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Social worker Katia (Jenny Sanchez) checks up on a case that's not even hers to find the woman (Norma Serna) she was to look after dead in her bath tub and her bed-ridden  mother (Diana Serna) tied to her bed in a sorry state. But while Katia is looking for a knfe to cut her ties, the woman frees herself and throws herself out of a window to her death - but not before scratching katia's arm. Now of course, all of this is a big shock for Katia, so she's given some time off to clear her head in some South American tourist resort. Katia's soon to make friends with local Amalia (Paula V. Aguirre), a local woman about her age with a knack for partying, through whom she learns to enjoy herself again - and also which hotel employees are ready to dish out sexual favours for a fee. Thing is, then two of these employees (Ricardo Maravilla, Luis Stalin Cruz) turn up dead, horribly mutilated, and while the hotel owner (Ricardo Islas) and the local chief of police(Miguel F. Martinez) alike put the blame of a wild animal, like a puma or jaguar, the local native Americans led by mystic Mama Koya (Juana Santiago) believe these killings to be the work of a Naual, a human possessed by an animal spirit who can transform into said animal when aroused - until the spirit takes over the human completely. Reason dictates Katia to not believe into such things of course, but then again, why does the have dreams about being a whild beast that kills people in the exact way they've been killed for real? And how come there are traces of the struggles of a whild animal on her body?

Now ok, basically this is a werewolf movie, with many (though not all) genre mainstays firmly in place. And yet, it's much more a variation on a theme than a formula movie, with its roots in South American native rahter than Eastern European lore being the most obvious but far from the only difference from typical genre fare. And a cool monster design that's used sparingly enough to avoid over-saturation helps driving this film home, as well as well fleshed-out characters that aren't just genre clichés embodied by a capable cast, and of course a directorial effort heavy on suspense and atmosphere but also good with jump scares should need arrive. And the result is just a really cool genre tide for sure.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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