Murder in the Woods is the Latinx answer to the scary movie you’ve always dreamed about having! No more waiting on the sidelines for people that look like you. No more praying that the people behind the scenes know where you’re coming from culture wise. And no more taking what you can get because there isn’t content out there for us as Latinos. Murder in the Woods is that content and here are 4 spoiler-free reasons why we loved it!
1. Latinos here, Latinos there, Latinos everywhere.
Murder in the Woods was directed by Latinos (Luis Iga), written by Latinos (Yelyna De Leon), and starred Latinos like Chelsea Rendon and José Julián. This combination has always been pegged as something that was impossible. There’s no way that so many talented Latinos are out there, ready and willing to create magic on the screen? There is a way and the Latinos are ready to make every movie under the sun from OUR perspective. And for Murder in the Woods, it starts with a horror movie.
2. Embracing horror movie tropes.
If you’re going to do a scary movie, then you better do it right by including all the horror movie tropes out there. Murder in the Woods had tropes that fall under the slasher category of things. You had the virgin, the partier, the couple, and the slasher who is ready to end their young lives. Murder in the Woods even included my favorite trope: if you do sexy things during the movie, expect consequences. It is the way.
3. Understanding horror movie logic.
Without giving too much away, one of my favorite things when it comes to horror movies is the character or characters who have watched scary movies, which you see in Murder in the Woods. They’re the ones who have the horror movie knowledge and know about some of the tropes coming their way. They are also the ones who are always seen as paranoid for their beliefs, as if something like that would actually happen to them. Think again!
4. The loveable characters on screen.
Horror movies have a character for every kind of person. No matter who you are, there’s someone you’re going to connect with and that you’re going to hope doesn’t die a grisly death on screen. Murder in the Woods is rare on that front because I liked each and every character. Chelsea, played by Chelsea Rendon, was my absolutely favorite. But the others, no matter how messy they are, were likeable characters in their own respect.
Murder in the Woods is available now on digital to own or rent.