Latin content creators who embody the Halloween spirit

It’s no surprise that many Latinos are obsessed with all things haunted, deathly and Halloween. From the celebration of the deceased known as Día de los Muertos, to the foreboding thrills and life lessons underpinning Latin America’s fiendish folklore, spooky things are as revered as they are feared.

In the past few decades, the “espooky” community has only been strengthened by a multicultural, multigenerational exposure to the arts, especially music. Many grew up with parents sharing the allure of goth, new wave, punk and metal (as well as their dark aesthetics), all of which became more discoverable thanks to the internet. There’s also been a surge of nostalgia for slasher films and scary movies — and a new crop of entertainment inspired by them, such as the 2025 reboot of “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” This enthusiasm to connect with like-minded film and music freaks online has bred a new dark subculture that simply won’t die.

If Jenna Ortega’s devious dance to the Cramps in Netflix’s “Wednesday” felt like a cultural moment, social media solidified it. Today, Instagram and TikTok are filled with influential figures in the space who also happen to be Hispanic. In Los Angeles, creator access to the entertainment industry has helped many build powerful profiles that brands and entertainment companies want on red carpets, at themed events and at home, unboxing or modeling their products. And it’s not just about tapping into Latin consumer spending power; these black-garbed creatures of the night are having a ball as they build monstrous followings from all walks of life, year-round.

Victoria Venin

With her vixen vibes and campy catchphrases, Victoria Venin, whose real name is Victoria Perez, has built an avid following online that, in the wake of the pandemic, has ballooned to 709,000 followers on Instagram and more than 54,000 followers on TikTok. Aside from conducting on-the-spot interviews at conventions such as Midsummer Scream and Monsterpalooza, and modeling for brands like Hot Topic and Romwe, Venin is best known as the main fashion fiend and model for Kreepsville, the local goth-glam clothing brand with a flagship store, Monster-A-GoGo, in East L.A.

She’s expanded her wicked world into the music scene as of late, hosting ticket giveaways for major bands and music promoters —most recently, Social Distortion and Morrissey at Toyota Arena. The Mexican American actress and model came to L.A. from San Diego to pursue her dreams and tapped into the power of social media after her partner, Danny Morales (of Pomona’s long-running new wave dance party Club Rock It!), got behind the camera to capture her adventures.

“I just started taking pictures, going out every day, and tagging all the brands and it really took off when I met Danny,” says Venin, who first became attracted to the dark side while seeing the film “Bride of Chucky” as a kid. “I remember seeing Tiffany, played by Jennifer Tilly, and thinking she looked so pretty. I thought, ‘I want to be like that when I grow up.’ I’ve always loved horror, all things spooky-cute, so I was able to use that, but make it glamorous.”

Venin’s advice for building a following online? “Work hard, go to all the events, make connections and put yourself out there,” she says. “Be the best version of yourself possible and don’t put yourself in a box. Being Latina is not something I’m trying to be, it’s just something that I am. Victoria Venin the brand isn’t limited to being Latina — she’s for everyone worldwide. I want to inspire everybody.”

Hauntina

Tina Estrella, a.k.a. Hauntina, has been celebrating horror and Halloween-related content online for over a decade, touting the “spooky side of life.” Tellingly, her most viral moments have melded her heritage with her horror sensibilities, such as a recent hit clip in which she cooked albondigas in a cauldron.

“I built a community of like-minded people, especially in Southern California, who feel the same year-round excitement for the spooky season,” says the creator, who counts 67,000 followers on Instagram and more than 109,000 on TikTok. “I think my following grew because I’ve always stayed true to myself and treated horror and Halloween as more than a phase; it’s a lifestyle.”

The Mexican American creator, who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Inland Empire, cites her middle school years as formative for her love of alternative music and culture. “It led me into Gothic literature, especially Anne Rice’s ‘Vampire Chronicles,'” she shares. “That opened up a whole new world for me, and soon I was obsessed with horror films, especially slashers like ‘Scream’ and ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.'”

Today, she says Guillermo del Toro is her biggest inspiration, noting the filmmaker’s fantastical worlds and macabre beauty. “His work made me feel seen and inspired me to embrace my own love for the eerie and the extraordinary,” she says. “I believe that Latinos put so much into alternative spaces like the spooky community and we deserve to be seen and highlighted, so I’m always grateful to attend events where people who look like me aren’t typically invited or celebrated.”

Backstitch Bruja

Social media began as a fun way for South Gate native Yvette Aragon-Herrera to promote her clothing line, Backstitch Bruja. But ultimately, it spawned something bigger — soon she became the brand, building a following of 144,000 on Instagram and more than 142,000 on TikTok.

“It was very organic,” the designer says. “I was posting DIY [tutorials] online as a plus-size creator about seven years ago. There weren’t a lot of spooky plus-size clothes and accessories that were affordable … it started snowballin, so I turned it into an actual side hustle and it ended up being my main business.”

Inspired by her time as a UC Santa Barbara Chicano Studies major and retail jobs at stores like MAC Cosmetics, her gender inclusive and ethically made “Mexi-goth” brand was a hit out the gate. But she soon realized that her followers enjoyed not just her clothes — available via the website she started in 2019 and inside a San Dimas brick-and-mortar store she opened two years later — but her whole witchy aesthetic. As she started sharing more, her numbers grew, which led to invites to a wider array of invites and events.

“When movie studios and PR companies were like, ‘Hey, do you want to come to this movie premiere?’ I was like, ‘I’m not an influencer,'” she reflects. “But they were like, ‘No, you are.’ So now I’m at all these cool things.”

In addition to fashion and movie promo, Aragon-Herrera prioritizes her culture, especially on her Instagram stories. “I think it’s very important to share the Latino experience, current events, things that are affecting us,” she stresses, noting that her most popular posts were from her Halloween wedding in 2022 and out at protests. “We should be politically aware about what’s going on. I know a lot of my customers do enjoy my shop, but they enjoy me as a person, so I just try to keep it very authentic.”

Pinup Doll Ashley Marie

On social media, where niche means everything, successfully melding multiple subcultures into content creation can be tricky, but Ashley Herrera has done it with style. Known as Pinup Doll Ashley Marie, the Mexican American creator’s social media ascent began with vintage hair and fashion tutorials. But soon her love of horror, DIY and storytelling helped her expand her audience. Her content has yielded her 668,000 subscribers on YouTube, more than 190,000 on TikTok and 198,000 on Instagram.

“I love having my hands in multiple passion projects, which is why I mixed my two favorite loves, 1950s glamour and horror,” she says. “The vintage and pinup community was tiny online, so it became this beautiful, supportive space. As I evolved, I brought my followers along for every phase — the fashion, the home projects, the Halloween builds. In my neighborhood, [my house is] the Halloween house, because I create large elaborate decorations that you can’t buy in stores.”

The Santa Ana native’s horror content also includes her AshleysFreakyFriday channel for paranormal tales, inspired by familial storytelling and “La Mano Peluda,” which was her grandfather’s favorite radio show. “People would call in and give their accounts of all the paranormal sightings they would see,” she recalls. “The mix of folklore and fear sort of became comfort for me. It connected me to my roots and my imagination. I was also born on Nov. 1, so my birthday was often celebrated on Halloween day — so it’s naturally been my favorite holiday since I was a child.”

Ghoul Daddies

Chicano couple Matthew Chavana and Paul Silva, who call themselves the Ghoul Daddies, have been covering haunts and scream scenes ever since a very eventful first date at an extreme haunt in Fullerton — now in Buena Park — known as the 17th Door.

“They threw cockroaches in my face, then they tazed us and drowned us,” recalls Chavana of the experience, which requires signed waivers to enter. “Paul filmed it, and the rest is history.”

Silva says that after his post went viral, he realized that “haunts, paranormal investigations and celebrating Halloween year-round wasn’t very common, [but] a lot of people related to it.”

Sharing their dates from the dark side since 2021, the pair both grew up in La Mirada and have built a robust fanbase online from their photos and videos, which explore the eerie side of life (and death) in L.A. and beyond. They have garnered more than 14,000 followers on Instagram and roughly 38,000 on TikTok, many of whom also belong to the LGBTQ+ community.

Chavana says it’s all in the familia. “This is all because of my mom,” explains Chavana, who often brings his mother, Mary Alice, along to outings to help film them. “She would go all out on decorations every Halloween and took me to every haunt in L.A. since I was 5 years old and it really stuck with me.”

From ambassador gigs with Fangoria magazine to podcast appearances talking all things scary, the duo stays busy year-round, but this is obviously their favorite time of year. They’re currently hitting smaller home haunts across the city, but Silva says, if you go to just one this season, make it Reign of Terror. “It just has a special feel to it,” he says. “You can tell how much they love Halloween — like we do.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.