''Doña Lupe'' is a 1985 short

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

written and directed by

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

. It is del Toro's ninth short film, though the first eight remain unreleased. Del Toro filmed ''Doña Lupe'' at 19 years of age; reviewers have noted that the film "feels like the work of an amateur artist getting to grips with his craft". In 2008, ''Doña Lupe'' saw its first commercial release as part of the '' Cinema 16: World Short Films'' DVD collection. In the audio commentary, del Toro apologizes for the film's poor quality and recounts anecdotes from its troubled production.

Plot

Policemen Bienvenido and Chato rent rooms in a house owned by Doña Lupe, an elderly woman in financial trouble. Doña Lupe mistrusts the men, but allows them to stay, as she needs the money. When they change the locks and begin smuggling suspicious materials into the house, Doña Lupe decides to take drastic measures.

Cast

* Josefina González de Silva as Doña Lupe * Jose Luis Vallejo as Bienvenido * Jaime Arturo Vargas as Chato * José Luis Vallejo as Bienvenido Almereida * Jaime Arturo Vargas as Javier "Chato" Cañedo * Hermilo Barba as Don Jesús * Javier Cañedo as Mongol

Production

The film reflects the taste for crime stories and horror film expressed by del Toro in a later interview. The director also states having expressly wanted to set the story in a provincial ambient. It is del Toro's ninth short film but the first to have been presented to the public. This explains why the film is often presented as his directorial debut.

Screenings

The film was screened at various festivals, including the first

Guadalajara Film Festival The Guadalajara International Film Festival () is a week-long film festival held each March in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara since 1986. The presence in Guadalajara of delegates from other important festivals from around t ...

, in 1986.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dona Lupe 1985 horror films 1985 short films Mexican horror short films Mexican werewolf films 1980s supernatural horror films Films set in Mexico Films shot in Mexico Films directed by Guillermo del Toro Films with screenplays by Guillermo del Toro 1980s Spanish-language films 1985 films 1980s Mexican films Spanish-language short films