Halley (film)
A dead security guard struggles to hide his decomposition.
Halley is a 2012 Mexican body horror drama film. Sebastián Hofmann directed and edited it, and co-wrote the screenplay with Julio Chavezmontes. Alberto Trujillo plays Beto, a dead security guard who isolates himself as his decaying body becomes impossible to conceal. The film debuted at the 2012 Morelia International Film Festival, and was later shown at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Beto works the night shift at a 24-hour gym and wants to quit because he is unwell. His illness is that he is actually dead, a condition he finds increasingly difficult to hide. He watches people doing things he cannot, like exercising, applying makeup, or eating ice cream. To manage his rapid decomposition, he applies dull makeup and perfume, injects embalming fluid, and removes maggots from his sores. After ending up in a mortuary, he suddenly revives, startling the mortician before leaving. Following a church sermon, he buys bandages at a pharmacy, where a conversation with the dancing pharmacist leaves him happy. He tries to eat pancakes despite knowing he cannot, then throws them away in frustration over his "immortality." Beto develops feelings for Silvia, the gym manager, who invites him out to say goodbye before he quits. The next day, he attempts to masturbate, then in a separate, deliberate act of self-mutilation, castrates himself, resigning himself to his fate on the bathroom floor. Later, Beto travels to Iceland and gazes out at the glaciers and water.
Director Sebastián Hofmann told Vice Mexico that the story began with a childhood memory of his grandmother asking him to draw Halley's Comet in 1986, which inspired the film's title. Hofmann described the comet as "a symbol for immortality" and "the eternal witness of our history," arriving every 75 years, with the space between visits equaling a human lifespan. The final scene was shot in Iceland, as confirmed by the director and production details.
The film premiered at the Morelia International Film Festival in November 2012, then at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and was also screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 25, 2013.
Critical reception was positive, with praise for its treatment of mortality, illness, and loneliness, as well as its cinematography and lea
- Release year
- 2012
- Country
- Mexico
- Director
- Sebastián Hofmann
- Genre
- Body horror drama
- Lead actor
- Alberto Trujillo
- Premiere
- 2012 Morelia International Film Festival
Lore & Background
The film follows Beto, a night shift security guard at a 24-hour gym who wants to quit because he is sick—unbeknownst to others, he is actually dead. He conceals his decomposing body with drab makeup, perfume, embalming fluid injections, and by picking maggots from his sores. He longs for activities he can no longer do, such as exercising, applying makeup, or eating ice cream. After a brief resurrection at a mortuary, he has a pleasant conversation with a pharmacist but later attempts to masturbate, then castrates himself in a separate, deliberate act of self-mutilation, resigning to his fate. The film ends with Beto traveling to Iceland, staring out at glaciers and water.
Reader's Guide
Halley is notable for its original treatment of the zombie genre, transforming it into a thoughtful character study about mortality, illness, and loneliness. Director Sebastián Hofmann drew inspiration from a childhood memory of his grandmother asking him to draw Halley's Comet in 1986, and later from a newspaper article about a meteor shower caused by the comet's dust trail. The comet serves as a symbol of immortality, arriving every 75 years and described by Hofmann as 'the eternal witness of our history.' The film received positive reviews for its cinematography, protagonist performance, and its 'strangely compelling story' and 'strange sense of the grotesque,' as noted by Screen Daily. It stands as a distinctive entry in Mexican cinema, blending horror with existential drama.
Did You Know?
- The film's title was inspired by the director's grandmother asking him to draw Halley's Comet in 1986, and the comet's association with decay and return.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Halley (film)?
Halley is a 2012 Mexican body horror drama centered on a night-shift security guard at a 24-hour gym who realizes he is actually dead and must try to keep his decomposing body hidden from coworkers.
Who directed and wrote Halley (film)?
Sebastián Hofmann directed and edited the film, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Julio Chavezmontes.
What is the central premise of Halley (film)?
Alberto Trujillo plays Beto, a dead guard who keeps clocking in for his night shift while his body visibly rots, and he grows increasingly desperate to quit and conceal what is happening to him.
Where did Halley (film) premiere and where else was it screened?
It had its world premiere at the 2012 Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico, and later appeared at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
What makes Halley (film) stand out in Mexican genre cinema?
Rather than treating death as a supernatural twist, the film frames it as a slow, physical process a working man must endure in secret, giving it a bleak, character-driven tone that sets it apart from more conventional Mexican horror.
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