In the 1960s, the Baladro sisters made their name as ruthless brothel owners who became two of the most prolific serial killers in Mexico’s history — if you believed the tabloids. The sensational headlines revealed a veritable graveyard of young women whose deaths resulted from the sisters’ hubris and a revenge plot gone wrong.
The Dead Girls is director Luis Estrada’s first limited series. The critically acclaimed director, who won accolades for his 2023 film ¡Que viva México!, is known for his deft political satire and social commentary. The Dead Girls stars Arcelia Ramírez (The Club) and Paulina Gaitán (Narcos) as the Baladro sisters, as well as Sense8 alum Alfonso Herrera.
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Arcángela (Ramírez) and Serafina (Gaitán) Baladro hit upon a winning business plan. The sisters transform a local bar into a brothel by coercing young women into sex work and bribing the authorities to look the other way. The two seem on top of the (under)world until their girls begin to die in a series of freak accidents. In a desperate attempt to avoid scrutiny from law enforcement, Arcángela and Serafina pressure Serfina’s toxic lover, Simón (Herrera), into helping them dispose of the bodies.
But the pressure proves to be too much for Simón, who runs from the rotten life he’s found himself trapped in. Heartbroken, Serafina decides that if she can’t have him, no one can. She cashes in a few too many favors with clients to exact bloody revenge. Now that the Baladro sisters are making so much noise, the police can no longer turn a blind eye to their recklessness and brutality — what’s uncovered in the investigation shocks Mexico for generations to come.
Yes, The Dead Girls is based on the popular Mexican novel Las muertas by Jorge Ibargüengoitia. The author is often lauded for combining dark humor and gripping narratives to satirize Mexican society and politics.
Yes, The Dead Girls is based on the true story (as documented by Ibargüengoitia) of “Las Poquianchis,” a family of serial killers. The story and subsequent court case were covered extensively in the sensationalist tabloid Alarma! in 1964.
The Dead Girls is set in rural Mexico.
