A struggling special-effects artist and single mother rescues a woman from a violent attack behind a fast-food restaurant—only to realize the creature was a Chupacabra and the nightmare has followed her into the car.
Effie Hernandez, a struggling Brooklyn special-effects artist and single mother, loses her job after a disastrous on-set mistake. Later that night, while picking up food with her teenage son Jose and her twin toddlers, Effie hears a violent struggle behind a fast-food restaurant and intervenes—only to discover the attacker is the legendary Chupacabra she once encountered in Puerto Rico. After rescuing the wounded woman and loading her into the family minivan, Effie and Jose flee the scene. But their escape turns into chaos when the woman suddenly begins transforming into a creature in the back of the van.
Elaine is a native New York, Puerto Rican Director and multi-hyphenate Storyteller.Her awards include the HBO Latinx Director award, the LALIFF | LFI | Amazon-MGM works-in-progress independent feature post-production grant and from festivals including SXSW, Urbanworld, Seriesfest and more.
Elaine’s feature directorial debut is a genre dance-drama-thriller Tubi original, Midnight Hustle. Her second narrative feature, Brownsville Bred, which she wrote, produced and directed, is currently set to premiere in 2025. The YA drama is a gritty slice of Urban American Latina girlhood and Elaine's personal coming-of-age story. The story is adapted from Elaine's award-winning novel and Off-Broadway one-woman show. Elaine is a WarnerMedia 150 Artist, who has received funding from the NY Women in Media (NYFA) fund. She is a WGA Showrunner Academy alumna, Shondaland Director finalist and two-time Lynn Shelton and Imagen Impact award nominee.Her short films, Me 3.769 and Princess Cut, can be seen on Max.
As a Writer, across mediums, Elaine's original one-hour procedural drama pilot, The System, was bought by the CBS network; The New York Times hailed her off-Broadway stage play, "From Girlhood Trials to Onstage Triumph."
