I was not aware of the Cartoon Network Latin America miniseries Frankelda's Book of Spooks, for which this is a prequel. I just saw the title on a Netflix menu and thought it would be a relatively tame yet appropriate way to fill my Halloween night. If nothing else, it promised a feast for the eyes.
In a 19th-century Mexican town, young Francisca Imelda, pen name "Frankelda," prolifically writes gothic horror that meets almost universal contempt, between sexism and disdain for the genre. But one of her characters, Prince Herneval of Topus Terrenus, crosses the secret border between fiction and "reality" to seek her talented help. His realm of terrors creates literal nightmares for humans in order to live on fear, which has faded since royal advisor Procustes' scripts have grown stale. Frankelda lets Herneval render her something of a temporary ghost, leaving her comatose body so she can visit his home, with the offer to stay as official nightmare writer. She vacillates wildly in confidence, partly because the jealous Procustes manipulates her. Worse, he commits plagiarism and plans a coup d'etat....
