Satanic Hispanics Review

Satanic Hispanics review.

A horror anthology that features more hits than misses…and a framing story that ends with a bang. Satanic Hispanics is one of the better anthologies we’ve covered.

New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.

Satanic Hispanics

Directed by Mike Mendez, Alejandro Brugués, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Eduardo Sánchez and Demián Rugna

Written by Pete Barnstrom, Alejandro Mendez and Lino K. Villa

Starring Efran Ramirez, Jonah Ray, Hemky Madera, Patricia Valasquez, Greg Grunberg, Ari Gallegos, Jacob Vargas and Sonya Eddy

Satanic Hispanics Review

The time has come once again to dive into a horror anthology.  Satanic Hispanics brings together five directors to tell Latin American horror stories.  It has a little bit of everything…but isn’t always the best at making them flow well together.  There are jarring jumps from pure horror segments to comedy segments and back again.  The positive is that we are seeing unique visions brought to the screen.  The negative is that the package doesn’t reach its full potential due to the back and forth.

More importantly, Satanic Hispanics gives us the best framing story in a long time.  While the wraparounds are usually the bane of an anthology movie…here it is a true highlight.  In fact, it’s so good we’re going to go ahead and throw it into the ranking of segments instead of just giving it a quick dismissal ahead of time.  It does more than give a reason for the unconnected stories.  It has a tremendously fun payoff that sends the movie out on a real high.

Without further ado…let’s jump into our segment rankings.  Presented in reverse order as always. 

5. Nahuales (segment 3)

Nahuales presents some good old fashioned folk horror.  We’re big fans of director Gigi Saul Guerrero…and she is done a major disservice by the placement of her contribution to Satanic Hispanics.  It is sandwiched between two comedy pieces.  This is the biggest issue with the movie.  You can’t find a better representation of that than Nahuales.  Coming off a funny vampire story does it no favors.  This is a simple story about a witch in the woods.  It has memorable performances and makeup.  Would have made for a perfect opening segment for an anthology of a more consistent tone.  Even places as the opener of Satanic Hispanics would have helped.  There isn’t as much to this segment as the others…but being jerked back and forth in tone doesn’t allow it much of a chance to connect.

4. Tambien Lo Vi (segment 1)

Director Demián Rugna (When Evil Lurks) opens the four segments contained within Satanic Hispanics with an effective little ghost story.  Gustavo (Demian Salomon) is a puzzle solver…Rubik’s Cube’s to be specific.  When he uses his algorithm to light a grid of colored windows…he accidentally opens a door that he shouldn’t.  A fun climax full of great effects awaits.  Tambien Lo Vi starts the movie strongly…benefiting from not following a completely different tone.  The quality of each segment in the package is high when this is ranked second from the bottom.

3. El Vampiro (segment 2)

The first of two comedy segments in Satanic Hispanics, Eduardo Sánchez’s El Vampiro is very funny.  As mentioned repeatedly…the tonal shift can be jarring.  Once you settle into the ridiculousness of the short, however…there is some pure joy to be had.  A vampire misunderstands daylight savings time and finds himself in a race against the clock.  It’s a brilliant setup.  From trying to turn into a bat to a deadly run in with clowns…El Vampiro finds laughs at every turn.  A great lead performance and an irreverent tone nail exactly what they were going for.

2. The Traveler (framing story)

Mike Mendez directed the wraparound story of Satanic Hispanics.  It accomplishes its mission to give the four short stories a reason to co-exist.  The sole survivor found amongst a slew of dead bodies is interrogated by two police officers.  The four stories he tells make up the included installments.  He tells them that if he isn’t released within 90 minutes…everyone will die.  Greg Grunberg and the late Sonya Eddy play the police officers.  Efren Ramirez plays The Traveler.  He’s an immortal who can only be killed by the evil that will arrive in 90 minutes.  This all leads to a tremendously bloody climax.  The end of Satanic Hispanics is incredibly fun.  It also leaves off in a way that can easily lead to further anthologies.  Hopefully we get to see them.

1. The Hammer of Zanzibar (segment 4)

Satanic Hispanics saves the best for last (and then tops it off with the climax of The Traveler).  Director Alejandro Brugués brings us a wild action comedy starring Jonah Ray.  Malcolm (Ray) is having dinner with his friend Amy…and suspects that she is possessed by the demon who killed his friend.  Well…he’s right.  And he’s ready.  Vibes of The Evil Dead and several laugh out loud moments make The Hammer of Zanzibar a must see.  The rare segment in a horror anthology that deserves feature-length film treatment.  Tons of style, a hilarious flashback and a funny song played over the final batter (sung by Ray himself) are just some of the highlights.  The final joke ensures it finishes on a high note.  Go out of your way for this one.

Scare Value

The highs in Satanic Hispanics are very high. The lows aren’t all that low either. If anything hurts the full package it is the wild swings back and forth between comedy segments and horror segments. It can be hard to get into the flow of the movie when it does a 180 minutes later. The individual parts are strong, however. Including, finally, a great wraparound story.

3.5/5

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If you enjoyed this review of Satanic Hispanics, check out some other new reviews: Thanksgiving, Visitors, KillHer, Screwdriver, The Bigfoot Trap, Zombie Town, Sister Death, Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor, Suitable Flesh, Night of the Hunted and Five Nights at Freddy’s.