Tamal Kundu
Based on Adam Nevill’s namesake book, ‘No One Gets Out Alive’ is directed by Santiago Menghini. The dense horror film explores themes like immigration, immigrant exploitation, and poverty through the prism of an archetypal haunted house. The storyline revolves around Ambar, who comes from Mexico to Cleveland searching for a better life and finds residence in an old and ramshackle women’s boarding house.
Soon, Ambar begins having paranormal experiences and discovers that it’s connected to the sacrifices made to a Mesoamerican deity. If you watched the film and loved it, then we have the perfect list of recommendations. You can watch most of these movies similar to ‘No One Gets Out Alive’ on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
6. Q (1982)
‘Q’ or ‘The Winged Serpent’ or ‘Q– The Winged Serpent’ revolves around Detective Shepard (David Carradine) and a thief named Jimmy Quinn. They learn that the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, who looks like a winged serpent, has built a lair in the art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building, New York City. She often swoops down from her nest to prey on people who are unlucky enough to be on the roofs while she is hunting. Both ‘No One Gets Out Alive’ and ‘Q’ depict a deity from Aztec mythology as the primary supernatural antagonist.
5. Dolly Dearest (1991)
Like ‘No One Gets Out Alive,’ the horror element in ‘Dolly Dearest’ is inspired by Mesoamerican mythology. The Wade family moves to Mexico from the US after the father acquires the eponymous doll factory. Not long after their relocation, the daughter finds one of these dolls, which her father allows her to keep. Unbeknownst to the family, the doll is possessed by the spirit of Sanzia, or Satan on Earth, who was accidentally released from its Mayan tomb sometime ago. It possesses the young girl and soon begins tormenting the family.
4. Curse of the Mayans (2017)
‘Curse of the Mayans’ is a subterranean horror thriller about an expedition in search of ancient Mayan records. American archaeologist Dr. Alan Green enlists experienced cave-diver Danielle Noble to help him uncover the secrets hidden in the caves located south of Yucatán. Although she is initially reluctant because of a personal tragedy, the potential importance of what they might discover there and the prospect of subsequent glory compel Noble to agree to join the expedition.
However, Noble and her team realize that it’s not glory that awaits them in the hellish depths of those caves but horror and death. Like in ‘No One Gets Out Alive,’ characters in ‘Curse of the Mayans’ search for an ancient Mesoamerican treasure. The problem is that they end up finding it.
3. The Ruins (2008)
‘The Ruins’ follows four Americans and a German tourist they meet. After they accidentally touch the vines growing in abundance, the group gets trapped in the ruins of a Mayan temple by the locals. Soon, the vines start to grow on and inside their bodies. Like ‘No One Gets Out Alive,’ ‘The Ruins’ is based on a horror-fiction book. The writer of the latter book is Scott Smith. Furthermore, both projects delve deep into Mesoamerican mythology to tell the respective stories.
2. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The cinematic adaptation of Ira Levin’s 1967 novel of the same name, Roman Polanski’s ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ is inarguably one of the greatest psychological horrors ever made. The plot centers around Rosemary Woodhouse, a young, pregnant woman who moves into a new apartment building and discovers that her seemingly well-meaning neighbors are part of a Satanic cult. Like in ‘No One Gets Out Alive,’ horror is used as a canvas to depict more complicated issues in ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ including paranoia, faith, and women’s freedom.
1. His House (2020)
In both ‘No One Gets Out Alive’ and ‘His House,’ the central themes are immigration and horror. In ‘His House,’ South Sudanese refugee couple Bol and Rial are placed at a dilapidated house in the outskirts of London after they arrive in the country. Despite the terrible living conditions, the two of them cherish their new lives and their new home. However, they soon find out that a vengeful witch has followed them to England and intends to unleash hell upon them in their new home.
