A-LA-CORTINA-DE-FIERRO / CHARACTER FILE
LA CORTINA DE FIERRO
Cursed storefront
A closed corner store that opens at midnight and sells expired goods on credit. Ask for a receipt.
Design proposals v1.0. New physical traits and measurements need creative approval. Master images and videos have not been generated.
01 / ORIGINAL SOURCE
Complete biography
FAILHORROR — CHARACTER BIBLE V1.0 CHARACTER: LA CORTINA DE FIERRO (THE STEEL SHUTTER) NARRATIVE TYPE: cursed storefront UNIVERSE: Santa Vela, northern Mexico; adapted to Latin America. STATUS: Creative proposal pending canon approval. Themed batch: barrio.
BIOGRAPHY AND URBAN MYTH The metal shutter of a corner store closed for years rolls halfway up at midnight. Whoever ducks in to buy something comes out holding a product that expired before they were born.
ORIGINAL APPEARANCE AND ART DIRECTION Rolling sheet-metal shutter with peeling soda ads, behind it a counter under a greenish fluorescent tube; the shopkeeper is never fully seen.
PERSONALITY, BEHAVIOR AND RHYTHM Helpful, ancient, unsettling. Must play the horror completely straight, with no comic winks to camera. Keep gestures minimal, pauses awkward and the silhouette consistent across episodes.
SUPERNATURAL RULE / MECHANICS It only serves those who come alone and ask for credit. Pay cash and ask for a receipt and the shutter slams down for a month.
CLASH WITH LATIN AMERICAN LIFE corner store, buying on credit, glass-bottle soda
GAG AND DEBUT EPISODE Put It On My Tab
THREE POSSIBLE EPISODES Put It On My Tab; Returnable Bottle; The Credit Notebook VISUAL AND SOUND LANGUAGE Realistic horror with light motivated by streets, homes, shops and appliances. Design an original sound motif and do not reuse recognizable music or effects. Locked-off camera or gentle moves; 5 seconds of action per shot; final micro-episodes of 15–45 seconds, vertical 9:16. Everyday Mexican sound as the punchline when it fits.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE REST OF THE CAST May occasionally cross paths with Jacinto, Chuy, Miguel Mayorga, Gaspar Flores or NULO, but must have standalone conflicts and gags. NULO keeps his status as the original through-line figure.
SAFETY AND DIFFERENTIATION Do not recreate masks, dresses, makeup patterns, catchphrases or signature scenes from franchises. Use harmless props and editing; do not depict graphic violence against children or animals. Review names, images and clearances before commercial use.
PENDING DELIVERABLES Approve final name; character turnaround (front, three-quarter, profile, back) and props; color palette; master continuity prompt; sound reference; first test clip; identity and consistency quality checks.
02 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Identity and role
Cursed storefront
03 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Design status
Production sheet v1.0 · new traits and measurements proposed · master images and video pending. This sheet does not turn the biography into approved canon.
04 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Face, body and scale
Production scale / proposal: Storefront scale 3 m; horizontal slit silhouette
05 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Costume / shape and materials
Rolling sheet-metal shutter with peeling soda ads, behind it a counter under a greenish fluorescent tube; the shopkeeper is never fully seen.
06 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Props and defining features
Retain only objects and elements specified in appearance. Add no weapons or accessories by model interpretation.
07 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Palette and textures
Proposed sRGB swatches: painted sheet #B23A2F, fluorescent #9FD8A6, shutter shadow #1A1C1E
08 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Performance and gestures
Helpful, ancient, unsettling. Must play the horror completely straight, with no comic winks to camera. Keep gestures minimal, pauses awkward and the silhouette consistent across episodes. Proposed test action: The shutter screeches halfway up, the fluorescent flickers and a hand slides out an unlabeled soda.
09 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Continuity rules
Lock face or mask, silhouette, palette, materials, seam placement, prop count and handedness. Photograph resting props. Proposed primary work prop is held on the right unless the source fixes another side (NULO: left). Never mirror references. Record every episode change.
10 / PRODUCTION SHEET
12 production references
A-LA-CORTINA-DE-FIERRO_REF_01_FRONT; 02_THREE_QUARTER; 03_PROFILE; 04_BACK; 05_IDENTITY_DETAIL; 06_PROP_DETAIL; 07_MATERIAL; 08_SILHOUETTE; 09_NIGHT; 10_WALK; 11_REACTION; 12_STREET. Every view is a separate frame. For phenomena and house use location plates and effect layers instead of body turnaround. All await generation and approval.
11 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Master image prompt (EN)
Show prompt
Original grounded cinematic Latin American horror design: LA CORTINA DE FIERRO, cursed storefront. Rolling sheet-metal shutter with peeling soda ads, behind it a counter under a greenish fluorescent tube; the shopkeeper is never fully seen. Scale: Storefront scale 3 m; horizontal slit silhouette. Palette: painted sheet #B23A2F, fluorescent #9FD8A6, shutter shadow #1A1C1E. Physically plausible photographed materials, serious restrained presence, no humorous pose. Neutral lighting, isolated full silhouette or location plate for a bodiless phenomenon, 10 percent empty margins, no collage, no text, no brands. Preserve every defining feature from the identity reference. New production measurements are design proposals.
12 / PRODUCTION SHEET
8-second performance test (EN)
Show prompt
Single locked-off eight-second realistic cinematic shot, vertical 9:16. Use the approved master when available; until then label output exploratory. Character or phenomenon: LA CORTINA DE FIERRO. Rolling sheet-metal shutter with peeling soda ads, behind it a counter under a greenish fluorescent tube; the shopkeeper is never fully seen. The shutter screeches halfway up, the fluorescent flickers and a hand slides out an unlabeled soda. Cold security-camera light with a single warm practical source. Continuous shot. The action must be understandable with the sound muted. No dialogue, no text, no lip-sync, no comedy performance; the everyday interruption carries the humor. Keep identity, scale, anatomy, costume, palette and prop count stable.
13 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Generation constraints (EN)
Show prompt
No dialogue, captions, speech bubbles, readable text, lip-sync, comic dance, cartoon rendering, celebrity likeness, borrowed franchise design, gore, extra limbs, identity morphing, outfit changes, duplicated props, mirrored handedness, camera orbit, jump cuts or uncontrolled zoom.
14 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Sound and silent comprehension
Original task or material foley; restrained local ambience. No dialogue, vendor calls or franchise music. Sound may reinforce the beat but must not explain it. Test comprehension with sound off.
15 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Quality control
1 Stable identity/shape; 2 silhouette and scale; 3 materials/palette; 4 props and handedness; 5 anatomy or VFX layers; 6 camera and light; 7 serious performance; 8 meaning understood without audio or text. Each criterion: PASS/FAIL + note. For NULO also check six keys, opaque visor, incomplete circle and two-second final pause.
16 / PRODUCTION SHEET
Delivery, archive and pending work
A-LA-CORTINA-DE-FIERRO_TEST_001_<MODEL>_v001.mp4 + sidecar with prompt, references, model, settings, date, cost, operator and license. P0: master, turnaround, details, identity approval and test. P1: foley and edit. No final render has been generated in this delivery.