Get ready to dive into the forgotten corners of horror cinema. Director Alaric S. Rocha and producer Rana Joy Glickman have announced that their feature film, Where is Juan Moctezuma?, will have its world premiere at London’s FrightFest 2025.
The film uncovers the untold story of Juan F. Moctezuma II, a legendary Mexican horror director from the 1970s who is said to have influenced filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, and Sam Raimi.
A Wild Tale of a Disappearing Director
Moctezuma’s final film, his first in Hollywood, was a mysterious project called 1000 PATHS OF DEATH. The film was shot in complete secrecy, and then, without a trace, the director and all of the footage disappeared. The film promises to be a fun, obsessive mystery that explores every level of the Mexican exploitation film industry as it tries to figure out what happened to Moctezuma. Was his nemesis, the famous luchador Scorpion, involved?
A Celebration of Horror
Director Alaric S. Rocha says the film is both a celebration of early Mexican cinema and a tribute to the scrappy, rebellious spirit of B-horror movies. He hopes the film inspires audiences to keep questioning and rediscovering the forgotten parts of film history.
Ahead of the premiere, Rocha shared his excitement on the launch of his feature directorial debut, “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. The film is both a celebration of that early cinema and an homage to the scrappy, subversive spirit of B-horror movies, told with a touch of Latin magical realism and tragic romance. At its heart lies a tragic lesson Moctezuma refused to believe: life is not like the movies. Yet in his work he searched for the doorway into real-life magical realism, and he inspires me to keep trying to bridge that gap myself. I keep making films, chasing that romantic hope that maybe life can be like the movies, and I hope audiences will be moved to keep questioning, imagining, and rediscovering the forgotten corners of film history.”
Where is Juan Moctezuma? will have its world premiere on Sunday, August 24th at the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square during FrightFest.
