He replied: “I think we are entering a wonderful phase in our literature and cinematography.” demian Rogna, Director and screenwriter When evil lurks (2023), In the magazine Rolling Stone When asked how he sees the future of terrorism in Argentina. “I see that well.” And he had reasons. frightened (2017), Those who come back (2019), The fugitive (2021) also Virgin of Tusquera (2025) It is one of the most prominent titles in the field in recent years, and seems to be increasingly present in homes and festivals, in books and platforms.
There is a thirst for terrorism in the world. Specifically, Argentine terrorism Today, it is experiencing one of its sweetest moments in various fields and forms. Readers from halfway around the world are devouring the bibliography of Mariana Enriquez, which has won a Heraldi Award with… “Our Part of the Night” (2019); The movie Mysterious history (2020) to Christian Pons It became an unexpected phenomenon, chosen by Letterboxd users as the best horror film of 2021; and When evil lurks He ended this long-running career by being crowned Best Film at the Sitges Film Festival.
For one reason or another, Argentina has become an unexpected center for global terrorism. What started as a shy independent movement, with B-series films and black-and-white vampire films, today has headliners at international festivals and names like Demian Rogna also laura casapi, Which covers covers and podcasts in equal measure. Far from being an isolated success, new Argentine horror cinema is already an emerging phenomenon. A wave of fear that combines the supernatural and the rural with the political and the mythical beyond.
This new reading of horror cinema He does not seek to imitate the Hollywood model, Whereas terrorism usually represents the other, the invader, the external threat, the outsider; But redefining the fear of the Global South, showing a credible, proximate, symbolic and, above all, deeply human fear of what surrounds us.
Terrorism turned into cinema
It was in 2017 when frightened, By Rogna, it represents a clear breakthrough in this genre. This film already foreshadowed a change in tone and theme for this new horror film. Here the horror did not arise from imagination or from intangible things. But from what? daily — A street in Buenos Aires, a small neighborhood, a random neighbor, a feeling that something is wrong — and General malaise.
But Demian Rogna is not the only one. There is a whole generation of directors who have found in this particular genre a way to capture or confront the social reality of a country. They are following this trend closely Alejandro Fadel And to him Die, monster, die (2018), A strange gem set in the Andes, whose monster is nothing but guilt, repression and mass delirium somewhere; also Laura Casabi with Those who come back (2020) and The Virgin of Tusqueira (2025), the latter based on the story of the same name and The cart By Mariana Enriquez Belongs to the book The dangers of smoking in bed (2009).
On the other side of the coin are filmmakers danielle de la vega, Who chose A More classic and gothic horror, Similar to those early years of the Argentine industry, with films such as necrophobia (2014) also I am toxic (2018).
In another line we find natalia meta, Which explored fear from a psychological point of view The fugitive (2021), A sensual thriller that combines Freudianism and dream; to fabian forte, with Hordes (2022); Organic farming Christian Pons with Mysterious history (2020), Which mixes political intrigue and black magic.
However, this prosperity is no coincidence. Starting in 2000, the global increase in this horror aesthetic was driven by characters such as Guillermo del Toro And movies like Pan’s maze (2006), It contrasts with the scant academic interest towards Latin America in this phenomenon.
researcher karina rodriguez, In his book Horror cinema in Argentina: production, distribution, exhibition and market, Deconstructing the myth that A country with a history of real terrorism does not need horror fiction. Quite the contrary, Rodriguez explains, with data and historical context, that “a decade (since 2000) was enough to fill national production with Nearly a hundred feature films about zombies, killers, and vampires, “Crossing in a short time the historical mark of about 30 films in 70 years of history,” he says quickly.
From literature to the big screen
Although we cannot deny that if Argentine horror cinema is experiencing its golden age, it is because it is based on a story Literary tradition Who actually discovered the dark side of everyday life. Authors love Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo also Adolfo Bioy Casares They had already opened the way towards that particular horror that they would later finish forging. Samantha Schoebelin also mariana enriquez, It is the latter that began to give real form to a new sensitivity.
His successful books The things we lost in the fire and our share of the night You have been converted Horror in the mirror of social pain. His characters, always annoying and uncomfortable, coexist in one world Argentina, which seems haunted by its ghosts. An atmosphere that seems to permeate everything, even on the small and big screen. We can see an example of this in the formula of what would be My sad death Netflix’s new horror miniseries based on the story of the same name by Enriquez is already on the way and It will be released in 2026.
For readers and viewers, this new Argentine horror film is particularly attractive because it offers something different. It translates fear of monsters and ghosts into social, political, and moral terror. It is undoubtedly a heterogeneous map of this new generation that promises a lot, but without moving away from a common and immutable bond: Novel fear of close quarters.
In this sense, Rogna says he does not underestimate the viewer. He who does not explain the inexplicable does not save him. It is appreciated. This refusal is precisely his declaration of war: Terrorism does not come from abroad. Perhaps this is the most Argentine thing of all: a country in which the past constantly returns, and in which… The most terrifying monster is still human.
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