This study traces the history and culture of Spain as seen through the lens of the nation´s production of horror cinema. Starting from the boom of Spanish horror film in the early 1960s, the thesis compares and contrasts the political and social aspects of Spanish society throughout three distinct eras of the 20th century: 1962 – 1975 (the boom of Spanish horror film through the Franco dictatorship), 1975 – 1999 (the transition to democracy through the end of the 20th century) and 2000 – present (the 21st century). Movies as diverse as Gritos en la noche (1962, Jesús Franco), ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (1976, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador) and Angustia (1987, Bigas Luna) are framed by culturally-related anectodes as well as correlations to their respective social environments. Special attention has been paid to the production and release of each film, especially in regards to censorship during the Franco dictatorship. The results show that Spanish horror cinema has acted as a true mirror to culture, society and politics in its native country throughout the 20th century and that this trend will likely extend in to the future.

Die Debatte um die Verschwundenen des Spanischen Bürgerkriegs ist lange nicht beendet. Auch nach der Transition des Landes bleiben etliche Fragen offen und der Staat trägt wenig zu ihrer Aufklärung bei. Die Autorin befasst sich intensiv mit der lokalen Erinnerungskultur Spaniens. Sie analysiert dabei deren Bezug auf internationale Normen und Aufarbeitungserfahrungen in Lateinamerika.