Five-Legged Iguana

A Rundown of the 13 (plus) Best Horror Movies I've Seen in the Past Year
[9 of 13]

JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS

(JUAN OF THE DEAD)

(September 2011)

I think the last time I encountered a horror-comedy that worked this well was, appropriately enough, Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead.

Alejandro Brugués’ Juan de los Muertos sees the zombie apocalypse explode on the streets of Havana. It’s rude and satirical and funny and yes, actually moving in a couple of spots. It also says a lot about living in a country that’s so distant and removed from the First World Western living experience that it may as well be on another planet instead of 228 miles away from Miami.

It’s also got a killer end title sequence, some nods to Jaws, [REC], and Braindead/Dead Alive (to name a few), and a noteworthy use of the Sex Pistols. And, like ¡Qué Horror! 2012 candidate, Kalevet, Juan de los Muertos is touted as the first horror movie from its country of origin (though strictly speaking, this is a co-production between Cuba, Mexico, and Spain, and, unlike Kalevet, there's a whole lot of funny here).

You really shouldn’t need any more recommendation than that…

(Juan de los Muertos OS courtesy of cineol.net.)