Principal photography has wrapped on Flowers Para Los Muertos, a new bilingual black comedy-thriller led by Amy Hill and Yolonda Ross, with filming completed on location in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
The Spanish- and English-language indie feature follows New York photographer Aviva Lake (Hill), who unexpectedly inherits a home in Mexico. Waiting for her is real estate agent Raven Johnson (Ross), a woman connected to past shady business dealings involving Aviva’s estranged husband. Hoping to push a fast sale, Raven attempts to gaslight Aviva into believing the property is haunted — only for both women to realize the house may actually hold supernatural secrets of its own.
The film blends dark comedy with psychological thriller elements, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric suspense films produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s alongside the heightened emotional storytelling associated with Mexican melodrama and telenovelas. Alongside Hill and Ross, the cast includes local first-time actors Miguel Angel Loret and Andrea Arenas, reinforcing the project’s cross-cultural approach both in front of and behind the camera.
Written and directed by award-winning creative partners P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes (House of Cardin, Dear Mom, Love Cher), Flowers Para Los Muertos marks the filmmaking duo’s return to narrative storytelling after more than a decade focused primarily on documentary projects.
The production is an international collaboration between The Ebersole Hughes Company, Candivision, and Yucatán-based production entity Maquina. Supported by the city of Mérida, the film incorporates several of the region’s iconic locations and was shot entirely on location in cinemascope.
Ebersole and Hughes produce the film with Candi Guterres, who also serves as production designer. Cinematography is by Mark Putnam, with costumes designed by Frank Helmer.
The project also reunites several longtime collaborators. Ross previously worked with Ebersole on HBO’s Stranger Inside, while Hill collaborated with the creative team on Sundance Channel’s Straight Right and Hughes’ indie feature The New Women.
Hill is known for roles in Lilo & Stitch and Ballard, while Ross is most known for her role in The Chi and up next she’ll star in Samo Lives and Don’t Ever Wonder.
A release date for Flowers Para Los Muertos has not yet been announced.