Reporter Cristina Lopez wakes up to find herself chained in a cement brick room, her face covered by a burlap sack. On assignment from the United States to cover Brujas and faith healers, Cristina has come to Veracruz at the invitation of her cousin Miranda with one warning; do not go to the area of the jungle called La Boca. So of course, Cristina went right to La Boca. The local Bruja and her son believe that by entering the ruins of La Boca, Cristina has accidentally taken on a demon. Until they remove the demon, they will not let Cristina go free, and Miranda states that there is nothing she can do to stop them. The past Cristina is trying to avoid, the family she forgot, might be the answers to her survival.
Cristina Lopez is pretty messed up when we meet her. We figure out quickly that she’s got a severe intravenous drug problem, and that she’s already been having issues with her job as a reporter. In fact, her boss didn’t want to even send her to Veracruz in the first place. This movie is kind of the opposite of a Hallmark movie; big city reporter comes to Veracruz and learns the meaning of family…and why you don’t mess with supernatural forces. Her cousin Miranda is pretty interesting, in regards to the fact that while she’s willing to help, she’s definitely a believer and isn’t going to put up with Cristina’s sass. At one point, she hands a handwritten guide about the local demon to Cristina, and when Cristina complains she can’t understand it, Miranda tosses a Spanish to English dictionary to her cousin.
For sensitive viewers, there’s going to be some pretty hard parts to watch. Cristina is chained up and covered in blood. She has images of demons. We’ve got psychic surgeries ripping out what looks like a packet of teeth. She shoots up what I assume is heroin. Snakes crawl all over her. There are some pretty intense moments that newer horror fans may have a problem with, but long standing horror fans should be just fine. There are some brilliant practical effects in this film. I will admit that at the start of the film, I almost turned if off immediately. I’ve sworn off movies where women are kept prisoner and tortured. I’m glad I stuck with The Old Ways. While some of the portrayal of Brujeria is going to be sensationalized (it is a horror movie after all), there is also definitely an air of respect.
The Old Ways premiered at the 2020 Sitges Film festival. It’s currently working to be acquisitioned.
