Yesterday ViX+ announced that production has begun on the anthology series La hora marcada (The Marked Hour). This is a relaunch of a very popular Mexican series that ran from 1988 to 1990. Consider it to be in the vein of The Twilight Zone.
What is especially cool to learn is that La hora marcada was the first opportunity for many Mexican filmmakers which included Emmanuel Lubezki, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón.
So, it is now time for a new series to be made and for the torch to be passed on to the nuevos niños en la cuadra. There should be a lot of familiar names among those listed in the press release below. There are many friends of ours and mine in this group.
The lineup of directors includes Andrés Beltran (Tarumama), Adrián García Bogliano (La exorcista), Andrés Rothschild, Gigi Saul Guerrero (V/H/S/85, Bingo Hell), Issac Ezban (Mal de ojo), Laura Casabé (The Returned), Lex Ortega (Animales humanos), Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera) and Roque Falabella.
Ay, that’s a stacked group of filmmakers. Some of the filmmakers have already begun working on their episodes.
The original series was largely unknown outside of Mexico when it aired. With the higher international profile of this group of directors in this new project we hope that it will have a larger reach this time around.
The full press release follows. It was Google translated from the original Spanish text.
ViX+ begins recording of LA HORA MARCADA, a renewed anthology of stories about our fearsA new wave of Latin American directors and writers of the horror genre will present nine disturbing stories based on the scripts of the legendary seriesViX+, the premium subscription streaming service in Spanish, today announced the start of filming in Mexico City for a new version of the horror series that impacted several generations, LA HORA MARCADA. Produced by Patricio Wills and Carlos Bardasano of W Studios, the new series ViX+ Original will present a contemporary version of the classic program that was the hotbed of filmmakers who achieved international success.In this new interpretation, nine creative teams drew from the original scripts of THE MARKED HOUR to develop their vision for this iconic show. The result is nine episodes that capture and update the essence of the original series for the 21st century, creating a visually unique universe for each episode. Produced by Abe Rosenberg, this version features scripts by Latin American writers such as Abia Castillo, Freddy Chávez, Josh Candia, Luis Reséndiz, Ramiro García Bogliano and Tomás Downey.Released more than thirty years ago, the first version of LA HORA MARCADA launched the careers of Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón, Emmanuel Lubezki and Guillermo del Toro. Until today, the show is considered a cult among the Spanish-speaking audience and has enormous prestige in the community of creators and horror fans. This has allowed the signing of established filmmakers and young promises of Latin American horror to breathe new life into the series. Among these creators are directors such as Andrés Beltran, Adrián García Bogliano, Andrés Rothschild, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Issac Ezban, Laura Casabé, Lex Ortega, Michelle Garza Cervera and Roque Falabella."It is a pride to make a renewed version of the series that was an icon on Mexican TV in the 80's and was also the platform where the greatest talents in Mexico who later achieved international recognition, appeared," said Patricio Wills, president of W Studios. "Producing the series today with all the technological resources and the best writers and directors of the suspense and horror genre in the world in Spanish is a privilege for W Studios and for me personally."In THE MARKED HOUR, as in life, everyone's time is limited. Although we live as if our minutes were eternal, our hour is marked and the end often takes us by surprise. In this anthology series, the premise will be simple: each episode will stand alone, giving directors and writers complete freedom to explore lurid visual atmospheres, terrifying cases, and heady social themes within the loose boundaries of the sci-fi and horror genres.The original version of LA HORA MARCADA was broadcast on Televisa from 1988 to 1990, produced by Carmen Armendáriz. The program had a key presence, known as "The Woman in Black", who appeared in each episode to mark the destiny of the characters. The stories were original and sought to transmit fear to the audience, being able to deal with science fiction, horror or horror themes. fantasy. In addition, the series launched the careers of Mexico's most acclaimed filmmakers. Today, LA HORA MARCADA prepares its return, with consolidated talents and young promises creating new horror stories for our times.