Justina Machado stars in the lead role of The Horror of Dolores Roach, an upcoming TV series that looks like the Latine version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Based on the podcast series of the same name, The Horror of Dolores Roach follows Machado’s title character, a woman who returns home to a gentrified Washington Heights after spending 16 years in prison.
She reunites with her friend Luis Batista (Alejandro Hernandez), who gives her a place to stay and lets her work as a masseuse in the basement of his empanada shop. Things take a grisly turn when Dolores begins to kill her clients and Luis helps her cover up the murders by using the bodies in the recipes of his empanadas. Yum.
In the first trailer for the series, we watch as Dolores leaves prison and goes back into society where she hopes to make a new start, but finds that there’s not much opportunity for a convicted criminal. She decides to start her own massage business with Luis’ support.
When one of her clients (Marc Maron) expects more than just a massage, Dolores cuts their session short by killing him. “What have I done?” she asks herself. In the following scene, we watch as Dolores goes to a local hardware store to purchase a saw, tape and shovel. What does she plan on doing with the dead body in the basement?
Dolores might not know what her next step should be, but Luis seems to know what needs to be done. “Don’t worry, Dolores,” he tells her. “I’ll take care of it.”
Now, listen to the sizzling of Luis’ empanadas in the deep fryer. Not so tasty, huh?
The Horror of Dolores Roach premieres on Amazon Prime on July 7, 2023.