''La hora marcada'' ("The Marked Hour" or "The Appointed Time") was a 1986 Mexican television

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

presenting horror and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

in the vein of ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'', originally aired from 1988 to 1990 by

Canal de las Estrellas Las Estrellas ("The Stars"; previously El Canal de las Estrellas, or "The Channel of the Stars") is one of the cornerstone networks of TelevisaUnivision, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TDT in Mexico City. Many of t ...

, with half-hour episodes, and re-broadcast from 1997 to 1999 at various times by Channel 9 (Mexico) and local

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

channels. Although virtually unknown outside Mexico, it achieved a popular and critical success in that region. The series was the first opportunity for many Mexican filmmakers to venture into the genre of horror, and its rotating cast of writers and directors included

Emmanuel Lubezki Emmanuel Lubezki Morgenstern (; born November 30, 1964) is a Mexican cinematographer. He sometimes goes by the nickname Chivo, which means "goat" in Spanish. Lubezki has worked with many acclaimed directors, including Mike Nichols, Tim Burton, ...

, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón.

Characters

The "Woman in Black" (La Dama De Negro), who typically makes cameo appearances wearing a long dress and a black veil in the background near the middle or end of many episodes, and sometimes plays a more active role in the episode, is a personification of Death (La Muerte). She was played by several actresses; among the most frequent:

Frances Ondiviela Francisca Ondiviela Otero (born May 19, 1962), known professionally as Frances Ondiviela is a Spanish and Mexican actress know for starring in the roles was in the telenovela, ''Acorralada''. Ondiviela was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ...

, Margot Buzali, and Tere Hernandez. In the 2007 spin-off series '' 13 Miedos'' ("Thirteen Fears", sometimes stylized as '' m13dos''), this character is replaced by a similar character played by Constantino Morán, as a male narrator or

Horror Host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. Generall ...

with black eyes without pupils, dressed in black, and portrayed as the devil.

Episodes

Crew

Creator: * Carmen Armendáriz Producers: * Fernando Saenz de Miera, 98 episodes * Carmen Armendáriz, 100 episodes (1989-1990) * Alfonso Cuarón *

Directors, various including: *

Juan Mora Catlett Juan Mora Catlett is a Mexican film and documentary director. He is known for making films focused on artist and the pre-Hispanic peoples of Mexico. Personal life Mora Catlett grew up in an artistic family; his father Francisco Mora was a Mexic ...

* Alfonso Cuarón * Guillermo del Toro Writers: *

* Alfonso Cuarón *

Carlos Cuarón Carlos José Cuarón Orozco (born 2 October 1966) is a Mexican screenwriter, film producer, and film director. He is also brother of the Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón. Biography Carlos Cuarón was born in Mexico City and studied Eng ...

* Guillermo del Toro

References

External links

At the Internet Movie Database

A blog about La Hora Marcada series - Compiled by Luis Pedro Cabrera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hora Mexican anthology television series Mexican horror fiction television series Horror fiction television series 1980s science fiction television series Mexican drama television series