OFFICIAL PROGRAM FOR MACABRO 24 REVEALED

Macabro will be held from August 19 to 31 this year and will feature a total of 139 films, both national and international
Special screenings: Psycho and Ángel Negro on the occasion of their respective anniversaries
Classics presents: 100 years of Richard Matheson through a conversation with his son RC Matheson
The Museo del Chopo celebrates 50 years with a talk, tarot reading, and screening of the film: The Sacred Mountain
Macabro and the CCC celebrate the film school's 50th anniversary with a retrospective at Mexico Macabro
Two Master Classes and four talks make up this year's academic program at the festival

August 12, 2025.— From August 19 to 31, MACABRO, the International Horror Film Festival of Mexico City, will hold its XXIV edition, opening its doors this year at Hotel Macabro, a space where every hallway leads to unknown worlds, disturbing characters, unsettling stories, and nightmares in multiple formats.

As is now tradition at this pioneering genre festival in Mexico, multiple activities will be presented, including screenings, tributes, premieres, recognitions, special events, academic activities, meetings, and talks, turning MACABRO into a comprehensive experience for all lovers of horror and film.

This edition will showcase 139 films from 24 countries —including Mexico, Italy, the United States, Ireland, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Belarus, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Australia, England, and Finland—.

Of these works, 52 are feature films and 87 are short films, including 56 Mexican films, 26 national premieres, and 8 international premieres. In addition, the festival will feature the participation of 7 institutions and 25 allies and sponsors.

INTERNATIONAL HORROR FEATURE FILM SELECTION

Al progredire della notte (Davide Montecchi, Italy)

Mexico premiere

An Taibhse (John Farelly, Ireland)

Mexico premiere

Bleeding (Andrew Bell, United States)

Mexico premiere

Catch a Killer (Teddy Grennan, United States)

Mexico premiere

Hunting Matthew Nichols (Markian Tarasiuk, Canada)

Mexico premiere

It needs eyes (Zack Ogle-Aaron Pagniano, United States)

North American premiere

Succubus (R.J. Daniel Hanna, United States)

Mexico premiere

Tinmans Road (Robbie Banfitch, United States)

Mexico premiere

The killgrin (Joanna Tsanis, Canada)

Mexico premiere

The other (Paul Etheredge, United States)

North American premiere

The other people (Chad McClarnon, United States)

Mexico premiere

Three (Nayla Al Khaja, United Arab Emirates)

Mexico premiere

Pater Noster and the Mission of Light (Christopher Bickel, United States.

Mexico premiere

Witte Wieven (Didier Konings, Netherlands)

Mexico premiere

IBERO-AMERICAN HORROR FEATURE FILM SELECTION

El instinto (Juan Albarracín, Spain)

Mexico premiere

Eran brujas (Alex G, Alegre, Mexico)

Masacre en el Delta (Facundo Nuble, Argentina)

Mexico premiere

Muertamorfosis (Lex Ortega, Mexico)

Mexico premiere

No dejes a los niños solos (Emilio Portes, Mexico)

Un trago de infierno (Pilar Boyle-Mariano Asseff, Argentina)

Mexico premiere

Prédio Vazio (Rodrigo Argao, Brazil)

North American premiere

Retratos del apocalipsis (Nicanor Loreti-Fabian Forte-Luca Castello, Argentina)

Shaman (Antonio Negret, Ecuador-United States)

Mexico premiere

Sob o dominio (Julio César Napoli, Brazil)

International premiere

The Dark (Mauricio Chemovetzky, Mexico)

World premiere

#Rats (Carlos Trujano, Mexico)

World premiere

SCI-FI, DARK FANTASY & THRILLER FEATURE FILM SELECTION

Consequências Paralelas (Gabriel França and CD Vallada, Brazil)

Mexico premiere

El diablo en el camino (Carlos Armella, Mexico)

Latin American premiere

Gatillero (Cris Tapia Marchiori, Argentina)

Mexico premiere

Psyche (Stephon Stewart, United States)

Mexico premiere

Psychonaut (Thijs Meuwese, Netherlands)

Mexico premiere

Pig that survived foot-and-mouth disease (Hur Bum-Wook, South Korea)

Street Trash (Ryan Kruger, South Africa-United States)

Mexico premiere

The Killer Goldfish (Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Japan)

Mexico premiere

The last anniversary (The Butler Brothers, Canada)

World premiere

The oldman and the demon (O Velho e a Espada) (Fábio Powers, Portugal)

Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep (Chad Ferrin, United States)

Mexico premiere

Zombie Jesus Vampire Hunter (Gustavo Avilés, United States)

Mexico premiere

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

This edition's key art is inspired by iconic horror-film hotels, such as the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, the sinister hotel from American Horror Story or the bloody Hostel by Eli Roth.

In tribute to this symbol, Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock will be screened, celebrating 65 years since its release. The Latin American classic Ángel Negro (1995), directed by Jorge Olguín, will also be screened as part of the film's 25th anniversary.

Also being shown is El Lazo de Petra, in which we follow a Mexican charra who confronts fearsome beings to defend her town. What's interesting about this film is that it was shot on an iPhone 16, features video-game-style simulation development, and is directed by Mexican actress and filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero.

CLASSICS: 100 YEARS OF RICHARD MATHESON

One of the most influential authors in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres was Richard Matheson. Creator of stories such as I Am Legend, Pídele al tiempo que vuelva, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Incredible Shrinking Man and Hell House, which were brought to the big screen by directors of the caliber of Stephen Spielberg and Roger Corman, and which in turn made history and inspired many important creators who emerged after him. For this reason, and for the first time in Latin America, his son, RC Matheson, will share a powerful talk with the public about the intimacy of the genius and creator, in a first tribute to the centennial of Richard Matheson's birth. In addition to this digital talk with writer Sandra Becerril, a retrospective will be held featuring films such as The Last Man on Earth, Duel and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

MEXICO MACABRO: FANTASTIC FILMS FROM THE CCC

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC), Macabro will showcase a retrospective of 30 works —including both short and feature films— made by students who stood out in the fantasy genre, including names such as Edgar Nito, Jorge Michel Grau, Michelle Garza, Emilio Portes, and Busi Cortés. This showcase will travel to five states across the country: Guanajuato, Puebla, Oaxaca, the State of Mexico, and more.

EMILIO PORTES RETROSPECTIVE

Born in Mexico City and a graduate of the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC), Emilio Portes has developed a unique style marked by a breakneck pace, a dark sense of humor, and endearing characters who move between comedy and horror.

In this XXIV edition of MACABRO, in addition to premiering a new film, tribute will be paid to the director with a retrospective that includes his standout works: Conozca la cabeza de Juan Pérez, Pastorela and Belzebuth.

SPECIAL EVENTS

This year, the iconic Museo del Chopo celebrates its 50th anniversary as one of the most important cultural spaces in Mexico City, recognized for promoting contemporary art and alternative cultural expressions.

Among its offerings, the Cinematógrafo stands out, a movie theater that has established itself as a benchmark for screening auteur and cult films, as well as independent and experimental cinema.

As one of Macabro's most traditional venues, the festival joins this celebration with a special program that includes tarot readings; the talk The Museo del Chopo as a Cinematic Space: Exhibition, Location, and Symbol of an Era, given by film critic and creator of Masacre en Xoco, José Luis Ortega, together with Edna Campos Tenorio, director and founder of Macabro; and the screening of the iconic film The Sacred Mountain, by Alejandro Jodorowsky.

In addition, renowned horror writer Sandra Becerril joins the festival's activities to present El carnaval diabólico (The Devil's Carnival), her latest book. In this work, a writer accompanies her lover to a strange festival where unsettling events, indescribable physical transformations, and terrifying hallucinations begin to occur.

For this edition, Macabro and Marva Toys present La Muerte Toy Show 2: The Reborning, an art toy store that brings together pieces from a national and international community dedicated to spotlighting independent artists in disciplines such as illustration, toy design, graffiti, and tattoo art. The exhibition will feature various works inspired by Day of the Dead traditions.

In addition, starting this year, Macabro and Wikimedia are forming an alliance to hold several "Edit-a-thons" —marathons for editing Wikipedia articles— aimed at improving and correcting content related to horror cinema. Interested individuals can participate through an open call, and those selected will be invited to an editing workshop led by Wikimedia.

LO + MACABRO DE CAOSTICA X

The creature resulting from a strange experiment carried out by a crazed scientist who decided to play god and cross a Macabro nahual with a Caostica rat turns 10 years old.

To celebrate it as it deserves, we'll enjoy 10 bizarre gems featuring rodents in toilets, ghost brides, bloody restaurants, underwater beasts, romantic dinners for two (or are they?), banquets of exquisite food, love affairs that cheat death, preteen covens, post-traumatic attacks, strange Brazilian creatures, and much more madness…

MACABRO DOCS

As part of this edition's Macabro Docs activities, director Orlando Jiménez Ruiz presents La Femenil, la lucha no acaba… a work about Mexican women wrestlers past and present that takes us "to the mat" to learn about all the obstacles these women had to overcome to be recognized.

INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES

As is well known, beyond being a screening space for horror feature films and short films, Macabro is also a talent incubator that, through its academic and industry program, seeks to foster conversations and new talent around cinema and horror. Thus, this XXIV edition presents three panel discussions on horror in the first quarter of the 21st century, two Master Classes on independent filmmaking and new formats, as well as a talk on insurance for film productions.

Table 1: Challenges and opportunities for independent cinema. With national and international directors joining the festival this year.

Table 2: The horror audience Why do we like horror movies so much? With Javier Martínez of Tulip Pictures and Ximena Hernández, of La Casa del Cine.

Table 3: Women in horror films. With Silvia García Palacios, Lina Durán, Jennifer Raquel Remba Uribe, and Edna Campos Tenorio.

Master Class: Myths and realities of independent distribution. With producer, distributor, programmer, and screenwriter Fernando Montes de Oca.

Master Class: Fuji Film. Film your nightmares: great stories with compact equipment. With photographer and Fujifilm ambassador Jaime Ávila.

LCI and Fantastika: Insuring a film production. With representatives from LCI Seguros, a company that will share the recommendations needed for the insurance process of an audiovisual project.

MACABRO, the International Horror Film Festival of Mexico City, reaffirms its commitment to genre cinema through a lineup designed to shake, surprise, and thrill audiences. Don't miss this unique film experience. Plan your visit… and get ready to face your worst nightmares on the big screen.

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Check out the full program at www.macabro.mx

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PRESS CONTACT

CYNTHIA URIBE

cynthia@sintoniacomunicaciones.com