San Pedro, Ambergris Caye is known for being the mecca for tourism in Belize, attracting visitors worldwide. The island nicknamed ‘La Isla Bonita’ is also the home to foreign retirees, and recently, it has been the setting for large film projects. The two most recent productions include a horror/thriller PARADIES sequel starring Jhone Y. Lucas and island actor Horacio Louis Guerrero and Blood Knot featuring well-known Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, son Cameron Douglas, and David Morse.
The horror/thriller PARADIES, now a franchise, premiered on October 18th in New York City, USA, followed by another screening in Omaha, Nebraska. PARADIES 1 and 2 premiered on BET +, an American premium streaming channel targeting African American audiences, on October 26th. The movies are also available on demand through Amazon Prime and Apple TV. The third and fourth chapters of the franchise will reportedly follow in the coming months.
The first two movies were filmed on northern Ambergris Caye, with the first part of the sequel filmed in June 2021. The second part was filmed in August 2022 at the same location in the island’s northern region. One of the main characters in Paradies is San Pedro’s Horacio Louis Guerrero. He has become one of the main stars of PARADIES. The young island actor said he will continue expanding his acting career and represent the island and Belize well.
The first part speaks about a story of death, deception, and demons taking place on the beautiful island of Ambergris Caye. A group of adventurous contest winners embark on a journey to an exotic resort. However, the vacation and excitement quickly become dread when the group runs for their lives. The story continues when new tourists become victims haunted by the same unseen terror. PARADIES 2 unleashes an evil force as the victims try to escape. The films were written by Damien Douglas and Eric Falvey and directed by Dale Stelly.
Blood Knot
Over the summer, part of a major production titled Blood Knot was filmed in San Pedro. The American drama production directed by Roberto Sneider and written by Rowdy Herrington featured stars like Michael Douglas, Cameron Douglas, David Morse, and Michael Stahl-David. The storyline follows the drama of a father and son attempting to mend their broken relationship. The father invites his estranged son to compete in a father-son fly-fishing competition in the Caribbean. While the storyline identified the location as Puerto Rico, this portion of the fishing competition occurred in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Filming started in Massachusetts, United States, in June 2023, with the completion filmed in Belize and Mexico City. For almost a month, the filming crew worked in different areas of San Pedro, including in subdivisions like San Pablo, the downtown area, and the fly-fishing flats. Even though Micheal Douglas was not spotted in San Pedro, his son Cameron was. The movie is expected to premiere in 2024.
Ambergris Caye has been the setting of several movies, including large productions like The Mosquito Coast, starring Harrison Ford in 1986, and After the Storm, starring Benjamin Bratt, in March 2000. Over the past years, more filming projects have chosen the island, and those working in the filming industry suggested that more productions are showing interest in Belize and San Pedro.
