Maya

I concur with the other posters who enjoyed this film. It probably helps if you are a general fan of horror films from all eras, as this is pure 80s. It has none of the superficial and formulaic surface noise that constitutes the cinematic vernacular of the modern 'horror' blockbuster. No back-lit trees; dry ice; or glossy, glamorous young leads screaming their pretty heads off. Instead, you get a fairly gritty and atmospheric offering based on a relatively original premise. Yes, there is the classic 80s/horror staple of the obnoxious pair of punks who are just begging to be killed off. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger dick, more deserving of supernatural death, than the leader of this punk duo. He is hilarious, and probably the weakest part of the film; although 80s afficionados can certainly enjoy his character for what it is. Also, there is suspect dubbing and acting, but that's just par for the course. I was never bored during this film, and I think a main factor in this is that there are many characters involved in the plot, and the director has done a very economical job of providing just enough involvement and back-story for each to move the film along nicely, yet still involve them in the narrative. Not hugely gory, but there are some good set pieces; and some foxy (in my book) women half naked. This is never a bad thing. Overall, a decent flick - I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. If you are a genre fan, and especially like 80s horror, then seek this out.

I recently watched the Italian film 🇮🇹 Maya (1989) on Tubi. The story follows an American living in Mexico whose best friend dies in a Mayan temple. As bodies begin to pile up around the temple, he decides to take a break from his womanizing ways to investigate the mystery behind the deaths.

Directed by Marcello Avallone (Spectres), the film stars Peter Phelps (Point Break), Mirella D'Angelo (Tenebrae), Antonella Antinori (Facing Windows), and Antonello Fassari (Valentina).

I enjoyed this movie more than I expected. While the plot is straightforward and nothing extraordinary, the settings are well chosen, featuring numerous gorgeous ladies and plenty of nudity. The horror effects are top-notch and blew my mind with their intense gore. There's a particularly memorable finger scene and some hook imagery reminiscent of Hellraiser. The kills are astonishing. Unfortunately, the ending felt a bit like a copout, reminiscent of Poltergeist, but it didn't detract from the excellent journey to get there.

In conclusion, Maya is a worthwhile watch for horror fans who appreciate the gory, non-cannibal Italian horror films of that era. I'd score it 6.5/10.

This Italian horror film delivers a typically stylish atmosphere and thrilling scenes to make it a pleasant experience for every friend of Italian horror films. Director Avallone tells a chilling story about an old Maya curse that breaks loose. Several hapless characters fall victim to it in quite nasty ways. But Avallone focuses more on the uncanny aspects of the plot than on the gore - which doesn't mean that there's no blood flowing here.

Recommended for all horror fans and in my opinion more thrilling than Avallone's better known first horror film "Spettri" (Specters). Rating: 7/10.

Horror veteran William Berger stars as Dr. Slivak,who is murdered while undertaking a study of a Mayan pyramid.A number of bizarre supernatural murders follow,while Slivak's daughter and old friend attempt to solve the mystery."Maya" by Marcello Avallone is actually an international production that was filmed in Venezuela.The film offers plenty of sex and blood and several truly atmospheric moments.There's even a cockfight and an exorcism which concludes with the victim vomiting live snakes.Marcello Avallone has to be one of the most underrated Italian horror directors."Maya" is his crowning achievement-a masterful and highly innovative horror flick somewhat reminiscent to Lucio Fulci's masterpiece "The Beyond".It is also very well made,with beautiful photography and plenty of good actors to match.Give this overlooked Italian horror a look.8 out of 10.

Of the nine films directed by Marcello Avallone, only two were horrors: the first was an unremarkable demonic movie by the name of Specters, which not only suffered from a dull and utterly nonsensical plot, but offered little in the way of genuine scares, and even failed to compensate with that staple of 80s Italian horror, OTT gore. That film was followed two years later by Maya, which was just as incomprehensible, if not more-so (that ending! WTF?), but at least presented viewers with a unique setting, a reasonable amount of atmosphere, and more than enough nasty violence to satisfy the gore-hounds (along with plenty of gratuitous female nudity for thems that like it).

Mariella Valentini plays Lisa Slivak, who travels to Venezuela to identify the body of her father, who has died in mysterious circumstances. As Lisa investigates, with the help of rather unlikeable local lothario Peter (Peter Phelps), numerous people begin to die in unusual and gruesome ways. Quite who or what is behind these bizarre deaths is beyond me—the plot is kinda hard to fathom out—but the killings are both creative and sadistic: a would-be rapist has his leg crushed by a truck before getting his head impaled by a metal pole, a naked Latino hottie gets her face bashed in by unseen forces while in the bath (her nose splitting open as it hits the edge of the tub), and another victim is suspended by fishing hooks in her neck. To add to the nastiness, there's also a stomach churning scene where a 'finger-wrestler' has his fighting digit snapped in two (blood spurting from the messy wound), and a strange ritual that sees a man vomiting up live snakes (similar to those weird Hong Kong black magic movies of the early 80s).

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.