8 Spanish Horror Movies to Watch This Halloween (That You Haven’t Seen Yet)
OK, I am always looking for new horror movies around Halloween. As someone who loves horror movies, I always feel like I have seen every single one on every single list. So, I decided to make my own list and, to recommend some horror movies in Spanish that might be less known. Some of the best horror movies I’ve watched in the past few years have come from Spain, Argentina, and Mexico, so it’s definitely worth expanding your search of you’re looking for new stuff to stream this spooky season.
Plus, if you’re trying to keep up your Spanish or just want an excuse to practice, watching horror is perfect for it. The best comprehensible input is something that keeps you interested, and nothing better than a horror movie to keep you on the edge of your seat, right?!
So here are 8 horror movies in Spanish to check out this Halloween!
1. The Shrew’s Nest (Musarañas) (2014)
Country: Spain
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃🎃
Background:
Set in 1950s Franco-era Madrid, The Shrew’s Nest follows Montse, an unstable agoraphobic woman who lives with her younger sister. They have a tense relationship, that takes a turn for the worse when their attractive neighbor injures his leg and Montse decides to help him. It starts slow, and almost seems more like a family drama, before moving into all out horror in the second half. It has an inventive plot (albeit with some similarities to Misery), but still feels original. The performance of Macarena Gómez alone makes this movie worthy of more attention and is largely responsible for making this movie work as well as it does.
Why I Like It:
The suffocating atmosphere and slow descent into madness make this really tense. It’s less about jump scares and more about watching someone’s grip on reality completely unravel in the most disturbing way possible. And again, excellent acting by Macarena Gómez.
Where to Stream: Shudder, Rent on Amazon Prime
2. Terrified (2017)
Country: Argentina
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃🎃
Background:
Demián Rugna’s Terrified takes place in a quiet Buenos Aires neighborhood where creepy stuff starts happening in multiple houses at once. A team of paranormal investigators shows up to…investigate and things get pretty scary! To be honest, this movie doesn’t do anything super original – it has some similarities to the Conjuring and Insidious, but it does everything really well, and it doesn’t have the same sanitized, rinse and repeat feel that a lot of American horror movies have these days.
Why I Like It:
Great opening set up, spooky atmosphere, good special effects
Where to Stream: Rent on Amazon, Shudder
3. When Evil Lurks (2023)
Country: Argentina
Genre: Demonic Possession / Folk Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Background:
Demián Rugna (again) directs this one about two brothers in rural Argentina who discover a possessed man in their area, and when they try to handle the situation, everything goes to hell, literally. It’s hard to make possession movies feel unique these days, but this film manages to do it by developing its own lore and bringing something new to the table.
*I put 5 pumpkins, because this one is pretty violent – if you are sensitive to that, I would skip this one.
Why I Like It:
For bringing a unique perspective to the “rules” of demon movies. One of the best horror movies in Spanish (or any other language) that I’ve seen in the past few years.
Where to Stream:Rent on Amazon, Shudder
4. Disappear Completely (2022)
Country: Mexico
Genre: Psychological Body Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃🎃
Background:
A crime scene photographer starts losing his senses (literally, one by one) after documenting a ritual murder. As his reality falls apart, he has to figure out what curse he’s triggered and how to stop it. Director Luis Javier Henaine leans hard into the body horror and psychological disintegration, creating something disorienting and deeply disturbing.
Why I Like It:
The idea of losing your senses in itself is really scary, and this film exploits it brilliantly. I thought this was a really unique concept, and that alone for me makes it worth a watch.
Where to Stream: Netflix
5. Sister Death (2023)
Country: Spain
Genre: Gothic Horror / Nun Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃
Background:
Paco Plaza (who co-directed REC) made this prequel to his film Veronica. Set in 1940s post-Civil War Spain, a young nun arrives at a convent school and quickly realizes the place is harboring some very dark secrets. This is more of the ghosty/ slow-burn/Gothic/atmospheric type horror than any of the movies mentioned above. Plaza does so well, mixing period dread with supernatural horror.
Why I Like It:
The atmosphere is thick and oppressive. I find that convents are often really creepy in movies, and the historical setting adds this extra layer of bleakness. It’s a slow burn that pays off with some genuinely creepy moments.
Where to Stream: Netflix
6. Tesis (1996)
Country: Spain
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃
Background:
More of a thriller/whodunnit, than straight horror, this one follows a film student researching violence in media for her thesis. While digging through her university’s archives, she accidentally finds what appears to be an actual snuff film showing the murder of a former student. The deeper she digs, the more disturbing things get. This was way ahead of its time in examining media violence and voyeurism—themes that only got more relevant as the internet took off.
Why I Like It:
We don’t see any violence but the director manages to create so much tension and suspense. Interesting food for thought on our interest in watching horror and true crime and all that stuff. Also good acting and great chemistry between the 2 leads.
Where to Stream: Shudder, Rent on Amazon Prime
7. Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022)
Country: Mexico
Genre: Folk Horror / Body Horror
Scare Level: 🎃🎃🎃
Background:
After learning she’s pregnant, a woman named Valeria starts being haunted by a terrifying presence—a bone-breaking female entity that won’t leave her alone. Director Michelle Garza Cervera uses Mexican folk horror traditions to explore maternal anxiety and the fear of losing yourself to motherhood and societal expectations.
Why I Like It:
Juuust enough scares, creepy imagery, and effective sound design to be worth a watch if you’re looking for something creepy for Halloween. At the same time has a story and something to say about self, family, societal roles, and motherhood.
Where to Stream: Free on AMC Plus, Rent on Amazon Prime
8. Day of the Beast (1995)
Country: Spain
Genre: Horror Comedy / Satanic Panic
Scare Level: 🎃
Background:
This cult classic from Álex de la Iglesia is super fun. A Catholic priest thinks he’s figured out when the Antichrist will be born in Madrid, so his plan to stop the apocalypse is to commit as many sins as possible to get an audience with Satan. He teams up with a death metal fan and a fake TV occultist, and chaos ensues. It’s dark comedy mixed with genuine horror and social satire, all filtered through de la Iglesia’s anarchic sensibility.
Why I Like It:
Quirky characters, imaginative storyline, being generally insane in the best way possible. I am not usually a huge fan of horror comedy, but this one is just really enjoyable to watch.
Where to Stream: Free on Tubi, rent on Amazon Prime
What are your favorite horror movies in Spanish? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for more.
