PSYCHO DE MAYO

In Riaz’s horror novel set in Friendly Hills, California, a tight-knit Mexican American community suffers brutal consequences for a cruel piñata prank that kids pulled a decade ago.

After Karla Palomares, a 19-year-old Mexican American Stanford University student, finds out that her white boyfriend may have a Latina fetish, she drives to Friendly Hills with her friend Gilberta “Gigi” Gomez to spend her birthday (May 5) with her mom and childhood pals Belen Duarte, Jaylene Montes, and Yanette Andrade. The girls’ night quickly goes awry, though, when they decide to attend Raymundo Carrillo’s Cinco de Mayo party at the top of the hill—unaware of the steadily approaching horror of a six-foot-five masked luchador who’s out for revenge and wielding a scimitar and a piñata stick from Karla’s 9th birthday party. Add to that a gun-wielding ex-boyfriend who’s involved in the trade (and usage) of “baby formula that isn’t baby formula,” the fact that Friendly Hills lacks cell towers (and thus reception), two other boyfriends who shouldn’t be there at all, and a fast-spreading brush fire that causes the electricity to be cut, and the group is in for one horrible night. Geographical references and interwoven Spanish dialogue give the narrative a strong sense of place, and themes involving the importance of female friendship and the dangers of alcohol and men keep things grounded. The masked murderer’s motivation feels straightforward, if flimsy, but horror fans will mainly appreciate the copious bloodshed and the unapologetic ruthlessness of the kills. Shifting, close third-person perspectives and moments of humor throughout keep the pace brisk.

A slasher horror comedy that genre enthusiasts will enjoy.