Is true horror not in a monster outside, but within our own minds? Director Emilio Portes’ latest work, No dejes a los niños solos (Don’t Leave the Kids Alone), poses this question, transforming the family home into a psychological battlefield. The story begins with Cata, a mother recently widowed, forced to leave her two sons alone for one night. It stealthily escalates into tension as brothers Matías and Emiliano begin to suspect each other of plotting murder. Grief and guilt give way to paranoia and violence, morphing into a fear that gnaws even at the closest bonds.
Blending Portes’ signature eerie atmosphere with sharp social observation, the film builds dread not from monsters, but from the erosion of trust and silence. The home becomes both a sanctuary and a prison where isolation and emotional collapse intensify. By examining how trauma distorts perception and logic, the film joins the wave of modern introspective horror like Hereditary and The Babadook.
The film’s power lies in the unsettling maturity of its child performances, grounding the story in raw emotion and trauma. Portes fuses the cultural realism of Mexican horror cinema with gothic undertones, locating fear not in ghosts but in family trauma. Nominated for Best Latin Film and Best Director at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, the film proves Portes is one of Latin America’s most original voices in genre cinema.
No dejes a los niños solos is a chilling, thought-provoking, and unflinchingly honest psychological thriller that unsettles with whispers rather than screams.
Film Details:
Director: Emilio Portes
Cast: Ana Serradilla, Jesús Zavala, José Sefami
Release Year: 2025
Themes: Psychological Horror, Family Trauma, Paranoia, and Isolation
Note: The film favors slow-burn tension, gradually drawing the viewer into its atmosphere and rooting fear deep within the mind.
