Naman Shrestha
Under the direction of Felipe Rodriguez, Lifetime’s ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ acquaints us with the true story of the Borges family through the protagonistic figure of Marcela Borges, a pregnant woman looking forward to expanding her family. When the family visits their Florida suburban home to spend an idyllic weekend together, they don’t expect things to turn eerie and life-threatening. However, Marcela’s worst nightmares become reality when a gang of masked and armed intruders break into their house and demand $200,000 from them in exchange for their lives.
The terrorized family has no other option than to comply with the gunmen’s orders. Realizing that they cannot possibly meet their financial demands, Marcela must make some choices in order to keep herself and her family from harm. Part of Lifetime’s ‘Ripped From the Headlines’ series, the home invasion thriller film manages to build a lot of atmospheric tension as the Borges family is trapped with the captors. Since most of the story unfolds inside the family’s Florida house, it also serves as an additional character in the movie.
Where Was Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story Filmed?
‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ was filmed in its entirety in Ontario, primarily across Toronto. According to reports, principal photography for the Lifetime production commenced on October 21, 2024, and continued for a couple of weeks before getting wrapped up on November 8 of the same year. Upon the conclusion of the shooting process, Johnathan Sousa took to social media and wrote, “That’s a wrap on a freaking marathon! Thank you so much to @fliproddz you made this one special again ! I owe you the world!! Made so many lifetime friends on this one!! No weird pun intended ❤️ @msmakeupmccann @sheisdash @aishaebony @keepcalmwearlipstick that’s my crew !! Ride or die Daddy Ruby ! And mamaMarcy ! Can’t wait for the world to see this!!”
Toronto, Ontario
All the pivotal sequences for ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ were reportedly lensed in and around the capital city of Ontario — Toronto. In order to represent the suburban neighborhood of Florida where the Borges family stays for the weekend, the production team took over a suburban neighborhood in Toronto. Not only that, they also seemingly set up camp in and around an actual residential property, which doubles as the house where armed men barge in and hold the family hostage.
For taping the exterior portions, the cast and crew members made the most of the different neighborhoods and streets of the city. From what we can tell, they shot a few important scenes around a railroad track. In the backdrop of several outdoor scenes, you are likely to spot quite a few landmarks and attractions, such as the CN Tower, the Ontario Legislative Building, the Humber Bay Arch Bridge, Casa Loma, and more. Some of the scenes were also possibly shot in a film studio located in and around Toronto. Apart from ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story,’ the capital city has served as a filming site for various film and TV projects, including ‘Trap,’ ‘Alice, Darling,’ ‘Ready or Not,’ ‘The Day After Tomorrow,’ ‘Mayor of Kingstown,’ ‘Covert Affairs,’ and ‘Prison Break.’
Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story Cast
The ‘Orange Is the New Black’ fame Dascha Polanco dons the garb of Marcela Borges in the Lifetime production. Widely recognized for her roles in ‘American Crime Story’ as Detective Lori Wieder, ‘Russian Doll’ as Beatrice, and ‘When They See Us’ as Elena, she also stars in multiple movies, such as ‘A Little Prayer,’ ‘Miguel Wants to Fight,’ ‘Air Force One Down,’ and ‘The Perfect Match.’ Known for his role as Alessandro Contento in ‘Frankie Drake Mysteries,’ Johnathan Sousa stars in ‘Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story’ as Rubens Morais.
Moreover, while Nisa Gunduz portrays Bianca, Alessio Andrada plays the character of Marcela’s son, Ryan. Other talented actors who feature in the thriller film in supporting roles include Ivan Lopez as Oscar, Marito Lopez as Miguel, Mitchell Jaramillo as Victor Sanchez, Marisa McIntyre as Teresa, Jorge Molina as Henry, and Emerson Kerner as Tommy. In addition, Ema Ines portrays the bank teller.
Read More: Terror Comes Knocking: True Story of Marcela Borges, Explained
