He made his directorial debut in the United States with AFTER SCHOOL (2014), winning Best Director and Best Film at the Encuentro Mundial de Cine. His impact on the world of genre cinema continued with his second feature film, HYSTERIA (2016), which earned him a Macabro - Mexico City International Horror Film Festival Award for Best Director, as well as a Sydney Indie Film Festival Award for Best Film. Carlos was responsible for directing the It’s about time segment of anthology film BARBAROUS MEXICO II (2017). As a driving creative force, his artistry has been showcased in 10 short films, screened at multiple festivals around the globe.

As for television, he has worked with renowned networks including Sony, Discovery Channel, and CNN. He directed the series EL DESCONOCIDO (2019) and MI ENCUENTRO CON EL MAL (2022), both available internationally on Netflix. In the documentary realm, he led 33%: HISTORIAS IMPENSABLES DE LA CORRUPCION (2021) and EL QUE NO TRANSA… DICHOS, REFRANES Y OTRAS HISTORIAS DE CORRUPCIÓN EN MEXICO (2023), proving his strong commitment to narrating stories on complex social themes.

Not just a talented director but also a versatile screenwriter, Carlos has made significant contributions to the writing rooms of numerous horror films, including Lemon Studios’ ANIMALES HUMANOS (2020), JUEGA CONMIGO (2021), and EL AMARRE (2021). His co-creation of the series #VIRAL and his participation as a writer for a series for the production company Fabula demonstrate his ability to work as a team.

Carlos Meléndez’s ongoing creative process continues to expand by telling strange yet amusing stories, capable of transporting audiences to unusual places through diverse media landscapes.

Influenced by television and MTV’s avant-garde generation, Carlos developed a passion for genre films and Japanese animation, fascinated by how the bizarre navigates everyday life. Ever since, Carlos has blended the irreverent with the macabre, the absurd with the grotesque, depicting a reality that resembles a horror film.