London’s FrightFest 2025 will host the world premiere of Where Is Juan Moctezuma?, a feature film from director Alaric S. Rocha and producer Rana Joy Glickman. The film will screen on Sunday, August 24, at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square.
The documentary-style feature explores the enigmatic story of Juan F. Moctezuma II, a 1970s Mexican horror filmmaker whose work reportedly influenced Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, Sam Raimi, and others. Moctezuma’s final project, 1000 Paths of Death, produced by Roger Corman, was shrouded in secrecy. After production, both the filmmaker and the footage mysteriously vanished, leaving behind speculation, rumors, and unfinished legacy.
Rocha describes his debut as both a celebration of Mexico’s long horror tradition and an homage to the inventive, often subversive world of B-horror cinema. “I want audiences to remember that Mexican cinema has a long, rich history that predates the international spotlight brought by Del Toro, Cuarón, and Iñárritu,” Rocha explained. “At its heart lies a tragic lesson Moctezuma refused to believe: life is not like the movies. Yet he kept searching for that doorway into real-life magical realism.”
Where Is Juan Moctezuma? at FrightFest:
Sunday, 24th August 2025
Screening at 8:55p BST
ODEON Luxe Leicester Square Discovery Screen 2
Through its examination of Moctezuma’s career, rivalries, and cultural impact, Where Is Juan Moctezuma? promises to guide audiences into the eccentric world of Mexican exploitation films while shedding light on a mysterious figure in genre history.
