The Tenants is showing as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival at Montalbán Theatre, Regal Cinemas LA Live and LA Plaza De Cultura Y Artes. in Los Angeles on 01 June 2019. And we are honoured to welcome back author V. Castro, who has been taking a look at and interviewing the directors of two fo the horror films showing at the festival. V has already reviewed Feral and interviewed its director, and today she takes a look at The Tenants, a film from director Chava Cartas
If you are in LA this weekend you can purchase tickets to the film by by clicking here
When I was a small child my mother said I had Ojo, the evil eye. They say if you admire a child and don’t touch that child, they will become ill. Apparently, I had the Ojo, and a ritual involving an egg was performed. I also remember having a small vial of oil in my room with my name across the bottle. I was told never to open it. I was too scared to do so. Watching The Tenants (Inquilinos) reminded me of that spiritual underbelly that is very real in my culture.
A young couple appear to be very much in love but are starting over after a personal tragedy. They start a new life by moving into a new apartment. There are a few remnants of the previous tenants, like a wardrobe in the bedroom that refuses to open. As the couple begin the process of settling in, strange occurrences begin to happen. Things go missing, an older tenant warns both Luzma and Damián of danger, Luzma experiences frightening sleep paralysis. As Luzma becomes more frightened and seemingly delirious, Damián takes her to see a Curandero because she is a believer and he is not. However, the danger might not be around them, but a little closer to home. From the start of the film you are taken to a place that can just be described as dark. You know straight away that this film has all the hallmarks of witchcraft, but it is that kind of witchcraft that is very much alive in places around the world, which means none of this could be beyond the realm of possibility. That thought alone makes my imagination go wild and scares me. Isn’t that the point of good horror?! The entire cast give solid performances to build the sense of an evil shadow controlling the lives in this apartment complex. You are not sure until close to the end who or what might be the root of the terror. That is always difficult to accomplish in a horror film because there are so many movies using the same tropes. Danny Perea (Luzma) has the most screen time and does a great job propelling the story forward and into a downward spiral of fear. What I enjoyed most about this film is that it takes a different approach to the witchcraft trope in storytelling and setting. Mexico! If you are a fan of Rosemary’s Baby, The Entity, Angel Heart, or The Serpent and The Rainbow, then check out this film. Read V's review of FERAL here
|
Archives
April 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|