the years.

Los ojos de Julia

Any movie that starts with rain, twins, and death is usually a win. Los ojos de Julia doesn’t disappoint. It follows Julia, a woman who is slowly losing her sight, while she investigates the suspicious death of her twin sister.

El secreto de los ojos

This movie isn’t so much horror as it is suspenseful. El secreto de los ojos is an Argentine film starring megastar Ricardo Darín. It tells the story of a detective preparing to write his memoirs who revisits an unsolved case from 20 years prior. As he tumbles into his memories and starts to dig into dark corners, what he uncovers is beyond shocking. **Sidenote- an American remake was done of this film, starring Julia Roberts and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The Argentine original is fantastically superior.

El orfanato

This. is. a. good. one. This movie tells the story of Laura, who returns to the orphanage she grew up in with her husband and son, Simon, in with hopes of turning it into a home for sick children. Their life is going according to plan until Simon disappears and Laura’s search for her son hurtles her into the dark past of the orphanage she once knew.

Juan de los muertos

This movie is a cult favorite. Again, not so much horror, but comedy and social critique with aspects of horror. Think Shaun of the Dead, set in Havana, Cuba. Zombies abound in the streets of Havana, but as terror takes hold, this movie also offers an insightful social critique with a comedic twist.