HAUNTED: LATIN AMERICA is out on Netflix now and if you watched the first season of Haunted that took place in the US, you’ll want to watch this one as well. However, just as it was the case with that US season, the Latin America edition is full of both hits and misses.

We’re still hearing true stories about hauntings from the people who experienced it all first-hand. There are five episodes in the season and we’ve watched all 5 episodes for this review.

First things first; This series might be called Haunted: Latin America but the five episodes “only” cover two countries. Three episodes are from Mexico and two are from Colombia.

Also, the first episode (which is probably the strongest), is almost one hour long. The other four episodes in the season are only around half an hour. In other words, you can watch the season in less than three hours.

The setup is exactly like that of the first Haunted series set in the US. All first-hand stories are told in the same room surrounded by friends and family. Usually, all the people in the room have experienced the haunting event (or events) in some way.

In that sense, it does differ a bit from the US version of this Netflix series. In that season, many of the other people in the room were hearing about the haunting experience for the first time.

Without giving away spoilers, we’ll do a quick rundown of the five episodes of Haunted: Latin America on Netflix here. Also, we’ve given each episode a rating but obviously, this is very subjective and what we find believable and interesting might not work for you.

“The House of the Damned” is episode 1
A single mother experiences a sinister presence in her new home. She’s not the only one that feels and sees the haunting events of this house. In fact, there are many witnesses which makes this story very intense and engaging.

This opening episode is also the longest and it turned out to be the best. A strong beginning is always good but episodes two and three might have suffered from having to follow this fierce opening.

“The Cursed Doll” is episode 2
A girl receives a doll as a birthday present and carries it with her into adulthood. The doll in this episode is definitely creepy. It goes from looking like any other doll to something out of a horror movie in no time. That part was creepy.

Overall, however, I found this episode felt like someone had watched a few too many movies with the Annabelle doll. It didn’t quite work for me, but anyone who finds dolls creepy should relate to this one.

“The Woman from El Molino” is episode 3
We’re back in The Conjuring universe with this story that feels a lot like The Curse of La Llorona. Of course, those movies are based on real folklore, so it makes sense. It also makes sense that when you look up folklore to figure out what you’re experiencing, you will find answers there.

Basically, I’m a skeptic and felt the story overall was lacking in many ways. Instead, the Mexican police officer was supposed to look like a hero, when he came across as a coward to me. That’s all I’ll say about that.

“Something’s Knocking at the Door” is episode 4
Along with episode 1 of Haunted: Latin America, this one was definitely the strongest one. In episode 4, we yet again hear the haunting experience from someone who has many witnesses. There’s a distinct The Sixth Sense vibe of “I see dead people” to this one.

“The Devil Dances before Easter” is episode 5
I’m almost disappointed that the final episode of this season isn’t the first one. I mean, with a release just before Easter, you’d think they’d open with the Easter titled episode and finish with the double-length episode. Then again, the dog-like creature featured in this episode doesn’t exactly make me think of Easter.

The special effects and CGI almost ruined this story for me. However, I must admit that the story of what this boy experienced did get to me. In other words; Please try to ignore the effects used and just listen to the story itself.

Watch Haunted: Latin America season 1 on Netflix now
Since Netflix is already calling this “season 1” in various press materials, it goes to reason that there will be a season 2 of Haunted: Latin America as well. Hopefully, season 2 will feature stories from more countries than “just” Mexico and Colombia.

You wouldn’t expect a European season with five episodes to feature stories from just two countries either. I’m thinking it’s disappointing for all the Netflix viewers in other Latin American countries to not be represented. I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of haunting stories from all over The Americas.

Also, it should come as no surprise that most episodes feature religion in some form. However, I was happy to see that it didn’t become too Catholic heavy. Instead, we also got to see other belief systems as part of these haunting experiences. Or rather, trying to help the victims of the events. Check it out… if you dare!

Haunted: Latin America is out on Netflix from March 31, 2021.