Netflix Drops First Look at Chupacabra in Upcoming Film — & He’s…Adorable?

While the idea of the chupacabra might instill fear in Latine people who grew up hearing the terrifying stories about a creature that sucks the blood out of its victims, Netflix has decided to flip the folklore on its head and create something more family-friendly.

Meet Chupa. The creature is at the center of its own fantasy adventure aptly titled Chupa. Directed by Jonás Cuarón, co-writer of the Oscar-winning film Gravity and the son of Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Chupa tells the story of Alex (Evan Whitten), a shy 13-year-old kid who takes a trip to Mexico to meet his extended family for the first time.

While visiting his grandfather Chava (Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir), a former lucha libre champion, and his cousins Memo (Nickolas Verdugo) and Luna (Ashley Ciarra), Alex stumbles upon a baby chupacabra living under his grandpa’s shed. Now, Alex must keep Chupa safe from a scientist (Christian Slater) who wants to try to harness the powers from the mythical creature.

“Our goal was to create an incredibly cute creature based on a terrifying legend,” Cuarón told Tudum. “I’ve always been a huge fan of E.T. and believe that stories like that are so powerful because they play on the idea of kids being misunderstood by adults.”

From the film’s official synopsis: “Alex sets off on the adventure of a lifetime, one that will push the bonds of his newfound family to the brink and remind him that life’s burdens are lighter when you don’t have to carry them alone.”

Cuarón adds: “The bond between a boy and a creature is so pure, like with a pet, it transcends language.

We’re not sure about you, but now we want to know where we can get our own baby chupacabra. Adorbs.