Fede Álvarez

Fede Álvarez is a Uruguayan filmmaker whose career began with a short film that unexpectedly reached Hollywood. Born in Montevideo in 1978, he directed “Ataque de Pánico!” (“Panic Attack!”) in 2009. The low-budget science-fiction short depicts giant robots attacking Montevideo, including recognizable landmarks such as the Palacio Salvo and the city’s coastal area. After Álvarez uploaded the film to the internet, it attracted international attention and reportedly led to meetings with major Hollywood studios.

His feature directing debut was “Evil Dead,” released in 2013. Rather than continuing the comedic tone associated with Sam Raimi’s original 1981 film, Álvarez made a considerably more graphic horror movie about a group of young people trapped in a remote cabin after discovering the Book of the Dead. He co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues, a frequent collaborator, and Raimi served as a producer. The film starred Jane Levy as Mia, a young woman struggling with addiction whose withdrawal becomes entangled with the supernatural violence.

Álvarez and Sayagues next wrote and produced “Don’t Breathe,” which Álvarez directed in 2016. The thriller follows three Detroit teenagers who break into the home of a blind Gulf War veteran, played by Stephen Lang, believing it will be an easy burglary. The film reverses the usual home-invasion perspective by making the intruders vulnerable inside the supposedly defenseless man’s house. Its commercial success established Álvarez as a director associated with tightly controlled suspense and violent genre storytelling.

In 2018, he directed “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” an adaptation of David Lagercrantz’s continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. Claire Foy played hacker Lisbeth Salander, succeeding Rooney Mara in the role for this separate film adaptation.

Álvarez later returned to producing and writing through projects including the television series “Calls” and the 2022 horror film “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” on which he was a producer. His fourth feature as director, “Alien: Romulus,” was released in 2024. Set between “Alien” and “Aliens,” the film follows young space colonists who encounter the franchise’s creature aboard an abandoned space station. Álvarez co-wrote it with Sayagues and incorporated practical creature effects alongside digital effects. Across his work, he has moved from a viral depiction of Montevideo under attack to studio horror films that revisit established franchises while emphasizing confined spaces, physical danger, and escalating suspense.