The Dead Girls Review
Director: Luis Estrada
Date Created: 2025-09-10 22:40
3.5
The Dead Girls Review: Directed by Luis Estrada, Las Muertas is a six-episode Netflix series that takes inspiration from Jorge Ibargüengoitia’s novel and true events surrounding notorious sisters who kept a succession of brothels in the 1960s. The cast features Paulina Gaitán, Arcelia Ramírez, Joaquín Cosío, Alfonso Herrera, Mauricio Isaac, Enrique Arreola, Fernando Bonilla, Leticia Huijara, Carlos Aragón, and Kristyan Ferrer. The story revolves around the background of sisters Arcángela and Serafina Baladro, who rose to power through charm, manipulation, and savagery. They go on to establish a crime empire on the foundation of corruption and horror.
The Dead Girls Review
Netflix’s The Dead Girls invited us into a world where horror and elegance coexist. What struck me on first try was how Estrada mixes satire and gore. It’s not exactly crime drama, it’s a little telenovela, a little political satire, a little dark humour. It was a weird mashup, and it kept me engaged, although it did make the pacing bumpy at times. Regardless, as a prologue, it introduces a storyline as disgusting as it is compelling.
What I enjoyed best in The Dead Girls Series is the feeling of unpredictability of the story. It begins very innocently, even with a promise of romance, before taking a turn for the worse into betrayal, vengeance, and senseless killings. Whenever I thought I had any idea where it was heading, the story branched towards the darker side. The feeling of unpredictability was good for me since it was in tune with the tempestuous, turbulent lives of the sisters themselves. Second thought, though, is that the constant change in tone may confuse audiences who are accustomed to having a clear storyline.
The series does best chronicling power struggles and corruption in Mexico in the 1960s. It was not going to do a Dead Girls review without depicting the manner in which the sisters prospered as authorities turned a blind eye. A scene in which policemen and military officers turned a blind eye or accommodated their crimes had me contemplating the manner in which systemic corruption clears the space for evil to spread. That element hit close to home insofar as it is a factor today, and it made the series something more than a story of a string of killers.
Arcelia Ramírez and Paulina Gaitán as Serafina and Arcángela are compelling. They do not play for one-note cruelty but reveal charm, manipulation, and a sick sense of humour. Seeing them switch back and forth from being nearly motherly to completely cold-blooded was unsettling but effective. Among the supporting actors, Alfonso Herrera and Joaquín Cosío impressed by bringing depth to the story. I also enjoyed the production design; the dusty vistas, real-period costumes, and old-world sets put me in my seat in 1960s Mexico.
While the series is intriguing, on a personal level, some episodes did go on for too long. Speeches were too long in some instances, and a few of the episodes repeatedly wore on themes of greed and backstabbing. Some very explicit sex segments are also included, and though done to reveal the type of business the sisters are in, they might’ve been cut back without losing power. It’s one aspect in the Netflix series The Dead Girls that might deter some individuals from watching, specifically fans of subtle plotting.
What stayed with me after the series was not the acts of violence, but the desperation of the women in the regime run by the sisters. It was heartbreaking to see lives wasted so gratuitously, and saddest of all to see so little accountability for those lives. That despair mixed with a dash of gallows humour gave the series a haunted feeling. My takeaway was straightforward: desperation and greed make any human a monster, and institutions ineffectual at protecting the weak only enable such a transformation.
Netflix The Dead Girls Review: Summing Up
Overall, the show is disturbing, bloody, funny and at times hyperbolic. But it’s also dangerous, experimental, and unlike any crime drama I’ve seen. If you can stomach the heat, it offers a gripping exploration of power, corruption, and human nastiness. On my own behalf, I enjoyed the performances and the experimental storytelling, but I wished the story had been more streamlined and certain episodes less prodigal. The series is both flawed and brilliant. It might not be perfect, but it manages to shock, entertain, and leave a lasting impression. So, I will say that the Mexican series The Dead Girls is definitely worth adding to your watchlist.
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