Horror films are the most underappreciated genre with the Motion Picture Academy. They rarely get nominated or win Oscars. The only true horror flick to win, The Silence of the Lambs in 1992, won Best Picture plus several other coveted categories. Two-thousand-seventeen saw The Shape of Water take the big prize, but Guillermo del Toro’s fish tale isn’t so much a horror movie as it is an amphibian, fantasy, re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast fable. Guillermo del Toro’s creature from the black lagoon is a mistreated critter who oozes pathos, not terror.

Despite being snubbed by the Academy, horror films are often critically acclaimed works of cinema and enormous commercial successes. Look no further than Halloween Kills which is currently killing it at the box office.

So, it is most gratifying to see Blumhouse produce Madres and Bingo Hell, two well-crafted horror films featuring Latino casts, themes and two young, promising Latino directors with distinct and unique approaches to the ever-popular, ticket selling horror movie genre.

THAT ENDLESS PERVADING SENSE OF DREAD

Madres is a classic gothic horror story. But rather than being set in a 19th-century dark, musty castle or spooky old Victorian mansion, director Ryan Zaragoza (All American) skillfully puts together shots that create a pervading sense of impending dread to a migrant farm community in the 1970s.

The story of Madres, written by Marchella Ochoa (Worry Dolls) and Mario Miscione (Dark Web), tells the story of a young Mexican American girl from Los Angeles who moves to a migrant farm community with her Mexican husband. But not long after arriving, she finds herself confronted by terrifying visions.

“This story takes place in the ’70s,” says Zaragoza, “and I am a huge ‘70’s horror movie fan. I especially love the way those filmmakers use the camera and block scenes.” He continues, “I spent a lot of time preparing for this movie analyzing the work of Stanley Kubrick (The Shining) and Steven Spielberg (Jaws).”
The Jaws reference is significant because Madre’s understated but haunting music score by Esqbelle Engman-Brodwik (Bebé) is eerily reminiscent in its effect, forewarning us something bad is going to happen like John Williams memorable score for Jaws.

Madres is also aided by an excellent cast led by a strong performance by Ariana Guerra (Hellstrom), who plays Diana, the young expecting Mexican American mother who is a complete cultural fish out of water in the migrant farm community. Tenoch Huerta (Sin Nombre), plays Beto, Diana’s sympathetic husband. And the always marvelous Elpidia Carrillo (Chateau Vato), is the mysterious curandera, Anita, who knows more than she cares to reveal.

Zaragoza’s careful framing and pacing allow the characters to tell their story with authentic voices. Zaragoza also shuns the use of CGI gimmicks to show the terrifying images Diana sees. Instead, like the old masters he admires, Zaragoza uses blurred images and shadows to impart jolting, shocking lightning flashes of fright.

Madres is frightening but at the same time a very satisfying gothic-horror tale with a surprising coda based on a current, relevant event. The horror movie masters of the ‘70’s could smile and say to Zaragoza, “You’ve learned well, Grasshopper.”

Madres
Director: Ryan Zaragoza
Stars: Ariana Guerra, Tenoch Huerta, Elpidia Carrillo

TAKE A RIDE ON A BIZARRE MERRY-GO-ROUND

Gigi Saul Guerrero (Into the Dark) is a beautiful, vivacious, upbeat Latina actor, director, writer with an outgoing personality and engaging sense of humor. Not exactly the traits you associate with a horror filmmaker, but Guerrero has made good use of those qualities in the weirdly wonderful outlandish Bingo Hell.

“The idea for the story came about,” recalls Guerrero, “when my writing partner and I started speculating what might happen if you took bingo away from a group of senior citizens and closed down their bingo hall?” The result is Bingo Hell, a playful scary-ass meditation on what happens when a mysterious stranger comes to town and turns an old-fashioned, small-town bingo hall into a high-stakes, life-and-death bingo casino.

“I love horror films like Goonies, Gremlins and Needful Things,” says Guerrero with a smile, “Those films were scary with quirky characters and had an underlying sense of playfulness. I also liked Cocoon which had senior citizens as the lead characters.” Those cinematic influences are on a full Gigi-style display in Bingo Hell.

When casting the lead role of Lupita for Bingo Hell, Guerrero asked herself, “Who can I get to play an authentic Mexican chingona?” Obviously, veteran Mexican superstar, Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood). ¿Quién más? As Lupita, Barraza chews up the scenery with spicy hot relish as the Mother Hen, abuela of her neighborhood and the self-appointed guardian angel of the sacred bingo temple. But things start to turn deadly when Mr. Big comes to town and transforms the innocent bingo hall into a glitzy, glittering carnival sideshow of temptation and death.

Guerrero’s camera is always moving and circling her over-the-top characters. Richard Blake (Doom), as the evil, gaunt Mr. Big makes John Carradine look like Mr. Olympia. This guy is so deliciously wicked you could see him spending an evening with Creulla de Vil gleefully pulling the legs and wings off houseflies. It’s a scene Gigi with her off-beat dark sense of humor would shoot as a macabre rom-com. When the hapless winners of Mr. Big’s bingo game meet horrible deaths, Guerrero films them like a grotesque burlesque act. But Guerrero makes all the oddball, Bizarro-world pieces of Bingo Hell work. The climactic shotgun blasting, avenging angel scene with la chingona Adriana Barraza is well worth the price of admission.

Bingo Hell
Director: Gigi Saul Guerrero
Stars: Adriana Barraza, L. Scott Caldwell, Richard Blake

NEW FACES FOR AND OLD GENRE AND MORE

The future of Latino Hollywood is indeed bright with brilliant filmmakers like Zaragoza and Guerrero behind the camera telling their stories through the lens of the Latino experience. The Hispanic culture is a fascinating and diverse one that easily lends itself to all the classic Hollywood movie genres. Kudos to Blumhouse for giving Zaragoza and Guerrero the opportunity to strut their stuff in the horror genre.

Madres and Bingo Hell are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The post Ryan Zaragoza & Gigi Saul Guerrero:
Two Different Faces of Horror first appeared on .

By Ana Perez

Selena Gomez to Produce and Potentially Star in STXfilms’ Dollhouse

Singer-songwriter, actress Selena Gomez has joined STXfilms’ psychological thriller Dollhouse as a producer. Gomez may pull a double-play and also star in the film. 

The project, which is still searching for a director, was written by Michael Paisley and is set in the upper echelon of New York City’s fashion scene and is reminiscent of Black Swan. 

Gomez will produce through her July Moon Productions along with 21 Laps’ Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Patricia Braga of STX will oversee the film with 21 Laps’ Emily Morris.

“Selena’s involvement is an exciting direction for this project. She is supremely talented as both a star and a producer,” said STXfilms Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson. “Teaming Selena with Shawn and Dan’s expertise in the horror-thriller genre will elevate Dollhouse and we couldn’t be more thrilled by the way this is being developed.”

Gomez has gotten busier on the production side of filmmaking in the past couple of years. She recently exec produced Tri-Star’s romantic comedy Broken Hearts Gallery, Living Undocumented and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. Gomez exec produces and can be seen on her HBO Max cooking series Selena+Chef.  She is set to reprise her lead female role in Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 4, which she’ll also executive produce. Additionally, Gomez will produce and star opposite Steve Martin (Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther) and Martin Short (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth) in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Gomez’s acting credits include The Dead Don’t Die, The Big Short and the Netflix original Fundamentals of Caring.

Ariana Guerra Set Appears in Hulu Original Helstrom

Actress Ariana Guerra (Five Feet Apart, Candy Jar) is featured in the horror-filled first season of the Hulu Original Helstrom that started Oct. 16. The series is based on the Marvel comics and follows the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer as they track down the worst of humanity.

The 26-year-old Mexican-American actress portrays Gabriella Rosetti, a woman who uses both logic and faith that wants to help the showrunners uncover cases of demonic possession. Guerra works alongside Tom Austen (Grantchester, The Royals) and Sydney Lemmon (Fear The Walking Dead), who play Daimon Helstrom and Ana Helstrom, respectively.

Guerra is best known for her role as Kerry Phillips in the Netflix series Raising Dion and as Dana in the Netflix film Candy Jar.

Hulu is partnering with Marvel to bring forward Marvel’s dark tale of the Helstrom family. The series will consist of 10 episodes which are set to be released all at once.

Station 19‘s Jaina Lee Ortiz Will Return in Explosive Crossover Event

Television powerhouse Shondaland is no stranger to tackling crises. The long anticipated wait for the return of ABC’s Station 19 is almost over and fans will be welcomed with a two-hour crossover event with Grey’s Anatomy on Nov. 12. 

Station 19 stars Jaina Lee Ortiz and follows the lives and heroics of the Station 19 fire crew. During season four, the crew will show audiences what it means to be on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Station 19 constantly intersects with Grey’s Anatomy, but the crossover events between the two are all the more special to fans. 

The post Hollywood Update: Selena Gomez, Ariana Guerra and Jaina Lee Ortiz Shine in New Projects first appeared on .