Aztec Rex

Lore & Background

The film is set in 1521 on the coast of Mexico, where a group of Aztecs worships and makes sacrifices to a pair of living Tyrannosaurus rex, often offering the hearts of young women. A group of conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés arrives and ventures into the forest. One of the Tyrannosaurs devours Cortés's horse, but his men do not believe his story. An Aztec unaware of the Tyrannosaur is eaten, while another witnesses the event with horror.

Reader's Guide

Aztec Rex is notable as a low-budget television film that combines historical figures with dinosaur horror, a niche subgenre of science fiction. Its significance lies in its campy execution and its place in the Syfy channel's tradition of creature features. The film's legacy is modest, remembered primarily by fans of B-movies and dinosaur enthusiasts. It features a cast including Ian Ziering as Hernán Cortés, Jack McGee as Fra Gria, and Dichen Lachman as Ayacoatl. The plot involves Cortés and his men attempting to kill the Tyrannosaurs with cannons and muskets, ultimately succeeding through a gunpowder explosion. The film ends with Cortés warned not to return to the valley, which he never did when he conquered the Aztec Empire. Fra Gria returns to Spain, becomes a saint and the inventor of Sangria, while Ayacoatl and Rios become rulers of the tribe and end the sacrifice rite.

Did You Know?

• The film was directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starred Ian Ziering as the fictional conquistador Juan de Dios.
• It debuted on the cable television channel Syfy in 2008.
• In the film, the Aztecs call the Tyrannosaurs 'Thunder Lizards'.