México Bárbaro
Eight Mexican directors adapt legends into horror shorts.
México Bárbaro, also titled *Barbarous Mexico*, is a 2014 horror anthology from Mexico. It brings together eight short films, each helmed by a different Mexican horror director. Five of these filmmakers—Lex Ortega, Isaac Ezban, Aaron Soto, Ulisses Guzman, and Jorge Michel Grau—were already established in the Mexican film industry, while the other three—Laurette Flores, Edgar Nito, and Gigi Saul Guerrero—were newer to the scene.
The film had its debut at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival on October 8, 2014. It later came out on DVD and video-on-demand in the United States in 2015, and reached a global audience on Netflix in 2016. During the Le Marché du Film at the 2015 Cannes Festival, distribution rights were sold to six countries, including to MPI/Dark Sky Films. The project belongs to the emerging Cine de Terror Mexicano movement.
The anthology is split into eight chapters, each tied to a distinct Mexican legend or myth. Directors were given freedom to pick a subgenre and craft a story around their chosen legend. The myths range from real-life *nota roja* (crime-focused news) to fantasy folk tales.
The chapters are as follows: *Tzompantli* by Laurette Flores, about drug dealers whose rituals echo Aztec practices; *Jaral de Berrios* by Edgar Nito, where two criminals hide in a cursed hacienda and face its legends; *Drena* by Aaron Soto, in which a teenage girl smokes a spliff from a corpse and has a vision about draining her sister’s blood; *La cosa más preciada* by Isaac Ezban, about a couple’s romantic night in the woods disrupted by trolls; *Lo que importa es lo de adentro* by Lex Ortega, featuring a girl with special needs who fears her building’s custodian, whom she calls the boogeyman; *Muñecas* by Jorge Michel Grau, where a woman escapes a butcher only to be recaptured; *Siete veces siete* by Ulises Guzmán, about a man who tries to dispose of a body but performs a ritual to revive him for atonement; and *Día de los Muertos* by Gigi Saul Guerrero, in which strippers take revenge on the Day of the Dead.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of critics gave the film a positive review.
- field
- Horror film
- nationality
- Mexican
- known_for
- Anthology horror film composed of eight shorts based on Mexican legends and myths
- premiere_date
- October 8, 2014
- premiere_location
- Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival
Lore & Background
México Bárbaro is a 2014 Mexican anthology horror film consisting of eight shorts, each by a different Mexican horror film director. Five of the directors—Lex Ortega, Isaac Ezban, Aaron Soto, Ulisses Guzman, and Jorge Michel Grau—were established members of the Mexican film industry, while the other three—Laurette Flores, Edgar Nito, and Gigi Saul Guerrero—were relative newcomers. The film premiered at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival on October 8, 2014.
The film is divided into eight chapters, each relating to a different Mexican legend or myth. The directors were given free rein in choosing a subgenre to create a story involving the legend. The varieties of the myths and legends range from real 'nota roja' (a news genre focused on crime) to fantasy folk tales. The chapters include stories about drug dealer rituals mirroring Aztec practices, a cursed hacienda, a teenage girl's vision, trolls in the woods, a boogeyman, a butcher captor, a resurrection ritual, and strippers taking revenge on the Day of the Dead.
In 2015, the film was released on DVD and VOD in the U.S., and in 2016 on Netflix around the world. The film was sold to six countries during the Le Marché du Film at Festival de Cannes 2015, including MPI/Dark Sky Films.
Reader's Guide
México Bárbaro is significant as a key work within the new Cine de Terror Mexicano movement, showcasing the diversity of Mexican horror filmmaking. The anthology format allowed eight directors—both established and emerging—to explore Mexican legends and myths through various horror subgenres, from crime-focused 'nota roja' to fantasy folk tales. Its international distribution, including a premiere at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, a U.S. DVD and VOD release in 2015, and a global Netflix release in 2016, helped bring Mexican horror to a wider audience. The film's sale to six countries at the 2015 Cannes Film Market further indicates its commercial reach. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 60% of critics gave the film a positive review, reflecting a mixed but generally favorable critical reception. The film stands as a collaborative effort that highlights both veteran and new voices in Mexican horror cinema.
Did You Know?
- The film is composed of eight shorts, each by a different Mexican horror film director.
- Five of the directors were established members of the Mexican film industry, while three were relative newcomers.
- It premiered at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival on October 8, 2014.
- The film was sold to six countries during the Le Marché du Film at Festival de Cannes 2015.
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