Every year we are surprised about the large amount of Spanish horror movies that are being produced in Spain. Time for a list of the very best Spanish horror films. We have selected the very best and most successful ones, and included them in our top 5. For every film we try to provide a trailer with English subtitles. Read about the recent best Spanish horror movies here! We have decided to only mention the Spanish language movies with all Spanish language casts. For other great Spanish films and series have a look in our Spanish Movies section.
The Devil’s Backbone – Il espinazo del diablo (2001)
A very good horror movie by one of the hottest current Spanish directors. Guillermo del Toro has put him self in the big public eye with the acclaimed film Pan’s Labyrinth, but this one is definitely a classis in the Spanish horror genre. Another great name is connected to the project, namely the big Spanish producer and director Pedro Almodovar. He met Del Torro after he had released one of his first actual movies (Cronos) and immediately told him he wanted to work with him. This great film was the result. Del Torro has spend 16 years of his life working on it.
‘Spanish Horror movies love their orphanages. This film takes place there at the time of the Spanish Civil War. A ten year old boy, the son of a killed republican warhero, gets left at an orphanage where he tries to fit in. He keeps feeling somewhat out of place.’
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHm_Me0CDC0
El Orfanato – The Orphanage (2007)
Juan Antonio Bayona is moving up in the world. This year he is leaving a big American production with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. This of course due to the great success of El Orfanato, which was received tremendously well throughout the world. It has received among many other prizes the European Film Award for best film and numerous Goya Awards.
‘A woman brings her family back to the home of her childhood, where she opens an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to talk with an invisible new friend.’
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trL-n4PzcIk
Rec (2007)
This year in 2012 already the third version will be released. Especially the first movie was very popular, but there appears to be enough desire for a trequel.
‘A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.’
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeaUokzE9fI
The Day of the Beast – El Dia de la bestia (1995)
A somewhat older Spanish horror movie, but probably one of Spain’s most famous horror films. It is actually a very dark comedy with horror elements. It did great at the Goya Awards of 1996 and is considered a horror gem of world cinema.
A priest from the Basque country believes the anti-christ is going to be born on Christmas day in Madrid. Helped by a heavy-metal fan and by the showman of a TV esoteric program, he will try to invoke the devil to find out the place of birth and kill the baby. (imdb synopsis).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2FjEOyl9I
Tesis (1996)
A film that put the issue of snuf films on the map. It still one of those films that teenagers secretly watch with open mouths of amazement. A great horror film by the equally great Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar (
‘While doing a thesis about violence, Ángela finds a snuff video where a girl is tortured until death. Soon she discovers that the girl was a former student in her faculty’
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIrrXbhIuzI