14-05-2025
Childhood Fears Come to Life in First Trailer for ‘Don't Leave the Kids Alone' (EXCLUSIVE)
TelevisaUnivision's Videocine and international sales agent FilmSharks have just dropped the spine-chilling trailer for 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone,' the highly anticipated horror/thriller from acclaimed Mexican director Emilio Portes ('Belzebuth,' 'Pastorela'). Following its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and screenings at BIFF and Fantaspoa, the film is set for its Mexican premiere this June at the Guadalajara Film Festival.
Set in the analog world of the late '80s, 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' follows recently widowed Catalina (Ana Serradilla), who leaves her two sons, Mati and Emi, home alone for a night. What begins as sibling rivalry over a video game console spirals into psychological terror when an unseen force begins to manipulate their bond, feeding paranoia, fear and dark fantasy.
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'This is a genre gem,' says FilmSharks CEO Guido Rud, who introduced the film at Berlinale's EFM earlier this year. 'It's masterfully crafted and has the narrative depth and style of some of the best U.S. directors working today.'
Portes, known for fusing emotional depth with supernatural thrills, calls the project 'a personal journey back to our childhood.' The film explores the excitement and danger of being left alone when imagination and fear collide in a pre-digital world. 'It's about the rivalry between siblings, their indestructible bond and that impulsive fantasy of wanting to be the only child,' he explains.
Backed by one of Latin America's biggest production powerhouses, and with Videocine retaining North and South American rights, 'Don't Leave the Kids Alone' is poised to be one of the region's genre standouts of 2025.
Also starring José Sefami ('Amores Perros') and newcomer Juan Pablo Velasco, the feature promises both heart and horror, and a haunting reminder of what it felt like to be a child, alone in the dark.
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