Why Latinos Love Horror: La Llorona, Guillermo del Toro & "Chupacabra Versus Everybody"

Hosts Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito kick off spooky season with a simple question: why do Latinos show up for horror like it's a religious obligation? They start with the data. According to UCLA's 2026 Hollywood Diversity Report, Latinos made up 29.1% of theatrical horror audiences. Fidel and Suzy get into what's behind the numbers, from Fidel's South Texas childhood and an out-of-print bilingual folklore collection called Stories That Must Not Die, to the Latino families (toddlers included) filling the Academy Museum's horror exhibit. Then they follow the stories. La Llorona has crossed borders and decades, and Fidel and Suzy discuss what the legend might say about motherhood and shame. They also debate what the Chupacabra actually looks like, how a millennial cryptid became a sensation after Primer Impacto, and why "Chupacabra versus everybody" was a playground game in Miami. They also take on Obsession, the breakout horror hit of the year, and ask who gets to tell these stories and why it matters. Suzy explains why slashers aren't for her (vampires are another story). And they ask whether Catholicism, with all its demons, fear and salvation, was our first horror education. And because this is De Los Podcast, they end with one request: let Latino filmmakers cook. Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro. 🎙 De Los Podcast drops new episodes every week on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation. Hosts: Fidel Martínez Suzy Exposito Producer: Rodrigo Crespo Recording Producer: Nick Milanés Associate Producer: Katerina Portela Associate Producer & Audio Engineer: Jordan Paterson Video & Audio Editors: Clivia Torres J.A. Gómez Supervising Engineer: Carter Wells Camera Operators: Josh Summers Daniel Flesher Key & Art Design Direction: Martina Ibañez-Baldor & Diana Ramirez Set Design: Zoe-Zoe Lighting: Jamie Parslow Original Music: Chaboi Marketing Manager: Bryn Jura General Counsel at L.A. Times: Jeff Glasser Director of Post-Production: Patrick Steward Senior Sound Recording Engineer: Nick Norton Executive Producers: Camila Victoriano & Joshua Weinstein for Sonoro Darius Derakshan & Angel Jennings for The L.A. Times De Los Podcast is co-created by: L.A. Times Studios President Anna Magzanyan and Darius Derakshan Special thanks to President and Chief Operating Officer of The Los Angeles Times Chris Argentieri and Executive Editor of The Los Angeles Times, Terry Tang From the Los Angeles Times and Sonoro comes the De Los Podcast — a weekly conversation where music, pop culture and Latinidad collide. Hosted by De Los editors Fidel Martínez and Suzy Exposito, the show pulls back the curtain on the stories, people and cultural moments shaping the Latino experience in the U.S. and beyond. Every episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the artists, actors, filmmakers and thinkers who are moving the culture forward — not just talking about it. Guests include Leslie Grace, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Xolo Maridueña, Fabrizio Guido, producer and singer Empress Of, among others. Think of it as the cultural conversation that major American media rarely makes room for — a space where Latinos get to talk, unfiltered, about what they create and who they are. Produced by Los Angeles Times, L.A. Times Studios, and Sonoro. New episodes every week — available on YouTube and all major podcasts.