S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show , how art is raising awareness and culture is shaping this year's Halloween scene. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. The Dia de Muertos ofrenda , or altar , honors loved ones who have passed away in Tijuana. One group is raising awareness with a special offering day to honor journalist who have been killed from Mexico to Gaza. It's displayed at CR Tijuana , which typically hosts art classes and performances. Joining me now with the details is local journalist Vicente Calderon. Welcome to Midday Edition.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: Uh , you've been putting together this altar since 2016.
S2: Uh , on the second day of November and in Mexico , the second day of November is , uh , everybody Mexican knows that is day of the dead. So everybody is remembering their loved ones who have passed away. But nobody actually was almost nobody was paying attention to this commemoration. And we did have a long history of violence against the press in Tijuana , even when we are a relatively young city. So we decided to join these two commemorations and put it together just to honor our loved ones. And but besides that , honor our colleagues who have been killed because especially that year , 2016 was a high. We had a to have a high number of journalists killed in Mexico , so we decided to put it together and bring a little bit of attention locally to this concern.
S1: Well , that definitely raises awareness to that.
S2: We have seen a steady increase , unfortunately. I would probably say the turn of the century , but but the numbers are just very concerning. That day we were having around 13 , 2016. Things have improved a little bit. But for example , in 22 , uh , the observatory of killing or killed the observatory of killed journalists from Unesco registered 19 killings in Mexico , just in Mexico. And even when we have seen a little bit of a decrease , the number today is very concerning. We just reached ten journalists killed. We were preparing this ofrenda and we were prepared for nine. And unfortunately , last week we have another killing in the state of Durango. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , and I want you to tell me more about that , but describe the ofrenda for me.
S2: And and we do a little bit of a own ofrenda of the things that normally will , you see in another regular day of the dead altar , like the meals that used to be lit by the deceased , the things that they will be going there regularly. And but then we put together what we call the tools of the trade elements that every journalist will be using , um , for their craft or for their work. And we began using old technology like the analog television , an old typewriter , uh , mechanical typewriter. And we've been adding elements like an old scanner from the police beat , from just a regular reporter's notebook. So we are just mixing the two elements in an effort to just pay attention to this problem that , unfortunately , we have seen is not going away.
S1: And speaking of that , tell me more about the journalist who was killed in Mexico just last week.
S2: Um , he was Mainly working in in sports , but he has been also criticising the local crime scene and apparently organized crime stories wasn't exactly his beat regularly , but he was just changing for some reasons. Um , that I'm not aware of. And unfortunately , unfortunately , his body was found on the side of the road with a sign , um , saying this is what happened for speak out against the people of Durango. We don't know exactly what it is , and we are one of the main problems in the killing of journalists in Mexico is that it's difficult that we will know the exact reason why were they killed , and this is something that we are demanding for them from the Mexican authorities. There's a protocol since 2018 that is forcing the authorities to investigate from the beginning the possible costs related to his work as a journalist. And that is not always happening. And the level of impunity against crime , against journalists killed is very high. We do have a problem with impunity all across the board in Mexico , but it's not better than the rest of this society with the reporters.
S1:
S2: But the most concern is the lack of will. There's so many cases of killings in general , like Tijuana , for example , just turn to over 1000 killings for the year of 2025 , and we still have two months to go. And so the heavy load for the authorities is one part. Also , um , unfortunately , it's not uncommon that the authorities This immediately will link some of these killings of the reporters with illegal activities. For example , in the in one of the cases , the the last case we included in last year's ofrenda , the guy was interviewed in Michoacan , uh , the major , and he was killed after the interview. He days later , the authorities were saying that he was , uh , having problems or a possible case was the relation that the sister of the deceased the reporter killed had with organized crime. So this is one of the most concerning parts the authorities are not , um , always showing enough honest intention to clarify those cases. It needs to be a very high profile journalist , the one who will be targeted so the authorities will pay more attention.
S1:
S2: We have to recognize that some improvements have been done in. Theoretically , for example , I was telling you about that since 2018. There's a protocol that mandates the authorities to investigate from the beginning as a possible link related to his , uh , profession. Uh , the unfortunately , not all the states , not all the authorities are doing that part. Also , we do have a mechanism to for protection of the journalist guild. So if you are threatened and you feel your life is endangered due to your reporting job , you can ask the the authorities who have a branch , who will be taking care of you and give you a different measure from um , um , what's it called ? Uh , kind of a a layer deeper to alert the authorities when something's happening , even to take you out of the city when you think you are threatened. But unfortunately , for example , one of the gentlemen who we have in this list today , um , in this 2025 , uh , he was killed in January. He was under the protection of the mechanism from the government. And even in those situations , in that situation , he was killed. Mm.
S1: Mm. Well , you know , outside of journalists in Mexico this year , your ofrenda includes a special section for journalists killed in Gaza. Um , tell me about that. And why you felt that was important.
S2: We believe that the since impunity is a worldwide problem and we are joined in this international campaign. We cannot close our eyes to the tragedy that the journalists in Gaza are facing. This is the extreme , the worst case of the conditions for a journalist to do their job. And , um , we believe the number it's it's it's terrible. It's amazing. It's it's dramatic. It's we're talking about more than 200. Some people is saying us telling us there is more than 250 different press protection organizations internationally have complained that this is part of a orchestrated campaign by the occupying occupation army from Israel. And the problem is that Israel is not allowing independent international media to get into Gaza. So the reporters from Gaza are the only way to really have a different perspective , other than the one put up by the official narrative of the Israeli Israeli government. So that's very concerning. So we are doing just all this effort is very symbolic effort. So what we did is we had the in a different area of , not at the ofrenda itself and in another area where we're going to have a projection of a documentary , um , a series of pictures , photographs of some of the Palestinian reporters killed. But since the beginning of this offensive , since the 7th of October of 2023 , we have , uh , let me remember , it's , uh , 11 reporters from Palestine , Palestine , Gaza , reporters killed and one Israeli because we don't want to get. And we know it's a very complex issue , but we are trying to pay attention to the plight of the reporters. So there's 11 Gaza reporters and one Israeli reporter who was killed on the attack from Hamas on the 7th of October. We don't want to take sides. We are just telling that journalists , it's a very dangerous job. Those are the worst extreme conditions that shouldn't be there shouldn't be that way. And we also are demanding justice for the Palestinian Gaza journalists and from the Israeli Gaza journalists , and for whoever is facing this impunity around the world. Wow.
S1: Wow. 11 journalists.
S2: So this is the main problem. The life of a journalist is not less or more than any other life , but when you kill a journalist , the ripple effect is worse because his silence means not not only that reporter , but their colleagues and many other people in the society affected. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , you've been a working journalist in Tijuana since 85. Have you ever feared for your own safety ? Yes.
S2: Several times. And , but what can you do. I mean I you have to take some precautions. You have to rely on different networks to sometimes probably embargo some information until there's safer , better conditions to publish. Um , sometimes you can rely on the authorities , sometimes you can't. And and so you play along. And I'm not the best journalist in Tijuana. I know that there's more courageous , more active , uh , journalists here that I praise every time I can. I also know that they are facing difficult conditions , but , uh , somebody have to raise the voice , because even though we have seen some progress is minimal. Uh , minimal. And , for example , Symbol in 22 among the 19 person killed that are under the register of killed journalists by Unesco. There's two of my local colleagues , Margarito Martinez and Lourdes Maldonado , were killed in less than a week. And even though there's people in prison for those killings , we haven't see consequences for the people who order and pay for those two killings. So the perpetrators are in jail , but the masterminds are still at large and probably gaining a lot of power again. Hmm.
S1: Hmm.
S3:
S2: To pay attention to this matter that everybody's paying attention to the day of the dead is very we respect that a lot. And we join them. But also remember that we have a big problem of impunity in it is just not a matter of the it's not a problem for just for reporters. It's a problem for the whole society. Because if you kill reporters and and don't punish the perpetrators. Less people will be confident to speak out. And also we want to remember the authorities in the community that are still pending matters in the pursuit of justice , in the case of Margarito , in the case of Lourdes , and in the case of several of our colleagues who have been killed in Tijuana and also in whole Mexico. And if we forget about them , then we'll never see justice for all. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , you know , being a journalist is one of the most dangerous professions there is. So thanks for your work and thanks for pressing on and raising awareness about this.
S2: Thanks for your interest and for helping us to spread the word.
S1: I've been speaking with Vicente Calderon. He's with Tijuana Press and you can see the ofrenda for free at Tijuana. More details on our website at KPBS. Stay with us. Midday edition is back after the break. Welcome back to midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Tomorrow is Halloween , so we decided it was the perfect time to ask our midday movie's critics if there are any films that actually scare them. Returning once again , our KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando and movie Wallace podcaster Yazdi. Welcome to you both.
S4: Thank you.
S5: Thank you Jade.
S1: So glad to have you in studio. So , movies that scare us. I'll start off here and tell you for me , it was poltergeist flare here. That just sent chills for me. But , you know , it's one of those films that's got this supernatural vibe mixed with just a touch of actual history in it. And that to me , those are the ones that scare me. So , Yazdi , you share some of those fears going back to a film that scared you when you were young ? Yes.
S6: So I grew up as a child , fairly sheltered , and my parents did a good job protecting me and my sister from , you know , your classic horror movies like The Exorcist or The Omen or even The Shining. So I was doing well until until I was about 12 years old.
S1: I was okay.
S6: I was okay until I was about 12 years old and of my own doing. I played hooky from school and I went with my friends to see a movie. I did not know what the movie was , and it turned out to be the 1981 movie Ghost Story , which I think it was Fred Astaire and Douglas Fairbanks Junior's last film. It's this again , a movie about this The supernatural evil presence , and it deals with two generations of men who are trying to deal with this being , which is trying to exact revenge.
S1:
S6: Exorcist. Like , it'll stick in your head. Yeah. And so that movie ruined it for me , and I. I pretty much wasn't watching any horror movies until about ten years ago. And here is the part of a trailer from the movie Ghost Story , which was the reason for my childhood trauma for me.
S7: I will take you places where you have never been to the start , and I will show you things that you'll never see beginning , and I will see the life run out of you.
S8: Long ago on a cold , dark night. In this peaceful New England village. Something happened. Something too terrifying to remember. Something too frightening to forget. Something that has remained a secret until now.
S9: I could see how that that would scare you.
S1:
S10:
S9: I think my first.
S11: Memory of something giving me nightmares was probably those damn flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. I think that probably scarred a lot of children. And then there were also the Morlocks in the Time Machine with their glowing eyes. Those are nightmare images I have seared in my brain , but I think the film that really emotionally scarred me at a young age was The Collector. And here's a trailer from that 1965 film.
S12: From the Bold and Breathless international bestseller The Collector comes the suspenseful , disturbing drama of a strange progression From thought to wish. From desire to obsession. From dream to nightmare. Hey.
S10: Hey.
S11: Are okay ? The nightmare is the Terence Stamp kidnapped Samantha Eggar from off the street. So that she will live in this cellar until she falls in love with him and returns the love he has for her. So spoiler alert , she dies. And then he gets in his van and he goes out again to pick up another victim. I was five years old. I don't know what my parents were thinking. They didn't want to leave me with a babysitter , so they thought this was the better option. But that was terrifying because it's this notion of there's no motive exactly for what he does. He randomly like , sees this woman and gets attached to her. It's there's no justice. There's no consequence for what he does. So it's the sense that anybody on the street in a van could pull over and pick you up and kidnap you. And so as a child , that was , like really disturbing. Here's a little more of the trailer and the tone it takes is interesting.
S12: Terence Stamp creates a remarkable portrait of the hero villain. Tender. Brutal. Tormented. Dangerous.
S11: So I'm not sure which part of this was the hero , but the weird and disturbing tagline for the poster was they called it almost a love story. So I think in a weird sort of way , this is the film that set me on my course for loving horror , because it scared me so much that I think I felt like I was a kid who , like , liked challenges. So I felt like it was all right. You scared me. I'm going to show you. I'm going to go see more scary movies until I'm not scared anymore. And I think that's how my love of horror began.
S1: Well , Beth , so you say you got just kept watching horror movie after horror movie until you felt like you were tough ? Yeah. Okay. Well , does anything actually scare you now ? Yes.
S11: But it's not what you might think as the typical thing. Like jump scares do nothing for me. Gore doesn't really , you know , upset me. Things like that are not what upsets me. The thing that really terrifies me is anything that sort of deals with the sense of loss of identity and of you being you , but not in control. So zombie films are the perfect metaphor for the thing that truly terrifies me , which are things like Alzheimer's and dementia. So this sense that , you know , you're like trapped inside your body , but you can't do any of the things that you normally would. So to me , zombie films typify that. And Pontypool is an absolutely amazing film. It's a zombie film without conventional zombies. and in this film , language is what infects your brain and robs you of all your cognitive skills and your ability to control anything you do. So in this film , the thing that scares me is that you can see people lose their ability to think right in front of your eyes , like this young girl in a radio studio who's just performed part of a scene from , like , a junior theater desert.
S13: I can't remember how it ends. I can't remember how it ends.
S14: How what ends ? For us , it.
S13: Just keeps starting over and over and over and over. And it's not called the Lord. And that table , is it ? Not anymore. No. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof. Prof.
S11: So you can see.
S9: Her like.
S11: Her brain sort of go blank during this scene. And to me , this idea that you can hear a word and suddenly , like , you lose all your ability to form sentences and to think is just terrifying. And if you put that film in a modern context or like today , you can think about how language , how words , how ideas can take root in somebody's head and can change their behavior in a very real sort of sense. So to me , this kind of film really scares me because it's about like changing who you are , essentially. And I would also point to films like Roman Polanski's The Tenant or The Personality of a Dead Woman starts to infect the mind of the man who rents her apartment , Paris.
S8: On a quiet street in an old building , a dead woman's vacant apartment is waiting , waiting for the tenant.
S11: And the supernatural thriller fallen with Denzel Washington , where an evil spirit makes people do horrific things.
S8: And each touch.
S15: And at the execution.
S16:
S8: The soul of a killer into someone new.
S16: Well , I believe what I see , and I'm still trying to get my mind around what I just saw.
S17: Some things , pal. You shouldn't know.
S11: So this touches on kind of the supernatural stuff you talked about. But this is possession where you lose your identity because you're possessed by a devil. But these films both touch on that same sense of loss of identity , which terrifies me.
S1: It's terrifying. But if fallen , I'm still. It's still , like , left an imprint on me. Walking down the street , somebody bumps into me. Or , you know , side eye.
S9: It's creepy.
S1: Very much so. Yazdi , you called yourself a lightweight when it comes to horror.
S6: But what really got to me is , spoiler alert in the end , this evil presence remains on vanquished , and that kind of stuff really gets to me. And I'm not too ashamed to say I lost quite a few nights of sleep on this movie. Here's a clip from it.
S18: During afternoon tea , there's a shift in the air , a bone trembling chill that tells you she's there. There are those who believe the whole town is cursed , but the house in the marsh is by far the worst. What she wants is unknown , But she always comes back. The spectrum of darkness. The woman in black.
S1: I'm putting that one on my list. Yes.
S9: Yes.
S6: It's a good one. That's a good one.
S1: Yeah , well , you both have decided to go out with an unusual category of horror. These are films that truly terrify you , because you find them so bad that they're unwatchable. And , you know , anything on Tubi for.
S9: Me , is that.
S1: Bad ? You got jump cuts , bad lighting , different outfits right in the middle of a scene. It's just , you know , there's a lot of work to be done there , so. But , Beth. Well , go ahead. What do you call this ? Your circle of hell ? Yes.
S11: This is my circle of hell category of films. If I had to watch any of these movies on an endless loop , that would feel like eternal damnation. So if someone put Forrest Gump , Barbie , or Joker two on a loop , I would pay to leave. So topping my list , though is Forrest Gump and it's easily for me , the most offensive film I have ever seen. And I've seen A Serbian Film and Irreversible in solo. So I mean there. I do have things to compare it to , but I just find it unbearable because it's as simple minded as its character. And it's so Mickey Mouse in the sense when you have Robin Wright walking out the door on Gump , the soundtrack plays.
S9: This Dawes. Song.
S11: Song.
S19:
S11: We know he still loves her. I don't need it hammered into my head like that. But and this is just one minor example , but to me , it just kind of typifies the thing that annoys me so much about this film. And I just hate Gump's passivity. He does nothing. Things just happen to him. He's accidentally in places , but he's credited with agency for the things that happen. Go.
S20: Go. What's your sole purpose in this army ? To do whatever you tell my drill sergeant. You're damn genius.
S11: So his passivity and naivete are presented as somehow like positive traits. He can't be a racist because he doesn't know what it is. And , aw , shucks , he just treats people nice. So we should give him a pass on anything. I mean , in the beginning , it opens with him sitting next to a black woman , and he explains that he's named after a relative who was a KKK leader and a war criminal. And he describes it as like , okay , that reminds me how sometimes we all do things that , well , just don't make sense. Well , I don't know. I mean , people say like , oh , you're taking it too seriously. It's just a comedy. But I just can't watch this movie. And Barbie's right up there. I had Facebook friends unfriend me over my half star review of that film , and I'm fine with that. So those films are just terrifyingly badly made for me. I'll take like plan nine from Outer Space and Bad Sets and whatever. Like there's charm in those films. These films are devoid of it. They're like nails on chalkboard for me. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. What are your picks for this ? Kind of terrifying.
S6: I tend to be fairly generous and , like , bet you know , if it's a small movie. They didn't have all the resources. It was made on a dime. I'll forgive a lot of , you know , movies which are very , very rough around the edges , but the ones I will not forgive are the ones which had all the resources in the world. They had a great cast , and they still came up with something , you know , committed , awful and to to exact two examples of that as one is Battleship Earth , which came out in 2000. That misbegotten movie with John Travolta.
S21: While you were still learning how to spell your name. I was being trained to conquer galaxies. That's.
S6: That's. I mean , what happened ? But anyway. And then the other more recent one is cats , which has been the longest running musical. There is a certain charm about cats. There's a reason why its music still resonates. There's a reason why people have seen it for decades. The filmmakers completely failed the assignment. They did not understand , you know , how to translate that to the big screen.
S22: The Napoleon of crime.
S6: And to give you an example , here is a song from the theatrical adaptation of cats. Macavity.
S19: Macavity. Macavity. There's no one like Macavity. He's a feeling you cannot shake a monster of your gratitude. You may meet him in the street. You may see him in the square.
S1: All right. You know that is one way to define terror.
S11: Poor Idris Elba. Too.
S9: Too. Oh.
S1: I know.
S9: Well , Judi Dench , Ian McKellen. Oh , my God , that film is so scary. How did it get those.
S11: If it must have used mind control over. Them.
S9: Them. That mine. They had no control.
S1: That's scary stuff. Too scary. All right. If you're seeking. Something.
S9: Something.
S1: Scary to watch for Halloween tomorrow , maybe one of these films will fit the bill. And I want to thank our midday movie's critics , Beth Accomando and Yazdi. Patala Beth Yazdi. Thank you.
S4: Thank you , thank you.
S1: You can find a list of these films on Beth's Cinema Junkie blog on kpbs.org. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
