''El Muerto'' (alternatively, ''The Dead One'', ''El Muerto: The Dead One'', ''The Dead One: El Muerto'', ''The Dead One: An American Legend'') is a live-action
independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
adaptation of the comic book series, ''
El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie'' created by
Javier Hernandez Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known ...
. The film was written and directed by
Brian Cox with Javier Hernandez serving as Associate-Producer. It stars
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...
,
Angie Cepeda
Angélica María Cepeda Jiménez (born 2 August 1974), professionally known as Angie Cepeda, is a Colombian actress. She is best known for her roles in the telenovela '' Pobre Diabla'' and the films '' Captain Pantoja and the Special Services'' ...
,
Joel David Moore
Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...
,
Billy Drago
William Eugene Burrows (November 30, 1945 – June 24, 2019), known professionally by his stage name Billy Drago, was an American television and film actor. Drago's films, in which he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's ...
,
Tony Plana
José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...
,
Michael Parks
Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor. He appeared in many films and made frequent television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series ''Then Came Bronson'', but ...
,
María Conchita Alonso
María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1957), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a singer, actress and former beauty queen.
She has participated in film and television productions, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit ...
and
Tony Amendola
Tony Amendola (born August 24, 1951) is an American actor. He played the Jaffa master Bra'tac in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Pinocchio's creator/father, Geppetto on ABC's ''Once Upon a Time''. He also had a recurring role as revolutionary leader Edou ...
. The film follows the story of Diego de la Muerte, a 21-year-old Mexican-American who is abducted, sacrificed, and sent back to the land of the living by the
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
gods of death and destiny to fulfill an ancient prophecy. The official premiere was held on March 1, 2007 at the Latino Film Festival in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
with a
straight-to-DVD
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
release slated for September 18, 2007 followed by subsequent screenings in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. The official site address (www.elmuertomovie.com) has since been re-directed to a MySpace film account. The film is rated
PG-13
The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...
for violence and some disturbing images. El Muerto has gone on to win the Best Feature Film Award at the first annual Whittier Film Festival in 2008.
Plot
Centuries ago, the
Aztec Empire
The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua peoples, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled ...
of Mexico was conquered by the Spanish
conquistadors
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...
. Horrified by their religious practices, the Spaniards set out to convert the native population to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, effectively declaring war upon the
Aztec religion
The Aztec religion is a monistic pantheism in which the Nahua concept of was construed as the supreme god , as well as a diverse pantheon of lesser gods and manifestations of nature. The popular religion tended to embrace the mythological and ...
. According to an ancient prophecy, the Aztecs and their religion will return to dominance in a time known as the
Sixth Sun.
While attempting to illegally cross the
United States-Mexico border
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
, young orphan boy Juan Diego is singled out by a fellow traveler, a strange old man known only as "Old Indian" claiming to know the way. The old man leads the boy to an old Aztec shrine dedicated to the god of death,
Mictlantecuhtli. Explaining that they must give thanks to
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca (; nci, Tēzcatl ihpōca ) was a central deity in Aztec religion, and his main festival was the Toxcatl ceremony celebrated in the month of May. One of the four sons of Ōmeteōtl, Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the God of providenc ...
, the god of sacrifice, Old Indian proceeds to carve a symbol of the god in to Diego's hand. Declaring the boy's blood to be pure, the Old Indian dies in the throes of invocations of
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
, abandoning the boy in the desert.
Ten years later, 21-year-old Diego has made a home for himself in
East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...
. He shares an apartment with his best friend Zak and is in love with Maria, niece of Padre Somera of the local mission which dates back to the
Cortés era. However, Diego and Maria's relationship is strained both by his haunting encounter with Old Indian and the devout Padre's disapproval of the young man's sympathy towards Aztec beliefs and mythology. Anticipating a local
Dia de los Muertos
The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...
festival, Diego begins to feel the call of something powerful. He dresses as an
undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...
Mariachi
Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
, clad in black with the traditional markings to give himself a skeletal appearance.
En route to the celebration, the forces of the Aztec
underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld.
...
cause Diego's car to crash, ending his life. Diego awakens in the Aztec afterlife of
Mictlan where the god of death sacrifices him to Tezcatlipoca in a ritual where his heart is torn from his chest with the aid of an
obsidian
Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.
Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
blade. He is then sent back to the land of the living exactly one year after his death. Diego, selected long ago by the Old Indian, is the sacrificial priest in service to Tezcatlipoca. In order to fulfill the prophecy of the Sixth Sun, Tezcatlipoca requires three human sacrifices, each symbolizing the Catholic Church that wiped out the old gods over five hundred years ago. And Maria, being the direct descendant of the Somera family is at risk. Armed with the power to take life or restore it, Diego must struggle against the very gods who created him in order to save the woman he loves.
Cast and characters
* Darien Dikeos as Young Juan Diego: While trying to cross the border into the states, a young Juan Diego is singled out by an old Indian man who speaks the
Aztec language. The Indian man leads him to a small shrine, performs an ancient ritual, and declares the boy's blood is pure. Soon after, the man goes into convulsions and dies in the violent throes of strange mutterings and invocations.
*
Billy Drago
William Eugene Burrows (November 30, 1945 – June 24, 2019), known professionally by his stage name Billy Drago, was an American television and film actor. Drago's films, in which he was frequently cast as a villain, included Clint Eastwood's ...
as The Old Indian/Catrina (Indio Viejo): A strange old
Native American man who marks Diego with an Aztec symbol representing
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca (; nci, Tēzcatl ihpōca ) was a central deity in Aztec religion, and his main festival was the Toxcatl ceremony celebrated in the month of May. One of the four sons of Ōmeteōtl, Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the God of providenc ...
and soon after dies.
*
Wilmer Valderrama
Wilmer Eduardo Valderrama ( , ; born January 30, 1980) is an American actor, producer, and television personality. He is known for his role as Fez in the sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006), Agustín Madrigal in ''Encanto'', and as Carlos ...
as Juan Diego (
Diego de la Muerte / El Muerto): Ten years later, a 21-year-old Diego has made a home for himself in the Latino community of
East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...
. Diego has fallen in love with Maria, a young lady who is the niece of the padre of the local mission, and whose family goes back to the very first Christian missionaries to settle the southwest. However, Diego's past still haunts him and secretly dreads the thought of his destiny.
*
Joel David Moore
Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...
as Zak (
Zak Silver
El Muerto (''The Dead One''), also known as El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie, is a fictional character and comic book superhero created by American comics creator Javier Hernandez and published through his own imprint Los Comex. The comic book follo ...
): Longtime friend to Diego, who is crushed to hear of his friend's demise, but shocked to find his friend still lives as the walking-dead. Zak is the more skeptical character in the movie, often preferring logic to faith.
*
Angie Cepeda
Angélica María Cepeda Jiménez (born 2 August 1974), professionally known as Angie Cepeda, is a Colombian actress. She is best known for her roles in the telenovela '' Pobre Diabla'' and the films '' Captain Pantoja and the Special Services'' ...
as Maria Somera (
Maria Hermosa): Love interest to Diego and best friend. She is descended from the first Christian missionaries from Spain to settle in the southwest, dating back to the
Cortés era.
*
Tony Amendola
Tony Amendola (born August 24, 1951) is an American actor. He played the Jaffa master Bra'tac in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Pinocchio's creator/father, Geppetto on ABC's ''Once Upon a Time''. He also had a recurring role as revolutionary leader Edou ...
as Padre Somera: Father of the local mission and the uncle of Maria. The Padre, a very dogmatic
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, would often get into theological debates with Diego who was fascinated by Aztec culture and mythology. Padre Somera's disapproval of Diego placed strain on the couple's relationship.
*
Tony Plana
José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...
as The Caretaker (Aparicio): An older
Chicano
Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...
man and caretaker of the local cemetery. He befriends Diego after witnessing his powers and acts as his
mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
. The character of Aparicio was the invention of director Brian Cox, which was inspired by a minor character in the original comic book. Hernandez has gone on record saying that Aparicio was his favorite character in the film.
*
María Conchita Alonso
María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1957), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a singer, actress and former beauty queen.
She has participated in film and television productions, and was nominated for the Independent Spirit ...
as The Nun (Sister Rosa): A nun of the local mission with an abused past.
*
Michael Parks
Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks; April 24, 1940 – May 9, 2017) was an American singer and actor. He appeared in many films and made frequent television appearances, notably starring in the 1969–1970 series ''Then Came Bronson'', but ...
as The Sheriff (Sheriff Ezra Stone): A police sheriff investigating recent murders within the Somera mission and strange occurrences surrounding Maria.
* The Aztec gods
Mictlantecuhtli and
Tezcatlipoca
Tezcatlipoca (; nci, Tēzcatl ihpōca ) was a central deity in Aztec religion, and his main festival was the Toxcatl ceremony celebrated in the month of May. One of the four sons of Ōmeteōtl, Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the God of providenc ...
were both created through special effects. Mictlantecuhtli was made up of puppetry and other visual effects, being depicted as a giant skeletal figure and speaking entirely in
Nahuatl
Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
. Tezcatlipoca's depiction was completely computer-generated with his voice supplied by
Alfonso Arau
Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (born 11 January 1932) is a Mexican filmmaker, actor, and singer. He worked as an actor and director in both Mexican and Hollywood productions for over 40 years, before his international breakthrough with the 1992 fil ...
(credited as "Voices"). The film also referenced Tezcatlipoca's many
epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
s, such as ''Night Drinker''.
Javier Hernandez made a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in the film in which he has a short conversation with El Muerto, credited as "Man in Costume", while co-producer Susan R. Rodgers appears in an uncredited cameo as a participant in the Dia de los Muertos festival.
Rafael Navarro, longtime friend of Hernandez and fellow comic book creator had a brief cameo as a witness of a car wreck inadvertently caused by El Muerto.
Film production
Development
One year during the San Diego Comic-Con, Hernandez was interviewed by
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
regarding his comic. A few weeks after, the segment finally aired and caught the attention of director Brian Cox. The director contacted Hernandez and scheduled a meeting in which they talked of the character in depth. At the end of the conversation, Cox asked if he would ever consider El Muerto as a film. A question to which Hernandez responded, "Well, I wouldn't NOT consider it!" Shortly after their meeting, Brian contacted Larry Rattner, a close friend and producer. Coincidentally, Rattner had just met a family that had just come out of a successful publishing venture and were interested in financing a film. Rattner soon convinced them of the potential of an El Muerto film.
A script for the film was written by Brian Cox with Hernandez serving as Associate-Producer. Hernandez was excited to have Valderrama play the lead, stating in an interview, "Wilmer is just drop-dead perfect! Really, it was a lucky break for us getting him to play Diego de la Muerte/El Muerto. He is so completely immersed in the role. For him, it's a chance to play a leading role in a film. And he sees the franchise potential with this character. I mean, he's playing a comic book superhero, how cool is that!?" In the same interview he also praised the supporting cast, saying "The quality of actors should give you an idea about the quality of the script."
The film rights to El Muerto were later purchased by Peninsula Films in May 2003. Valderrama described the film as "
The Crow
The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...
meets
Desperado
Desperado may refer to:
* Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West
Books
* ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series
* ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen
* Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publ ...
meets
Spawn
Spawn or spawning may refer to:
* Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise
** '' Spawn: Ar ...
. It's an odd choice for me, but I love making those." He later added, "It's presented in such an odd, hardcore, rad way...very
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
. It's very, very hard. It's a beautiful story told through the eyes of this young guy who's sacrificed in the name of the Aztec gods and he comes back to be a weapon for them. And
nsteadhe rebels against them and asks all these questions about religion."
Filming
Filming officially ended on February 14, 2005. On September 20, 2006, Hernandez announced that the final cut would be privately screened, stating that the film was "officially done":
Design and special effects
Valderrama wore different types of make-up including full theatrical make-up, full prosthetic make-up, and was required to wear black contact lenses. Mark Bautista, key make-up for the film, explained the varying types of make-up used and their different levels: "Within the makeup itself, Diego proceeds to go to a party. The party make up is more or less like a theatrical make up - subtle, something you do at home. Once
isaccident occurs this makeup is now cauterized into his face, I wanted to make that makeup almost look scarified."
Much of the costume and dress design followed a strict color palette reflecting the Dia de los Muertos. For Angie Cepeda's character, her colors in rust, gold, marigold, orange colors representative of the
marigold from the Dia de los Muertos tradition. Valderrama's costume design was a direct-adaptation from the comic book series with very few changes.
Special effects were used to create both the Aztec gods. While Mictlantecuhtli required visual effects and puppetry by Nathan Mussel, Tezcatlipoca was entirely computer generated and throughout the film he is shown to manifest himself on dark mirrored surfaces. Tezcatlipoca was more prominent to the film's overall plot, and therefore made more appearances in the film than Mictlantecuhtli.
Soundtrack
The music and film score were composed by Tony Humecke with Bill Ewart serving as music supervisor. The soundtrack kept to the film's
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
roots by featuring pre-Hispanic music as performed by
Martin Espino. Espino also played a vital role due to his ability to speak the Aztec language of Nahuatl, which can be heard in various chants throughout the film. The soundtrack also featured such tracks as "Tierra" by
Los Nativos, "El Troquero" by Valerio Longoria, "Tolkchoke" by En La Orilla De La Utopia, and "Nuestra Tierra" by Olmeca. All rhythm loops and designs were created by Beta Rhythm Farm.
Premiere and subsequent film screenings
The first private film-screenings were held in Los Angeles, New York, and the American film market respectively. During this time a trailer for the film, initially intended as a preview for the American film market, was released to the public on various shared-video sites such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. The film made its official premiere to the public on March 1, 2007 at the Latino Film Festival in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
. Stars
Angie Cepeda
Angélica María Cepeda Jiménez (born 2 August 1974), professionally known as Angie Cepeda, is a Colombian actress. She is best known for her roles in the telenovela '' Pobre Diabla'' and the films '' Captain Pantoja and the Special Services'' ...
and
Tony Plana
José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...
were present at the event as well as creator Javier Hernandez. Subsequent festival screenings included Toronto, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and New York. The latter of which offered a chance to win free tickets.
The film received a full-fledged theatrical premiere at Laemmle Grande Theatre on September 14, 2007 located at its downtown Los Angeles venue. A DVD release was slated for September 18, with Bloodydisgusting.com later having a contest to win a free copy. Another screening was held at the first annual Whittier Film Festival on March 7 of 2008 where it won the Best Feature Film award. Javier Hernandez also hosted a special podcast on his radio show, ''
Planet Comic Book Radio'', where listeners were given the chance to win free tickets to the event.
Home media release
The DVD was released by Echo Bridge Entertainment on September 18, 2007. Despite being titled ''El Muerto'' throughout its conception and subsequent film screenings, the original DVD release was later re-titled ''The Dead One'', a loose translation of El Muerto, for marketing purposes. It was later reissued under the film's original title.
Special features include:
* Seven original illustrations by special guest artists
Michael Aushenker
Michael Aushenker is an independent American comic-book artist and creator based in Los Angeles, California, best known for the comic book series El Gato, Crime Mangler. He has also created ''Chipmunks & Squirrels'', ''Those Unstoppable Rogues'', ...
, Jason Martin,
Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo (born January 17, 1973) is an American children's book author and illustrator best known as the creator of ''Pablo's Inferno'', '' Cloud Boy'' and co-creator of the Flash cartoon ''Happy Tree Friends''.
Career
Raised in Stockton, C ...
,
Rafael Navarro, Ted Seko, Bernyce Talley, and
Mort Todd
Mort Todd (born Michael Delle-Femine, November 9, 1961) is an American writer and media entrepreneur, best known as an editor-in-chief of ''Cracked (magazine), Cracked'' magazine, and later, Marvel Music. He is owner of Comicfix, a media company ...
* Commentary with Director Brian Cox and Javier Hernandez
* ''Drawing the Dead'' art tutorial by Javier Hernandez
* Slide-show of the original comic book
* ''
Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead ( es, Día de Muertos or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. It is widely obser ...
'' featurette
* ''The Making of The Dead One''
* ''Fun on the Set of The Dead One''
* A Spanish track
* A
DVD-ROM
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
feature
Also included within the DVD case is an exclusive collectible mini-comic created for the DVD and 2 wash-and-wear tattoos.
''Mark of Mictlantecuhtli''
''Mark of Mictlantecuhtli'' is an exclusive 8-page mini-comic created for the original DVD release by Javier Hernandez and Mort Todd. The short story focuses on the significance of Diego's
calavera
A calavera (Spanish language, Spanish – for "skull") is a representation of a human skull. The term is most often applied to edible or decorative skulls made (usually by hand) from either sugar (called Alfeñiques) or clay, used in the Mexican ...
tattoo, actually an Aztec symbol of death representing Mictlantecuhtli. Mark Bautista, the make-up artist for the film, also makes a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in the mini-comic as the tattoo shop owner, Marc.
Reception
The premiere and subsequent film screenings created a positive response, with tickets to the film's premiere actually selling out. After the film's initial DVD release, the online community had some generally mixed reviews. The film has a "B+" rating Yahoo! Movies. JoeHorror.com praised El Muerto, calling it "a very well acted supernatural thriller, heavily steeped in Latino mysticism and gorgeously decorated with Dia de los Muertos symbolism" and summed up the movie as a "Beautiful Dia de los Muertos inspired nightmare!" One review bemoaned the lack of big budget special effects but praised Billy Drago's performance as the villain. While another reviewer from Film Critics United.com admired the effort placed in the film's production but thought the overall product "fell flat".
On the more negative side, a review from JoBlo.com called the movie "nonsensical, ridiculous and boring in every way you don’t want your comic book adaptation to be" and gave the DVD a 1.5 out of a possible 4 rating. KillerReviews.com defended the film against some of the more harsh reviews, calling it "Bland But Not Altogether Bad."
Comparison to "The Crow"
Due to early online film announcements, those who were unfamiliar with the premise of the film or its basis criticized that the main character's guise too closely resembled that of ''
The Crow
The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...
'' from the
film of the same name based on the
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
comic-book series created by
James O'Barr
James O'Barr (born January 1, 1960) is an American comics artist, writer and graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series ''The Crow''.
Early life
O'Barr, an orphan, was raised in the foster care system.
Career
In 1978, O' ...
. The similarity was noted in an interview with Javier Hernandez:
And further explored in another interview at JoBlo.com:
Several reviewers acknowledged a resemblance, but most agreed it was a visual basis. JoeHorror.com declared, "''The Dead One'' does bear a significant resemblance to the aforementioned Crow, but it definitely has its own flavor and its own tale to tell, honoring its predecessor rather than trying to rip it off."
Wild Side Cinema - The Dead One - DVD REVIEWS
/ref>
Differences between the film and comic book
* In the film, it is explained Diego crossed the U.S. border illegally from Mexico as a child. In the comic book series, Diego is in fact a natural-born citizen.
* In the comic book, the more prominent antagonist is Mictlantecuhtli. The film instead depicts a more vengeful Tezcatlipoca as the villain.
* Maria's last name in the comic book is Hermosa, while in the film it was changed to Somera in order to lend a connection with the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.
* In the comic book, Diego and Maria ended their relationship long before his death. In the film however, they never broke up.
* Shortly after becoming El Muerto, Diego decides to leave his hometown and head to Mexico in search of answers. In the film, no such trip is made.
See also
* El Muerto
* Javier Hernandez Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known ...
* List of films based on comics
This is a list based on comics. It includes films that are Film adaptation, adaptations of comics, and those films whose characters originated in those comics.
English, French, Japanese
As some languages and forms have been extensively adapted ...
References
External links
Official El Muerto Site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muerto, El
El Muerto
Films based on American comics
American independent films
Superhero horror films
American supernatural horror films
American fantasy action films
American action horror films
American dark fantasy films
Supernatural fantasy films
American superhero films
Supernatural action films
American films about revenge
American vigilante films
Halloween horror films
American zombie films
Day of the Dead films
American exploitation films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
2000s vigilante films