Aterrados / Terrified – Movie Review (5/5)

Aterrados is out on Shudder or Netflix in many countries now and since it’s a pretty damn brilliant horror movie, you really don’t want to miss it. It’s also known under the English title Terrified, and yes, you should be! Read our ATERRADOS / TERRIFIED movie review below!

Aterrados is a horror movie on Netflix now and this horror gem from Argentina is very much worth your time! The English title is Terrified, so it’s just a direct translation of the Spanish title.

And yes, you probably will feel pretty damn terrified when watching it.

From the very beginning, Aterrados has the most gorgeous horror feeling that grabs you right by your horror-loving heart. It is one of the most intensely terrifying openings which makes it perfect for a horror movie.

Also, if you need more reason to watch it; Rumour has it there will be a US remake which Guillermo del Toro is involved with, so you really should watch the original first.

Three older people and a middle-aged cop

The story of Aterrados starts in one place but moves on to cover several families that are touched by something leaving them terrified. In that sense, it reminded me of the original Spanish version of [REC].

In [REC], the story took place inside an apartment building while we were on a street in a suburban neighborhood in Aterrados.

To find out what the hell is going on, we have three older people who are either retired or well on their way to this. They are researchers in the more paranormal – or alternative realities, if you will. Each one focuses on one of the three houses where the inhabitants have been terrified by something unknown.

Helping them is a middle-aged cop with serious health issues. He’s just weeks away from retiring but knows one of the three older people investigating the strange happening. This particular man was a medical examiner and also had some bizarre stories to tell from that line of work.

The Argentinian Elise from Insidious

The one leading the investigation is a woman, Dr. Mora Albreck, whom the other two (the former medical examiner and a professor from the United States) clearly admire and trust. Dr. Albreck is portrayed by Elvira Onetto and reminded me of Lin Shaye as her Insidious character, Elise Rainier.

From the very beginning, Walter Carabajal (Demián Salomón) tries to get in touch with Dr. Albreck, who was recommended to him when no one else could help. And Walter most definitely has reason to be terrified! While Aterrados doesn’t start out with his story, it does come early in the movie and this is when we see the creature scaring everyone.

I really don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that you will not forget this creature again right away. Also, as a whole, Aterrados manages to deliver quite a lot of WTF moments. In the very best ways!

Recommended reading:

Check out our review of the Argentinian thriller Perdida which is also on Netflix >

If you enjoy Spanish horror movies and thrillers (which I love), you should also enjoy those from Argentina. This is definite proof that Argentina is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to telling horror stories!

The ending of Aterrados should leave you absolutely terrified

I loved the ending of Aterrados, but I have no doubt that some will dislike it because it isn’t definitive. This isn’t meant to be a spoiler, but rather a warning that you shouldn’t expect everything to be wrapped up neatly.

To me, the kind of ending that leaves you terrified is perfect for a horror movie. After all, not everything needs a definitive explanation – and some things can’t be explained so plainly. The characters living through this hell don’t get complete closure and neither will you.

And this is exactly why the ending of Aterrados will leave its audience both terrified and wanting more!

Watch this when you get the chance!

Aterrados was written and directed by Demián Rugna, who has done quite a lot of short films as well as a few feature films. After having made this horror gem, I hope we’ll get the chance to see a lot more of him.

If this movie is indicative of his horror abilities in any case, then Demián Rugna could easily stand alongside some of my favorite directors of Spanish language horror. That means directors such as J. A. Bayona (The Orphanage) or the duo behind the original [REC] movie, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza.

If Aterrados is out on Netflix in your region, then make sure you watch it and just let it consume you! Shudder has recently released the movie under its English title TERRIFIED.

Aterrados (eng. title Terrified) is out on Netflix in many countries from February 1, 2019.

Details

Director: Demián Rugna
Writer: Demián Rugna
Cast: Maximiliano Ghione, Norberto Gonzalo, Elvira Onetto, George L. Lewis, Julieta Vallina, Demián Salomón

Plot

When creepy things start happening in a Buenos Aires neighborhood, paranormal investigators and a cop open a terrifying investigation.