Set in a storm-battered Montevideo cinema, this 2020 Uruguayan production revives classic slasher mechanics through the eyes of a lone projectionist.

The Last Matinee arrives as a modest yet precise entry in the meta-horror cycle that gained traction in the late 2010s. Shot in black and white with a runtime just over ninety minutes, the film confines its action to a single night inside a struggling repertory cinema. A violent storm cuts power across the city, leaving a handful of patrons trapped inside while a masked killer begins to strike. Director Maximiliano Contenti draws openly from the Italian giallo tradition and the American slasher boom without descending into parody, instead treating the cinema itself as both crime scene and character.

Atmosphere and Visual Language

Contenti and cinematographer Germán Nocella commit fully to monochrome photography. Shadows pool in the auditorium aisles and projection booth, while rain streaks across the windows create natural distortion. The decision avoids the digital gloss common in contemporary low-budget horror and instead recalls the grain of 1970s Italian thrillers. Practical lighting from the projector beam and emergency exit signs supplies the only illumination once the main power fails, forcing viewers to strain along with the characters.

Sound Design Choices

The sound mix emphasises mechanical noise: the whir of the film reel, the clunk of the changeover, and the distant rumble of thunder. Dialogue remains sparse, allowing the creak of auditorium seats and the hiss of the soundtrack to dominate. When violence occurs, it registers through sudden cuts in the diegetic audio rather than excessive scoring, a technique that heightens tension without relying on jump-scare stings.

Plot Context Without Full Revelation

The narrative follows a young projectionist who must keep an old print of a 1970s horror film running while bodies accumulate in the stalls. Rather than delivering a conventional whodunit, the screenplay examines how repeated exposure to violent imagery shapes the behaviour of both killer and survivors. The film withholds the killer’s identity until late, yet plants visual clues through reflections in the projection booth glass and discarded ticket stubs.

Director in the Spotlight

Maximiliano Contenti was born in Montevideo in 1983. He began making short films in the mid-2000s while working as a film archivist, an experience that informs the meticulous recreation of projection equipment seen throughout The Last Matinee. His debut feature, The Last Matinee, premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in 2020 and later secured distribution through Dark Star Pictures in North America. Contenti’s influences include Mario Bava’s use of colour and shadow, though he translates those lessons into monochrome. Subsequent projects include the 2023 anthology segment “The Signal” for the Uruguayan horror collection Dark Tales and an in-development adaptation of a local true-crime case. His filmography remains small but consistent in its focus on confined spaces and analogue media.

Actor in the Spotlight

Julieta Spinelli portrays the projectionist Alma. Born in 1995, Spinelli trained at the Escuela Multidisciplinaria de Arte Dramático in Montevideo before appearing in several Uruguayan television dramas. The Last Matinee marks her first leading film role. She appears in nearly every scene, conveying exhaustion and growing dread through minimal expression and precise physical movement within the cramped booth. Spinelli’s later credits include the 2022 series The Shadow Line and a supporting part in the Argentine thriller The Night Visitor. Her performance anchors the film’s quiet stretches, allowing the sudden bursts of violence to land with greater impact.

Sub-Genre Placement and Legacy

The film sits between the self-aware slasher revival of the 2010s and the more restrained European thrillers of the same period. It shares DNA with films such as The Editor and Blood and Black Lace yet remains distinctly Uruguayan in its portrayal of economic precarity within the arts. Since release, The Last Matinee has been referenced in academic discussions of Latin American horror’s engagement with global genre tropes. Its modest festival run helped open doors for other Uruguayan genre projects seeking international sales.

Production Challenges

Principal photography took place over eighteen nights inside a disused cinema in downtown Montevideo. The production secured only a single working 35mm projector, requiring careful scheduling around reel changes. Heavy rain during the shoot damaged several lighting rigs, an accident that ultimately supplied authentic water damage visible in the final cut. Post-production extended into the early months of the pandemic, forcing remote sound mixing sessions.

Conclusion

The Last Matinee demonstrates that economical horror can still deliver tension and thematic weight when craft and location are prioritised. Its monochrome aesthetic and confined setting distinguish it from louder contemporaries, while its respectful nod to earlier genre cycles rewards attentive viewers without descending into empty nostalgia. The film continues to circulate on streaming platforms and remains a quiet benchmark for regional horror production.

Bibliography

Contenti, M. (2020) The Last Matinee [Film]. Uruguay: Yellow Film & Video.

Garcia, L. (2021) ‘Uruguayan horror at Sitges’, Screen International, 12 October.

Spinelli, J. (2022) Interviewed by Horror Queers Podcast, 15 March.

Nocella, G. (2020) ‘Shooting monochrome in confined spaces’, American Cinematographer, December issue.

Romero, A. (2023) Latin American Genre Cinema After 2010. London: Wallflower Press.

Sitges Film Festival (2020) Official Catalogue. Barcelona: Sitges Press.

Dark Star Pictures (2021) Press notes for The Last Matinee. Los Angeles: Dark Star Pictures.

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