Ladronas de Almas

Not quite as weird as The Similars (another Mexican horror) but, still, properly barking. I have no idea how to describe this film, so I won't. Left me wanting to find other Mexican films to watch, because I've never seen anything quite like it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this very atmospheric creature feature. The sisters definitely protected their father's estate admirably. The one thing that really stood out were the sets and the excellent use of lighting and color.

This isn't a Friday the 13th horror film for the inexperienced... it slowly builds in intensity, almost to the point where you start feeling bad for the interlopers. Well done!

Ladronas de Almas: Old style Zombies with some interesting Zombie creation lore thrown in. Given the Gothic setting and the young women as "witches" this might even qualify as Folk Horror. 1815, the Mexican War of Independence, a group of supposed insurgents arrive at an estate which has already suffered from the depredations of the Royalist Army. A crippled father, his four daughters and one servant should be easy meat for the soldiers but things take an interesting turn as the family have the support of the Undead! Given the murderous nature of the sisters, even the 12 year old. the Zombies are hardly required. Decapitations of both humans and Zombies, stabbing, shooting and biting (and not just by the living dead). Some great scenes in dimly lit old ruins. The young girl treats a Zombie as a pet! Directed by Juan Antonio de la Riva from a screenplay by Christopher Luna. On Netflix. 7/10.

I was literally angry at the lower rated reviews that I made an IMDB account just to give my own review. Really frustrating when people who clearly lying give very biased opinions and then discourage possible viewers from watching a film they might like. Why review something when you knew you utterly disliked the whole time while watching? I feel like the genre or style wasn't for them, and a poor review seems out of spite. So. No, I do not feel like I wasted my time watching. The actors made believable characters. The historical setting and costumes looked genuine. The amount of gore seemed realistic. With the basic plot of the story obvious, the movie is great. As trigger warnings, not really spoilers, there's murder, rape, body mutilation, rotten corpses, familiar death, imprisonment, probably some more. So, that's all stuff you're fine with in a movie, and you're expecting to watch a movie with zombies and witchcraft and ultimately a satisfying ending for the innocent characters, you'd probably like this movie.

This is really, really, really good. Not much information is available about the movie to non-Spanish speakers. It should be. Watch this. Period piece horror done right with crisp film stock, good sound, and professional-level acting.

The only English language reference to the film mentions it comes sixty years after the first Mexican Zombie film. And what zombies these are.

Hearkening back to the original form of the zombie, and thus to the earliest zombie films, it's a refreshing change from the zombie hordes we've come to know and devour. While staying true to its period, it's a deliciously modern version of the ur-zombie oeuvre.

And watching how the three daughters, about as far from fragile, shrinking violets as one can get, turn the tables on their would-be assailants is a still all-too-rare pleasure in contemporary film, despite all the current attempts at lip service.

Watch this.