Horror for Hire: ‘Los Espookys’ Delivers Campy, Macabre Fun

Jennifer Clasen/HBO

Don’t let the fact that most of the dialogue in HBO’s hilarious new half-hour comedy Los Espookys (Fridays at 11pm ET/PT beginning June 14) is in Spanish with English subtitles (and occasionally in English with Spanish subtitles) keep you away. That adds to the charm and uniqueness of a show that has a “Scooby-Doo episode meets telenovela” feel to it, and that seems destined to be a cult Friday-night hit.

The series was created by Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen, current SNL writer Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega (costar of At Home With Amy Sedaris and a former writer for The Chris Gethard Show). Fabrega and Torres costar in the series, which they executive produce with Armisen and SNL creator Lorne Michaels, among others. Armisen also appears onscreen in a recurring guest role.

Los Espookys follows a group of friends who turn their love for horror into a peculiar business, providing horror to those who need it in a dreamy Latin American country where the strange and eerie are just part of daily life.

Fans of Armisen’s work on SNL and Portlandia will certainly recognize his influence. Coupling that with the equally strong, newer voices of Torres and Fabrega helps make Los Espookys one of the most original comedies this year.