Where to watch Las Poquianchis, the film that preceded the Netflix series

With the recent release of The Dead on Netflix —a series directed by Luis Estrada and based on the novel by Jorge Ibargüengoitia— has revived interest in one of the most shocking criminal cases in the history of Mexico: that of the González Valenzuela sisters, popularly known as Las Poquianchis.

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But before reaching streaming and Ibargüengoitia's ironic narrative, this story had already shaken national cinema thanks to director Felipe Cazals, who in 1976 released the film Las Poquianchis, considered one of the toughest works in Mexican cinema.

A brutal film that made Mexico uncomfortable

While Estrada's new series takes a satirical tone to address horror, Cazals chose the opposite approach: raw, uncompromising realism. Her film, based directly on the events that occurred between 1945 and 1964 in Guanajuato, reconstructs the crimes of the sisters who enslaved, exploited, and murdered dozens of women in complicity with local authorities.

Far from stylistic flourishes or unnecessary dramatizations, Cazals opted for a straightforward portrayal of the systematic violence, institutional neglect, and structural poverty surrounding the case. The result was an uncomfortable, powerful, and deeply critical film.

Memorable performances in a story without redemption

The cast included figures such as Ana Ofelia Murguía, Diana Bracho and María Rojo , who offered intense and moving performances in a setting marked by suffering, misery, and hopelessness. Far from narrative conventions, Las Poquianchis doesn't seek to redeem or justify: it simply shows, with brutal honesty, what happened.

Where to see Las Poquianchis?

For those who want to discover—or re-watch—this essential film, Las Poquianchis is available on Clarovideo, an opportunity to explore a much more direct and darker version of the case before diving into Netflix's more stylized offering.

Viewing both versions—Cazals's and Estrada's—allows us not only to contrast styles, but also to reflect on how art represents real horrors: from fierce testimony to satire as a form of criticism.

EE