You know that feeling when a horror movie just crawls under your skin? It’s not always about the jump scares. Honestly, with the 2020 folk-horror hit The Old Ways, the dread comes from the faces. This isn't your typical Hollywood scream-fest. It’s a gritty, claustrophobic possession story set in the humid jungles of Veracruz, Mexico. If you haven't seen it yet, the plot follows Cristina Lopez, a Mexican-American reporter who returns to her ancestral home only to be kidnapped by locals who believe she’s possessed by a demon.
The cast of The Old Ways had a massive job to do. They weren't just acting; they were carrying a movie that spends about 90% of its runtime inside a single, dirt-floored room.
Brigitte Kali Canales is the Heart of the Terror
Brigitte Kali Canales plays Cristina. You might recognize her voice from Star Wars: The Bad Batch or her live-action work in Fear the Walking Dead. In this film, she’s basically the anchor. She has to play a character who is a drug addict, a skeptic, and a victim all at once. It’s a lot.
Most horror leads just scream. Canales doesn't. She portrays a woman who is physically withdrawing from heroin while simultaneously being told her soul is being eaten by a "Poste" (a demon). The physicality she brings to the role is visceral. You can almost feel the sweat and the grime on her skin. She makes the transition from a cynical journalist who thinks the locals are "crazy" to someone who accepts the supernatural reality feel earned. It’s a performance rooted in trauma.
Canales has talked in various interviews about the intensity of the shoot. It wasn't just lines. It was the physical toll of being shackled to a floor for days on end. That discomfort translates. It makes the horror feel grounded.
Andrea Cortés and the Family Connection
Then there's Andrea Cortés, who plays Miranda, Cristina’s cousin. Their relationship is the emotional spine of the story. While Cristina represents the modernized, westernized world, Miranda represents the traditions and the "old ways" that the title refers to.
Cortés plays Miranda with a mix of desperation and love. She isn't just a bystander; she’s the one who facilitated the kidnapping because she truly believes it’s the only way to save her cousin’s life. That creates a weird, tense dynamic. How do you act opposite someone who has literally chained you to a wall but says they’re doing it for your own good? Cortés manages to make you sympathize with her, which is a tough tightrope to walk.
The Power of the Bruja: Julia Vera
We have to talk about Julia Vera. She plays Luz, the bruja (witch) or curandera.
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Luz is terrifying.
She doesn't speak much. She doesn't need to. Julia Vera uses her eyes and her presence to command the room. In many possession movies, the exorcist is a priest with a cross and some holy water. Here, the "exorcism" involves bizarre rituals, goat blood, and ancient teeth. Vera brings a sense of ancient authority to the role. She’s been in the industry for decades, appearing in everything from The Shield to General Hospital, but this role feels like her most haunting.
There is a specific scene where she performs a ritual called "psychic surgery." If the acting hadn't been 100% committed, it would have looked silly. Because Vera is so stoic and certain, it becomes one of the most memorable moments in modern indie horror.
Sal Lopez: The Quiet Intensity
Sal Lopez plays Javi, the son of the bruja. He’s the muscle and the translator of the rituals. Lopez is a veteran of the screen—you’ve seen him in Full Metal Jacket and The Bridge.
In The Old Ways, Javi is the bridge between the supernatural and the mundane. He explains the mechanics of the demon to Cristina (and the audience). He isn't a villain, even though he helps keep Cristina captive. He’s a man doing a job he believes is necessary for the safety of his village. The nuance Lopez brings prevents the characters from becoming caricatures of "primitive" people.
Why the Casting Works Better Than Big-Budget Horror
The cast of The Old Ways succeeded because they didn't rely on tropes. Most big-budget horror movies cast "pretty" people who look perfect even when they're being chased by a ghost. This cast looks exhausted. They look like they live in the heat of Veracruz.
Director Christopher Alender and writer Marcos Gabriel clearly wanted to respect the culture they were depicting. By casting actors with genuine roots in the Latinx community, the film avoids the "exoticism" trap. It feels like a story being told from the inside out.
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The demon, known as Postehki, isn't just a guy in a suit or a CGI blob. It represents grief and the things we try to leave behind. The actors have to react to that metaphor. When Canales is fighting for her life, she’s also fighting her past.
Fact-Checking the Mythology
A common question people have after seeing the cast perform these rituals is: Is this real?
Sorta.
The film draws heavily on "Nahual" culture and the traditions of Los Tuxtlas in Veracruz, which is famous for its history of witchcraft and healing. While the specific demon "Postehki" is a creative invention for the film, the concept of a limpia (cleansing) is very real in Mexican culture. The cast had to learn how to handle the ritual tools—the herbs, the candles, the eggs—to make it look authentic to someone who actually grows up with these traditions.
Julia Vera, specifically, consulted on how to carry herself as a woman of power in that community. It’s that attention to detail that makes the film stand out on platforms like Netflix.
Subtle Details You Might Have Missed
Look at the hands.
In The Old Ways, the camera spends a lot of time on the hands of the cast. The bruja’s weathered hands, Cristina’s shaking, needle-marked hands, Miranda’s calloused hands. This was a deliberate choice. It emphasizes the "manual labor" of the supernatural. It’s not just magic; it’s work.
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The casting of AJ Bowen as the boss, Carson, provides a stark contrast. He only appears in brief moments or via phone/memory, but he represents the world Cristina is trying to escape. Bowen is a staple of indie horror (The Guest, You're Next), and his presence adds a bit of "genre cred" to the production.
Behind the Scenes Synergy
It’s worth noting that the chemistry between Brigitte Kali Canales and Andrea Cortés wasn't just luck. They spent time building a shorthand that mimics real cousins. They argue like people who have known each other since they were five.
The film was shot in a relatively short window. This usually leads to high stress, but the cast has mentioned in various press cycles that the isolation of the set helped them stay in character. They were basically in a warehouse in California that was transformed into a jungle hut. The heat was real. The dirt was real.
Final Thoughts on the Ensemble
Without this specific group of people, The Old Ways would have been just another "exorcism in the woods" movie. Instead, it’s a study of heritage.
- Brigitte Kali Canales gave a career-defining physical performance.
- Julia Vera redefined what a "horror antagonist" (or protagonist, depending on your view) looks like.
- Sal Lopez and Andrea Cortés grounded the supernatural elements in familial love.
Moving Beyond the Screen
If you want to dive deeper into the world the cast of The Old Ways brought to life, you should look into the actual folklore of Veracruz. The film is a gateway into a much larger cultural conversation about how we treat addiction and mental health through the lens of tradition.
Watch the film again, but this time, ignore the demon. Look at the faces of the actors when they aren't speaking. Look at the way Luz watches Cristina. There is a sadness there that isn't in the script, but it’s in the performance. That’s the sign of a cast that understands the material.
To truly appreciate the work done here:
- Search for interviews with Brigitte Kali Canales regarding her physical preparation for the role of Cristina.
- Explore the cinematography of Adam Lee, which works in tandem with the actors' movements to create that feeling of "no escape."
- Compare this to other Latin American horror films like When Evil Lurks to see how the "Old Ways" of storytelling are making a massive comeback in the 2020s.
The film ends not with a "happily ever after," but with a transformation. The cast makes that transition from victim to survivor feel heavy and permanent. That’s why we’re still talking about it years after its release.