Netflix’s Best Hidden Horror Movie Has Been Flying Completely Under the Radar, and It Deserves Way More Attention
Streaming platforms are notoriously difficult places for smaller international films to break through, especially when they arrive without a major marketing push. Every week brings a flood of new titles competing for attention, and it’s often the quietest releases that end up getting buried the fastest, regardless of how good they actually are.
That’s exactly what happened to one particular Mexican psychological horror film. Despite premiering at Fantastic Fest all the way back in 2022, it didn’t make its way to Netflix until April 2024, and even then it managed to crack the platform’s top 10 most-watched list in its home country without generating much buzz internationally.
That film is ‘Disappear Completely,’ directed by Luis Javier Henaine. The film currently holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, an impressive feat for a title that has largely flown under the radar since its streaming debut.
The film follows Santiago, played by Harold Torres, a tabloid photojournalist who specializes in photographing crime scenes and accidents for profit. After capturing images of a severely injured politician at a particularly gruesome crime scene, Santiago becomes the victim of a curse that begins gradually stripping away each of his five senses.
As his time runs out, Santiago scrambles to find a way to break the curse while also navigating a strained relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Marce. The story leans heavily into Mexican folk horror traditions, weaving witchcraft and superstition into its narrative in a way that feels grounded rather than exaggerated for spectacle.
Henaine has been open about his approach to grounding the film’s supernatural elements in something more believable. He told Eye For Film that his goal was to make a personal film centered on down-to-earth issues, while still balancing the folk horror aspects that carry deep cultural weight in Mexico, where witchcraft is something many people take genuinely seriously.
That commitment to realism extended into the film’s technical choices as well. Henaine explained to the outlet that he wanted the film’s style to shift alongside Santiago’s deteriorating senses, deliberately slowing the pacing and making the presentation more subjective as the character loses his hearing, effectively pulling the audience directly into his unraveling perspective.
Critics have praised the film’s technical execution just as much as its concept. The cinematography, shot in a 3:2 aspect ratio meant to evoke traditional newspaper photography, and the sound design, which shifts to monoaural as Santiago loses his hearing, have both been highlighted as standout elements that immerse viewers directly in the character’s physical and psychological decline.
Harold Torres’ performance has also drawn consistent praise, with critics noting how he manages to keep Santiago’s descent believable and emotionally grounded even as the character’s dialogue disappears entirely by the film’s final stretch. That balance between visceral horror and genuine character work is part of what’s made the film resonate so strongly with the critics who have actually seen it.
With so many new titles constantly cycling through Netflix’s catalog, it’s easy to understand how a smaller international release like this one slipped past most viewers’ radar. But for horror fans willing to look beyond the platform’s most heavily promoted titles, ‘Disappear Completely’ offers a genuinely unsettling and technically ambitious experience that’s earned its perfect critical score.
What makes Disappear Completely sound most interesting to you?
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