Grappling with severe agoraphobia, architect Abel (Javier Pereira) resorts to extreme measures to cure his fear of leaving his home. When conventional therapy doesn’t work, Abel hires prestigious dog trainer José (Fernando Cayo) to help him overcome his fears. While their work is initially helpful, it’s not long before José’s more unconventional methods start to rankle, and Abel tries to get rid. Aggressive José won’t be so easily dissuaded from his purpose though, and Abel soon faces a desperate fight for his own freedom and dignity.
The debut feature film of writer and director Juan Albarracín, El Instinto is a particularly gritty take on the home invasion thriller. It’s also the third of this year’s FrightFest films in which a human is chained up and forced into the role of domestic pet (see also: Don’t Let the Cat Out and Sick Puppy). Where this is all headed is grimly predictable, and the canine training videos which accompany each of the film’s chapters only heighten the sense of unease. It’s only a matter of time before someone ends up drinking out of a dog bowl, and El Instinto plays out like a cross between Whiplash and the 2022 horror film Good Boy.
Others come and go, but this is primarily a battle of wits between Abel and José, and both men prove up to task. Pereira manages to sell Abel’s sense of helplessness without coming across as a complete pushover, while Cayo emanates a quiet sense of menace in the time leading up to his going all-out mask off barking mad.
It’s a familiar story, but Albarracín manages to keep the usual song-and-dance of thwarted escape attempts and prolonged bouts of torture feel fresh.
EL INSTINTO/INSTINCT premiered at UK FrightFest on August 23, 2025.
