A Nightmare on Elm Street premiered in 1984, but for the Hmong people, the real-life terror had begun years before with the entrance of America into the Vietnam War and the CIA’s recruitment of Hmong soldiers into their “secret war.” 

 What began as a fight against communism is still all these years later a very real terror for an entire people – with or without the face of a nightmare spirit taking their breath while they slept.

Join us as we dive into the real-life story that inspired Wes Craven and created a 42-year legacy for New Line Cinema. 

If you or someone you know is looking for resources to help a Southeast Asian facing deportation, please contact the Asian Law Caucus.

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Wes Craven : the man and his nightmares : Wooley, John : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

In 2018, Netflix premiered Verónica, a film that quickly gained notoriety across social media for being the scariest film on the platform. But was the movie so uniquely frightening? Or did the scares hit a little harder because they were accompanied by the "based on a true story" tagline? 

This is part 2 of our deep dive into the story of Verónica and her real-life counterpart, 17-year-old Estefanía. As we unravel how much of the movie stays true to the original happenings, we explore whether fiction is ever really as scary as real life. 

We're really excited that you've found us, and we hope you'll come back next week when we discuss A Nightmare on Elm Street.

In 2018, Netflix premiered Verónica, a film that quickly gained notoriety across social media for being the scariest film on the platform. But was the movie so uniquely frightening? Or did the scares hit a little harder because they were accompanied by the "based on a true story" tagline? As we dig into the story of Verónica and her real-life counterpart, 17-year-old Estefanía, we unravel how much of the movie stays true to the original happenings - and explore whether fiction is ever really as scary as real life. 

We're really excited that you've found us, and we hope you'll come back next week for Verónica Part 2: The Reel Twisty Story of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro and the Vallecas Case.