Our next journey across my Letterboxd Map keeps us in Central America as we head to Panama for Diablo Rojo PTY.
Title: Diablo Rojo PTY
Directors: Sol Moreno and J. Oskura Nájera
Released: September 19, 2019 (Theatrical – Panama)
Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes
Miguel (Carlos Carrasco) is the driver of a Diablo Rojo bus. These “Red Devil” buses are vividly painted, strewn with bright lights, and said to be dangerous to both passengers and pedestrians. His hype-man, Junito (Julian Urriola), hangs out the door of the bus as they weave in and out of traffic.
One evening, while winding down their night, Miguel and Junito decide to take a pit stop. After a few drinks, Miguel stumbles away to use the restroom while Junito is lost in his phone. While Miguel is taking care of business, he has an encounter with a bruja that leaves him running back to Junito and the bus, his pants still around his knees.
As Miguel hits the gas to get out of there, he draws the attention of two police officers on motorcycles. After another bruja encounter leaves one of the officers injured, they hop on the bus with Miguel and Junito as the group carries on into the night. Unsure of where they are, they eventually come upon a church. The uninjured officer pounds on the door, requesting help for his injured colleague. Padre Andres (Leo Wiznitzer) opens the door and invites them in.
Miguel follows Padre Andres into his office, and they begin discussing where the other is from. As Miguel explains how they wound up at the church, Padre informs him that they’re in Chiriqui, which is about six hours from the city.
While it’s fair to say they may have gotten lost, there’s no way they were driving for six hours…
Diablo Rojo PTY is touted as being the first horror film to come out of Panama. Regardless of how I feel about the film itself, it’s pretty cool to be able to see a country’s first horror offering.
As for the plot, it is steeped in Panamanian folklore. But don’t worry if you’re not well-versed in your Panamanian folklore; I wasn’t either. Luckily, we’re given enough context via conversations on the bus, in the church, and through the use of flashbacks. It might not fill in all of the blanks, but we get enough to be able to understand what’s happening and why.
Where Diablo Rojo PTY really shines is its visuals. The majority of the film takes place over the course of one night, and it leans into using shadows and lighting to its advantage. The bus itself is a visual spectacle to behold. Its exterior is covered in vibrant graffiti-type murals and lights, and the interior is lit by colorful string lights. All of this makes for a fun visual as we see it tearing through the jungle.
The practical effects are impressive too, specifically the design of and puppet work on La Tulivieja toward the end of the film. You can tell that a lot of time and attention went into the design of the creature. Sure, it might look pretty cheesy at times, but you have to respect the big bold swings that the filmmakers chose to take.
Overall, this is a bit of a mixed bag. For everything that I enjoyed, there were also lulls in the story, questionable character choices, and under-explored themes relating to the folklore. But there’s enough here to satisfy most horror fans.
Diablo Rojo PTY may have been the first horror film to come from Panama, but I’m glad it won’t be the last.