During Día de los Muertos in a remote Mexican town, an ambitious filmmaker and his estranged twin perform a forbidden ritual, and when blood is spilled at ancient ruins, it completes the summoning of an Aztec goddess. As their crew is hunted, he must sacrifice his own sister to end her reign of terror.
Carlos Ramirez, an ambitious film student, travels to the rural town of Juchitlán, Mexico to shoot a documentary during Día de los Muertoscentered on the Aztec goddess Mictecacíhuatl. Hoping to reconnect with his culture and boost his career he convinces his estranged twin sister, Frida, to join the project. The town pulses with marigolds, music, and candlelight. But beneath the beauty, the land feels… watchful.
When Carlos accidentally spills blood at a forbidden ruin, and Frida performs a sacred dance against warnings, they awaken something ancient. The forgotten pact between gods and humans blood and ritual in exchange for balance has been reactivated.
Now the gods return, and they do not come in peace. As the crew begins to vanish hunted and marked Professor Jimenez, their guide, starts to see a deeper meaning in the chaos. He didn’t plan this. But he’s becoming a believer. To him, the return of the gods isn’t horror it’s restoration. Balance through sacrifice.In the film’s brutal climax, Frida makes the choice no one else can. Tired of abandonment, of silence, of being forgotten she gives herself willingly. Carlos, broken but resolute, completes the ritual. Her blood settles the debt.
But the veil is thin now. And something else is stirring. Muerte: Lady of the Dead is the opening chapter in a mythic horror franchise about ancestral debt, spiritual reckoning, and the terrifying cost of forgetting the sacred.
Cynthia Garcia Williams is an Afro-Latina filmmaker born in Los Angeles, California. Five years ago, she discovered a deep passion for storytelling through screenwriting, and ever since, her work has centered on empowering and celebrating the human spirit. Drawing from her rich familial heritage, ancestral faith, and generational resilience, Cynthia infuses her characters and worlds with emotional truth and a touch of magic.
In 2021, she made her directorial debut with "Dukkha", an award-winning short based on her journey to sobriety, created through the Women of Color Filmmakers Director’s Lab. Six months later, she wrote and directed "Bilongo" and "The Bible Thumper and The Bruja", a bold comedy that revels in the power and vulnerability of humankind.
Her recent films include "Legend of El Cucuy" (developed with the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship), "La Luz", and "Solar Flare Fiesta". She is a mentee with Unlock Her Potential and was recently selected as a 2025 Latina Mentorship fellow with the Alliance of Women Directors (announcement pending). Cynthia directed her first feature, the comedy "We’re Not Married?", which is set to stream in 2025.
Currently, Cynthia is developing several new projects, including "Slay Belle", a female rage holiday horror; "For Your Altar", a historical drama set in 1950s Cuba; and "Muerte", a horror film rooted in ancient Mexican ritual and lore.
