Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for Chupa, an upcoming adventure film that puts a more family-friendly spin on the “Chupacabra” creature folklore known across the Americas.
You can take a look at the trailer above and my trailer reaction – where I also touch on why the film has, perhaps, an unfortunate title – below.
The plot follows shy 13-year-old Alex (Evan Whitten), who flies from Kansas City to Mexico to meet his extended family for the first time. There he meets his grandfather and former lucha libre champion Chava (Demián Bichir), energetic, wrestling-obsessed cousin Memo (Nickolas Verdugo), and fearless, hip cousin Luna (Ashley Ciarra). But just as Alex begins to get his bearings, he discovers a mythical creature living under his grandfather’s shed: a young chupacabra cub, which he recognizes from stories of the feared, full-grown chupacabra, fabled to feed on farmers’ livestock.
Alex soon learns that his new friend “Chupa” has a secret history with his family, and that dogged, dangerous scientist Richard Quinn (Christian Slater) is hunting the misunderstood creature to try and harness his powers. To protect Chupa from impending danger, Alex sets off on the adventure of a lifetime, one that will push the bonds of his newfound family to the brink, and remind him that life’s burdens are lighter when you don’t have to carry them alone.
The film is directed by Jonás Cuarón, making his third feature following 2015 thriller Desierto and 2007 drama Año uña. An interesting factoid: he is the son of Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men, Roma).
Chupa will be streaming on Netflix from April 7th.
