Hot off our guide to the 125 Essential Spanish-Language Movies, we’re galloping into the night for all things spooky en Español!
Here you’ll find only the Freshest scary selections from Mexico (Cronos), Spain (The Orphanage), Uruguay (The Silent House), Chile (The Wolf House), and Argentina (Cold Sweat). Inside each film, an underworld teeming with our favorite monsters. Zombies in [rec]! Mad scientists in The Skin I Live In! Vampires in Dracula! (Yep, there was another version to the Universal classic.) Creepy kids in The Orphanage! And In the Devil’s Backbone, maybe something beyond…
We gathered virtually every Spanish-language horror movie we could find, separating the Fresh and Certified Fresh. If you’re wondering about the decided lack of chucapbras and La Llarona on this list, it’s because there hasn’t been a critically-noted movie made yet. Though KM 31 comes closest with its take on Mexican folklore.
And most recently we’ve added the Certified Fresh films La Llarona and The Platform. See where they place with our guide of the Best Spanish-Language Horror Movies by Tomatometer!
#1
Adjusted Score: 102789%
Critics Consensus: Tigers Are Not Afraid draws on childhood trauma for a story that deftly blends magical fantasy and hard-hitting realism – and leaves a lingering impact.
#2
Adjusted Score: 100493%
Critics Consensus: La Llorona puts a fresh spin on the familiar legend by blending the supernatural and the political to resolutely chilling effect.
#3
Adjusted Score: 98147%
Critics Consensus: Surreal, unsettling, and finally haunting, The Wolf House is a stunning outpouring of creativity whose striking visuals queasily complement its disturbing story.
#4
Adjusted Score: 96979%
Critics Consensus: Creepily atmospheric and haunting, The Devil’s Backbone is both a potent ghost story and an intelligent political allegory.
#5
Adjusted Score: 95593%
Critics Consensus: Brought hauntingly to life by Laura Galán’s committed performance, Piggy deftly deploys genre thrills in service of sharp social commentary.
#6
Adjusted Score: 90777%
Critics Consensus: Smart, suspenseful, and visually distinctive, Julia’s Eyes marks another modern Spanish thriller that quickens the pulse while engaging the mind.
#7
Adjusted Score: 90811%
Critics Consensus: Plunging viewers into the nightmarish hellscape of an apartment complex under siege, [Rec] proves that found footage can still be used as an effective delivery mechanism for sparse, economic horror.
#8
Adjusted Score: 92137%
Critics Consensus: Timecrimes is a low-budget thriller that’s well-crafted and loaded with dark humor and bizarre twists.
#9
Adjusted Score: 95216%
Critics Consensus: Guillermo del Toro’s unique feature debut is not only gory and stylish, but also charming and intelligent.
#10
Adjusted Score: 93864%
Critics Consensus: Deeply unnerving and surprisingly poignant, The Orphanage is an atmospheric, beautifully crafted haunted house horror film that earns scares with a minimum of blood.
#11
Adjusted Score: 89817%
Critics Consensus: The Untamed attempts some ambitious tonal juggling between fantastical and disturbing — and draws viewers in with its slippery, inexorable pull.
#12
Adjusted Score: 87834%
Critics Consensus: The Skin I Live In lacks Almodovar’s famously charged romance, replaced with a wonderfully bizarre and unpredictable detour into arthouse ick.
#13
Adjusted Score: 83381%
Critics Consensus: While it may feel muddled at times, The Platform is an inventive and captivating dystopian thriller.
#14
Adjusted Score: 75392%
Critics Consensus: Visually striking and aggressively confrontational, We are the Flesh may prove as difficult to watch as it ultimately is to forget.
#15
Adjusted Score: 100263%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#16
Adjusted Score: 95142%
Critics Consensus: A smart homage to genre filmmaking, The Similars is a fun and frightening film that balances socio-political issues with aplomb.
#17
Adjusted Score: 92152%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 92585%
Critics Consensus: The strong lead performance, clever plot turns, and the unsettling ending makes Sleep Tight worth stalking.
#19
Adjusted Score: 84596%
Critics Consensus: Dark, nasty, and delightfully subversive, Witching and Bitching is gross-out genre fun with a heaping helping of warped comedy for good measure.
#20
Adjusted Score: 83013%
Critics Consensus: Filled with wild splatter slapstick, Juan of the Dead also deftly uses its zombie premise as an undead Trojan horse for insightful political commentary.
#21
Adjusted Score: 78663%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 46427%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 40733%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 77107%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 75583%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 73087%
Critics Consensus: We Are What We Are is elevated horror that combines family drama and social politics, with plenty of gore on top.
#27
Adjusted Score: 39826%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#28
Adjusted Score: 68244%
Critics Consensus: Shot in a single take, The Silent House may be a gimmick movie, but it’s one that’s enough to sustain dread and tension throughout.
#29
Adjusted Score: 68123%
Critics Consensus: After a lackluster third entry, [REC] 4 gets the series back on track, at least to the level of the first sequel.
#30
Adjusted Score: 68125%
Critics Consensus: It lacks the surprising jolt of the first installment, but [REC] 2 almost maintains the original’s chilling momentum — and proves not all horror sequels were made equal.
#31
Adjusted Score: 63251%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.