2026 has turned cinema into a deliciously dark playground, with horror enjoying one of its greatest runs in years as Obsession and Backrooms lead the box office charge. Amazon, however, sees an even bigger opportunity, especially with zombies, as the streamer renews Apocalypse Z and brings Apocalypse Z: New World to screens. To them, it is just a natural step, as they consider horror to be a Spanish genre.

It seems Amazon executives are telling World War Z and 28 Days Later to watch out, as Apocalypse Z: New World barrels onto screens this Halloween.

The question of why Spanish-language creators should venture into action and dystopian territory, when Hollywood already dominates those genres, surfaced again during a featured panel at the sixth edition of Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Amazon MGM executives had heard it before, but their answer was refreshingly simple. The executives simply answered that there is room for more ambitious stories from elsewhere.

“Well, first of all, because horror is a Spanish genre, and you need to democratize that as well, and you need to tell the bosses that it can be done,” Nicole Morganti said.

After all, Spain has Fantaterror, its own rich tradition of cinematic horror. Her point was that Spanish horror does not need to imitate Hollywood to succeed (via THR). Instead, local stories can travel when audiences are given the chance to discover them, as one can see with All of Us Are Dead.

That philosophy already has a fitting undead poster child in Apocalypse Z: New World, the sequel to Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. The original became one of Prime Video’s top non-English offerings, proving that a Spanish zombie story can find viewers far beyond Spain. 

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Hollywood has hardly loosened its grip on horror, especially with names like Naomi Watts continuing to embrace the genre, but Amazon executives are confident Spain can join the fray, making the zombies of Apocalypse Z all the more intriguing.

Apocalypse Z has plenty of familiar zombie ingredients, but its infected are hardly the usual shambling corpses. The fictional TSJ Virus leaves its victims alive, feral and terrifyingly fast, turning them into rabid predators capable of running, climbing and swarming with frightening speed. That living-infected approach gives the Spanish franchise its own nasty flavor.

The difference extends beyond the monsters themselves, with Galicia and the Canary Islands replacing the familiar American apocalypse and ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Manel is a grieving lawyer rather than a military hero, while his Persian cat Lúculo becomes an unlikely emotional anchor through the chaos. Even the action carries a grounded, European texture, giving Apocalypse Z an identity that feels distinctly separate from Hollywood's zombie machinery.

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Do you agree that horror is actually a Spanish genre? Let us know in the comments!