Hispanic Heritage Month Interview with Trash-Mex Blog Founder Armando Hernandez

Celebrating Latin horror for Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight the creepy and strange cult horror of Mexico with the cult film blog Trash-Mex. Trash-Mex, since 2010, has cataloged and brought to English-speaking audiences the films of Mexican cult cinema and its unique history, including the lesser-known gems of Mexican cult horror cinema.

Speaking with Trash-Mex founder and writer Armando Hernandez, he shares with us his inspiration to start the blog, the uniqueness of Mexican horror, and why he feels Latinos are devoted horror fans.

Justin Bonilla: How did you initially become interested in Mexican cult horror cinema?

Armando Hernandez (AH): There were a lot of horror films that my brother and I would watch growing up. Your parents are the ones that take you to the movies or let you watch something. My mom would take my brother and me to the theater and let us see pretty much anything. Of course, anytime there was nudity, that’s when we wouldn’t be allowed to see it. Somebody getting killed. That’s fine. But if there’s sex or nudity, then cover your eyes. Later, as a teenager, that’s when I started looking at titles for myself and going from there.

What drew you to Mexican horror in particular?

AH: When I was growing up, I would come across Mexican horror on TV, on channels like channel 62, with crazy titles from the 1980s and the 1990s. I was 20 years old when I started to remember those movies and wondered about their names. It blew up from there.

Armando Hernandez

When did you start Trash-Mex? What was the inspiration behind starting the blog?

AH: Around 2010, when everyone had a blog, I remember wanting to get into that and write about Mexican movies. Little by little I keep going at it. I kept finding more titles, either by remembering or through stuff I came across. It went from there. I leaned more toward Mexican cult films because I felt that if I was gonna write about Child’s Play, what’s going to be original from what I write, versus what other people have already written about it? I wanted it to be different. Also, I felt closer to Mexican horror. From there, I started to get really into it. I would be online, on IMDb, and looking up titles, producers, actors, etc.

Where do you find these films?

AH: Whenever I would look for a movie, some would be on DVD, sometimes on really cheap DVDs. Then some of the titles were just on VHS. That’s how I ended up accumulating so many VHS over the years. That was the only way they were able to be released. Some of them weren’t even released on VHS. So it would be a bootleg from TV.

How have readers responded to your Trash-Mex?

AH: As I started writing more, I was getting a little bit of attention, mostly from people from Mexico, or people here in America. People would say, “I remember this movie!”, or “Oh, I remember seeing something similar”, and even, “Have you seen this?” That’s how I get recommendations.

What do you think makes Mexican horror films so unique?

AH: They’re not trying to be American. American fans don’t get me wrong. They’re sometimes inspired by American horror. However, they certainly weren’t trying to copy. They were just trying to tell their own stories and share what was going on over there. There was also a market for Mexican horror for the Mexicans living in the United States. Producers wanted to appeal to this market. They know this market wanted to see their people being portrayed on the big screen.

You have an extensive collection of original horror movie posters and lobby cards. How did you become interested in collecting them?

AH: When I would come across a VHS or DVD of a movie, I would end up coming across a really cheap poster or lobby card of it. They would be $5, $10, or $20 dollars. So, I’d buy it.

Where do you find the posters and lobby cards?

AH: I come across them by chance. Sometimes it’ll just be one big lot. Over the years, I also came across poster collectors. I would buy from them too. But mostly online, like Abe Books and eBay.

How did you get your screening at The Frida Cinema?

AH: It was through my friend Michael Aguirre. We met at the WHAMMY! Analog Media, in Los Angeles. Michael messaged me one day and asked if I would want to do an exhibit at The Frida since I did one last year at the Re/Arte book shop. I’ve always wanted to do a second one, but I never knew where. Michael mentioned that we could screen a movie at The Frida. He set it up and we went from there.

How was your experience watching the audience at the screening?

AH: On the night of the screening, I was shocked, because so many people came. As the audience was little by little piling up inside, I thought, “This is crazy!” I even saw a little boy with his dad or older brother.

Is there a possibility of future film screenings?

AH: I have one in October at WHAMMY! for Herencia Diabólica (Diabolical Inheritance). It’s about a killer clown doll. Michael and I are already talking about November and going from there.

What are some of your favorite Mexican horror films?

AH: I like Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo (Even the Wind is Afraid). Santo Y Mantequilla Nápoles En La Venganza De La Llorona (The Revenge of the Crying Woman) is my favorite Santo movie. La Muerte Del Chacal (Death of the Jackal) is a 1980s Giallo-style movie. Obsesión de Matar (Obsession to Kill) is basically a copy of Psycho 4. Herencia Diabólica (Diabolical Inheritance) is my favorite out of all of them. It’s super cheap, but it’s pretty freaky. It freaked me out as a kid. The clown is a doll, but when it comes to life and kills, it’s a small man dressed up as a clown, which makes it even funnier.

What five films would you recommend to people who are interested in Mexican horror, but are not familiar with Mexican horror?

AH: My Top Five Recommendations:

Herencia Diabólica (Diabolical Inheritance) – 1983
La Muerte Del Chacal (Death of the Jackal) – 1984
Santo Y Mantequilla Nápoles En La Venganza De La Llorona (The Revenge of the Crying Woman) – 1974
Terror En Los Barrios (Terror in the Neighborhoods)- 1983
Ladrones De Tumbas (Grave Robbers) – 1989

My Honorable Mentions:

38 Especial(.38 Special) – 1992
Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo(Even the Wind is Afraid) – 1968
Cazador de Demonios(Demon Hunter) – 1983
Obsesión de Matar(Obsession to Kill) – 1993

Why do you feel that so many Latinos are so attracted to horror?

AH: We Latinos are foretold of many supernatural tales from our elders. All of this is embedded in the culture and has been for a very long time. A perfect example is “La Llorona;” every generation of Latinos know the story of the Crying Woman. For many of us, it’s very scary, but were also very fascinated by it. I’ve always believed that whatever scares us, we are actually attracted to it. We love the feeling of fear. We want to believe in things that are out of the norm.