Nahualli

Mark and his friend Alex travel to Mexico in search of Mark’s missing sister, but their plans take a macabre turn when a cursed entity possesses Mark’s body, unleashing terror at a bachelor party. The film is inspired by Mexican mythology, with the ancient spirit of witch Nahualli enslaving all intruders who stumble into her grounds. This tale leans heavily into Mexican folklore and traditions, serving as cautionary tales that remind us that things in the dark are probably best left unexplored. There are some wonderful cinematic choices here and Director Fernando San Miguel Villagomez clearly has an eye for creating striking imagery. This is particularly impressive given the scale of production is a lot less that mainstream studio efforts, who lack the finesse this movie exudes. The locations shown are so eerie, particularly in the latter scenes which help to build an air of tension and dread. With a runtime of just under 80 minutes, Nahualli flows well and doesn’t fall into pitfalls of excessive shots. This is to the credit of the editing team. It also feels like a creative decision to leave some elements of this ancient being untold. If this is the case, then that truly is wonderful as it leaves us wanting to discover more and not everything in horror needs to be explained. Overall, I found this to be a fun independent watch with enough mythical visuals and well produced practical effects to keep me interested.