This project develops the innovative concept of the "political monster" as an analytical category to examine representations of dictatorial trauma in the horror films La Llorona (2019) by Jayro Bustamante and El Conde (2023) by Pablo Larraín. This original theoretical framework defines the allegorical figure through three fundamental characteristics: ontological inversion, whereby the supposed guardian of law and order reveals itself as its primary threat; spectral temporality, which enables the coexistence of traumatic past and impunity-laden present; and the embodiment of systemic evil, which transforms historically collective responsibilities into individualized culpability. This transnational perspective proves particularly innovative as the first comparative study between these specific works, providing critical analytical tools for understanding processes of transitional justice and social reconciliation. The paper demonstrates how both directors transform spectral and monstrous figures into powerful allegories that challenge official narratives of impunity prevalent in Latin American democratic transition processes. Through this transformation, the films establish a vital bridge between their symbolic universes and historical significance for contemporary generations who did not directly experience the horrors of Latin American dictatorships. This analysis provides a unifying theoretical framework for understanding how contemporary genre cinema functions as both an instrument of historical memory recovery and a vehicle for systematic denunciation in post-dictatorial contexts.

Authors:
Carlos De Oro, Southwestern University, United States
Noelia Cigarroa-Cooke, Southwestern University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Carlos de Oro, Christine Robertson Morenz Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies. My academic interests encompass contemporary Latin American film, literatures and cultures, with particular emphasis on Colombia.

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