El carnaval del diablo: A Dusty, Strange Little Trip

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you’re the kind of person who enjoys watching old, slightly crusty cinema just to see how things used to be put together. If you need a plot that actually goes from A to B without taking a nap in the middle, you’re probably going to hate it. It’s for the folks who like grainy textures and performers who look like they’re having a bit of a laugh behind the director's back.

There’s this weird, frantic energy to El carnaval del diablo that I kind of dug. It feels like everyone involved was working on a deadline that was due yesterday. Sometimes the camera just lingers on a crowd shot for way too long, like the director forgot to yell 'cut.' It’s charming, in a messy way.

The Carnival Vibe

The whole thing takes place in this environment that’s supposed to be electric, but it mostly feels like a local street fair where the budget ran out before the lights got strung up. There’s a specific scene where the music swells to this dramatic crescendo, but nobody on screen seems to be listening to it. It’s a classic, if you ask me.

Jinx Falkenburg is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the other actors like she’s trying to figure out if she left the stove on at home. It’s distracting, but I couldn’t look away.

• The lighting is mostly just 'bright' or 'shadowy,' with no middle ground.
• The dialogue sounds like it was written on the back of a napkin during lunch.
• I’m still not entirely sure what the devil part of the carnival was actually supposed to represent.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Road to Ruin, where everything feels slightly like a lecture mixed with a soap opera. Except here, it’s all about the masks and the costumes. Speaking of which, some of those costumes look like they were made from leftover curtains. It’s honestly impressive.

There’s this one guy, Enrique de Rosas, who seems to think he’s in a completely different movie than everyone else. He’s all gravitas and intense stares, while the rest of the cast is busy trying to make sure they don't trip over the scenery. It creates this weird friction that makes the whole thing feel strangely alive.

Don't go into this expecting a masterpiece. It’s a fragment of something else, a relic. Just watch it, notice the way the extras in the background have absolutely no idea what to do with their hands, and have a good time with it. It’s not trying to change your life. It’s just trying to fill an hour.

Also, the sound quality is… well, it’s certainly audio. 📻