6 Films to Keep You Awake horror hexalogy: Álex de la Iglesia's THE BABY'S ROOM, Narciso Ibáñez S

The official website for the Spanish made-for-TV horror hexalogy 6 Films to Keep You Awake (6 películas para no dormir) is online, although at present it's just a home page. The six movies in this Filmax International (Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales S.A.) production are as follows:

The Baby's Room (La habitación del hijo): directed by Álex de la Iglesia; screenplay by Álex de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría; starring Javier Gutiérrez as Juan, Leonor Watling as Sonia, Sancho Gracia as Domingo, María Asquerino as Anciana, Antonio Dechent as Fernández, Manuel Tallafé as García, Terele Pávez as Domingo's wife, Asunción Balaguer as Anciana 2, and Eulàlia Ramon as Teresa. Synopsis: "A couple with a recently born child arrive at their new home. It is a wonderful old house that has been completely renovated and the ideal place to start life as a family. The couple go to bed after a tiring day. ¶ Before going to bed, the couple go and check the child monitor that has been installed in the baby's bedroom. It is the very latest model. Not only does it allow you to listen in while the baby is sleeping, it lets you watch the baby as well.... ¶ They will soon discover that there is someone else living in this house, someone whose presence can be felt every night, right beside their baby's cradle...." Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

Blame (La culpa): directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (a.k.a. Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador); starring Nieve De Medina as Ana, Montse Mostaza as Gloria, Asunción Díaz as Consuelo, Alejandra Lorenzo as Vicky, Mariana Cordero as Teresa, and Cristina Perales as Julia. Synopsis: "Ana, a gynaecologist, invites Gloria, a nurse and friend from the hospital, and Gloria's daughter Vicky, to come and live with her. The nurse who used to help Ana in her private clinic has moved on, so Gloria will be the new assistant. It seems like a reasonable arrangement. ¶ The house, a section of which is used as a private clinic, is light, cheerful and peaceful. But there is something sinister alive in there. ¶ Once she has moved in, Ana reveals to Gloria that her private practice is in fact an abortion clinic. ¶ A clinic where truth, pain, life and death all intermingle. A clinic in which the patients and doctors are never truly alone. They are always dragging their pasts behind them... towards the room upstairs." Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

Xmas Tale (Cuento de Navidad): directed by Paco Plaza (a.k.a. Francisco Plaza); screenplay by Paco Plaza and Luiso Berdejo; starring Maru Valdivielso as Rebeca, Cristian Casas as Koldo, Roger Babia as Peti, Pau Poch as Tito, Daniel Casadella as Eugenio, and Ivana Baquero as Moni. Synopsis: "A group of children spending Christmas in a summer resort village discover a woman disguised as Santa Claus in a well in the woods. When they go to the police for help, they discover that she is in fact a dangerous thief who is on the run with a substantial haul. They make a decision. They will help her out of the well in exchange for the money that she still has on her. ¶ But once they have the money, greed, fear and darker thoughts lead them to change their plans, which in turn leads to a series of dilemmas. Should they keep the money? Why would they actually want to help her out of the well? And would they be in danger if they did let her out? ¶ So the children decide not to free her. They feed her and look after her... but the days become increasingly long in the well. The cold, the damp, the darkness and above all the fact that she is being fed with packets of children's food are turning her enforced captivity into a torture session with near fatal consequences. ¶ One day, when the children come to see her, the well is empty.... This year, Santa Claus is coming with a sackful of deadly gifts...." Official webpage. Poster (36 KB JPEG).

A Real Friend (Adivina quién soy): directed by Enrique Urbizu; screenplay by Jorge Arenillas; starring Goya Toledo as Angela, Nerea Inchausti as Estrella, Eduard Farelo as the vampire, Josep Maria Pou as the fat man, Aitor Mazo as Bubba, Roelkis Bueno as the young official, and Andrés Marí as the forensic doctor. Synopsis: "Estrella, a girl of ten, has lived alone with her mother Angela since her father died when she was very small. She is a lively and sociable child, but she spends a lot of time alone at home. Too much. ¶ Estrella enjoys fantasy and horror stories and, in order to exorcise the fear that the 'big monsters' cause her, she makes friends with them: she gives them a body, talks to them, they go to school with her, they protect her.... ¶ One day, Estrella makes friends with a new companion, a vampire. But could it be that this 'friend' is not merely a product of the girl's imagination?" Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

Spectre (Regreso a Moira): directed by Mateo Gil; screenplay by Mateo Gil and Igor Legarreta; starring Juan José Ballesta as young Tomás, Natalia Millán as Moira, Jordi Dauder as Tomás, David Arnaiz as young Carlos, Adrián Marín as young Vicente, Victoria Mora as Carmen, José Angel Egido as Carlos, and Miguel Rellán as Vicente. Synopsis: "Alejandro is an elderly writer, and is driving back to the small costal village where he was born and raised. But the peaceful place of his memories has been turned into a vast tourist resort, full of brazen consumerism with no charm left at all. ¶ Once there, Alejandro reminisces about a painful episode from his past. When he was a child he met a mysterious woman whom he has been trying to forget ever since. A woman of wild beauty, she was married to a sailor. However, there were rumours in the village that she was having a relationship with another man and so all her neighbours disowned her because of her supposedly adulterous behaviour. But Alejandro was totally and madly in love with her. ¶ Back in the present day, and still wrapped up in his memories, Alejandro suddenly thinks he sees her appear just around the street corner. No.... No.... It can't be.... It was someone else. But even though it seems like madness... it is her... it is the same woman with whom he fell in love. Time has stood still for her. ¶ Perturbed, nervous, fearful and yet excited, Alejandro follows her... but he will soon discover that she has been waiting for him...." Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

To Let (Para entrar a vivir): directed by Jaume Balagueró; screenplay by Jaume Balagueró and Alberto Marini; starring Macarena Gómez as Clara, Núria González as the real-estate woman, Adrià Collado as Mario, Ruth Díaz as the young girl, David Saldaña as Bebé, and Roberto Romero as the thin man. Synopsis: "Carolina and Tony are driving through the torrential rain that has been falling all day. They are going to see a flat... yet another flat. They have seen dozens already. Ever since they have been expecting a baby, they have been looking for something a little bigger, but the agent has told them that this flat is something a little special. ¶ First impressions are not exactly good. Like all of the properties in the area, the flat seems to have been abandoned and is totally empty... and what about all the random limbs of old shop mannequins scattered across the floor, the stairs and the landings.... ¶ The estate agent re-assures them. The council is apparently refurbishing the whole area. In just a few months they are going to be sitting on a gold mine. And what's more, two new families have also just moved in. On the mezzanine and the second floor. ¶ They go up to the third floor and enter the flat. Which is something they should never have done.... Their flat, the whole building in fact, is a trap. Watched over by a diabolical landlady...." Official webpage. Poster (24 KB JPEG).

6 Films to Keep You Awake official website