40 Baffling, Outrageous Mexican Movie Title Translations! (Part 1)

Original title: Lost in Translation

Mexican title: Perdidos en Tokio (Lost in Tokyo)

Original title: Milk

Mexican title: Milk: Un Hombre, Una Revolución, Una Esperanza (Milk: One Man, One Revolution, One Hope)

Original title: 9 Songs

Mexican title: 9 Orgasmos (9 Orgasms)

Note: The tagline also goes for the “sex sells” strategy: “An EXPLICIT love story” (explicit in caps).

Original title: Life of Pi

Mexican title: Una Aventura Extraordinaria (An Extraordinary Adventure)

Original title: Snatch

Mexican title: Snatch: Cerdos y Diamantes (Snatch: Pigs and Diamonds)

Note: As you may be noticing, there are a number of movie title translations that respect the original but add some “peculiar” words in Spanish to help us understand the mood of the film... or something.

Original title: Jaws

Mexican title: Tiburón (Shark)

A couple by Hitchcock:

Original title: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Mexican title: En Manos del Destino (In the Hands of Destiny)

Original title: Strangers on a Train

Mexican title: Pacto Siniestro (Sinister Deal)

Original English title: Yojimbo

Mexican title: Yojimbo el Mercenario (Yojimbo the Mercenary)

Original title: Superbad

Mexican title: Supercool

“We CAN’T release a movie title with the word bad in the title -- people will take it literally! But don’t worry pals, I just figured out how to make it sound cool!”

-Some superclever film distributor

Original title: Knocked Up

Mexican title: Ligeramente Embarazada (Slightly Pregnant)

Note: In Mexico we NEVER say that a woman with an unwanted pregnancy is “slightly pregnant."

Original title: Seven Psychopaths

Mexican title: Siete Psicópatas y Un Perro (Seven Psychopaths And A Dog)

Original title: 28 Days Later

Mexican title: Exterminio (Extermination)

Note: 28 Weeks Later is indeed Extermination 2.

Original title: Easy Rider

Mexican title: Busco Mi Destino (I Look for My Destiny)

Note: My generation refers to Easy Rider as Easy Rider, however my dad’s know it as Busco Mi Destino (I Look for My Destiny). And nowadays you find this Dennis Hopper masterpiece on Blu-Ray with yet another title: Busco Mi Camino (I Look for My Way).

Original title: Silver Linings Playbook

Mexican title: Los Juegos del Destino (The Games of Destiny)

Original title: Warm Bodies

Mexican title: Mi Novio Es Un Zombie (My Boyfriend Is A Zombie)

Original title: Fido

Mexican title: Mi Mascota Es Un Zombie (My Pet Is A Zombie)

Original title: Orgazmo

Mexican title: Un Chico Con Suerte (A Guy With Luck)

Original title: Chapter 27

Mexican title: El Asesino de John Lennon (John Lennon’s Killer)

Original title: Dear Wendy

Mexican title: Calles Peligrosas (Dangerous Streets)

Note: This gem from Thomas Vinterberg got a Spanish title that’s not only quite different from the original but also the same used for Scorsese’s Mean Streets.

In Mexico, Mean Streets is known as Calles Peligrosas (Dangerous Streets), and that’s a fair translation, right? But giving that same title to Dear Wendy was not the smartest move. No wonder why almost nobody in Mexico knows about this film.

Three titles about escaping:

Original title: True Romance

Mexican title: La Fuga (The Escape)

Original title: Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Mexican title: 2 Tontos En Fuga (2 Fools on the Run)

Original title: The Shawshank Redemption

Mexican title: Sueño de Fuga (Dream of Escape)

Devilish and Diabolical Quadruple Feature:

Original title: Poltergeist

Mexican title: Juegos Diabólicos (Diabolical Games)

Poltergeist is the first one, known here as Juegos Diabólicos (Diabolical Games).

Original title: Child’s Play

Mexican title: Chucky, el Muñeco Diabólico (Chucky, the Diabolical Doll)

Child’s Play is known in Mexico just as "Chucky". But let’s not forget that the complete title is Chucky, el Muñeco Diabólico (Chucky, the Diabolical Doll).

Since Bride of Chucky (1998), all the sequels have used “Chucky” in their original titles. So we’re definitely from the future!

Original title: The Devil’s Rejects

Mexican title: Violencia Diabólica (Diabolical Violence)

This is a strange case. The word “devil” was already in the original title! But it wasn’t enough, and they had to call this Rob Zombie film Violencia Diabólica (Diabolical Violence).

Original title: Evil Dead

Mexican title: El Despertar del Diablo (The Awakening of the Devil)

Raimi’s Evil Dead is called El Despertar del Diablo (The Awakening of the Devil).

And the remake by Fede Alvarez is Posesión Infernal (Infernal Possession). Which one do you prefer?

Original title: The Searchers

Mexican title: Más Corazón que Odio (More Heart Than Hate)

Original title: Stoker

Mexican title: Lazos Perversos (Perverse Bonds)

Original title: Cabin Fever

Mexican title: La Cabaña Sangrienta (The Bleeding Cabin)

Original title: There Will Be Blood

Mexican title: Petroleo Sangriento (Bloody Oil)

Original title: Scoop

Mexican title: Amor y Muerte (Love and Death)

Note: You decide not to literally translate the term scoop. Fine. But you name a Woody Allen film Amor y Muerte (Love and Death) when there’s Allen’s own Love and Death from the seventies?

Well, not really a big issue as in Mexico Love and Death (1975) is La Última Noche de Boris Grushenko (The Last Night of Boris Grushenko).

Original title: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Mexican title: El Extraño Mundo de Jack (The Strange World of Jack)

Original title: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Mexican title: Scott Pilgrim vs. los Ex de la Chica de Sus Sueños (Scott Pilgrim vs. the Exes of His Dream Girl)

Note: Edgar Wright called this title translation “catchy” on Twitter.

Original title: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Mexican title: Una Niña Maravillosa (A Wonderful Little Girl)

Mel Brooks has all the worst (or best?) luck:

Original title: Silent Movie

Mexican title: La Última Locura del Dr. Mel Brooks (The Latest Craziness of Dr. Mel Brooks)

Original title: Spaceballs

Mexican title: S.O.S. Hay Un Loco Suelto en el Espacio (S.O.S. There’s a Lunatic Loose In the Space)

Original title: The Watch

Mexican title: Vecinos Cercanos del Tercer Tipo (Close Neighbors of the Third Kind)

Original title: Cloverfield

Mexican title: Cloverfield: Monstruo (Cloverfield: Monster)

Original title: Fish Tank

Mexican title: Fish Tank: Vive, Ama y Da Todo lo que Tienes (Fish Tank: Live, Love And Give Everything You Have)