MACABRE CHRONOLOGY. 15 YEARS SINCE HORROR FLOODED OUR SENSES. (A Love Letter to Macabro)

I had the fortune of attending Macabro since its first edition, held in a small cinema in Polanco in 2002, and I feel very fortunate to have done so, because now I can share with you a bit about it, on the occasion, of course, of its fifteenth anniversary.

For someone who is not just a fan but a true lover of horror, a festival's first edition of this kind was as close to paradise as it gets—I couldn't miss it, and I didn't, and that's how I got to enjoy "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter" by Lee Demarbre, and a short-film program known as "Halloweird," in which I saw the story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer acted out by dolls, or one of my favorites, "Spiders in Love." It's worth mentioning that on that occasion the festival ran from October 25 to November 8, right in the middle of the Day of the Dead celebrations.

Honestly, I thought it would be the first and last time I'd see a festival of this kind in our country, but it came back, and in 2003 we got to enjoy a 35mm screening of Peter Jackson's classic "Bad Taste," and the festival ran from August 24 to September 5.

Honestly, I wouldn't want to recount the most important or outstanding moments of this festival chronologically, because my memory could fail me, and besides, it would make for a very boring, monotonous piece—but this Macabro sure has plenty of achievements and standout activities to its name.

For example, we had the chance to enjoy, in its original format, the work of Juan López Moctezuma, a figure who was undoubtedly reborn thanks to Macabro, which gave this important Mexican director the place he deserves within the genre.

Another feast for the senses came when they screened the entire filmography of a master of Brazilian horror, José Mojica Marins, including his last film, "Encarnación del Demonio," something never before seen in Mexico City, and all of it in its original format.

A great touch for the festival was the video appearance of director Shynia Tsukamoto, who used this format to present many of his films, including one that many of us love, "Tetsuo."

We also commemorated the 40th anniversary of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," and zombies invaded the Cineteca Nacional screening room to scare and delight everyone present—something that had never happened in this space devoted to the seventh art, and it was a total success.

Also, to mark the bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe's birth, a tribute was held screening the writer's most outstanding stories, directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price, with adaptations by the master Richard Matheson.

Yet another macabre feast happened during that edition, which also screened, in its original format, part of Jan Svankmajer's filmography, and the film "Somos lo que hay" by Jorge Michel Grau, a film that, over time, became a genre classic—so much so that Americans made their own version of it.

Another guest whom Macabro turned into a special guest was the artist Nick Zedd, who presented some of his work, once again turning the festival into a unique event for fans of horror and the fantastic in all its forms.

We also saw, for the first time, "El Vampiro y el Sexo," starring our beloved silver-masked hero; we paid tribute to Posada's Catrina; we celebrated Jason Voorhees's birthday with a cake that he himself cut with his machete; we marked the 100th anniversary of Bram Stoker's birth with a screening of "Blood for Dracula," produced by Andy Warhol; we enjoyed "American Mary" by Sylvia and Jen Soska; we reveled in the best of horror cinema and lucha libre; we were thrilled by the screening of "México Bárbaro"; we were visited by the famous wrestler Tinieblas; we saw "The House of Pine Street"—in short, the festival has done nothing but grow and gain thousands of followers.

I feel honored to have the chance to be part of the Macabro team and to enjoy the best of the horror genre alongside this festival.

Happy Fifteenth Anniversary, Macabro!!! Please, never stop surprising us—keep creating, awarding, celebrating, setting trends, and bathing us in your blood forever… Amen.

Casandra Vicario