Interview with Daniel de la Vega, Argentine director known in genre cinema for co-directing with Pablo Parés the gloomy and fascinating Jennifer's Shadow (2004) whose protagonists are Gina Philips and Faye Dunaway. Daniel De La Vega is currently involved in his new film Necrophobia which pays homage to cult films of the past including those of 1970s cinema.
L: Hi Daniel! Thank you for taking your time for this interview! Give a brief introduction of yourself.
Q: I am an independent filmmaker who has put his heart into the horror genre. I trained myself by watching the unforgettable Argentine TV series like "Viaje a lo Inesperado" and "Sábados de Súper Acción." There were many films from the 1980s and 1990s that influenced me, especially those by Roman Polansky, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Bava.
L: Can you tell us about your debut in film? What drew you into the horror genre?
Q: I started studying animation and then entered the National School of Experimentation and Cinematic Realization of Argentina (ENERC) where I completed my studies as a film director.
I don't ask myself questions about what is the origin that triggers horror in my filmography, I would say that this genre only deals with topics that are dear to me and that I can talk about because of cinematic storytelling. Basically, I want to say that I am a person who is afraid. It is this intense emotion that allows me to have something to tell. By doing so, I will have many films to make in the future.
L: You are the director of Jennifers' Shadow (Chronicle of The Raven). Can you tell us about this dark and painful film?
Q: It is a film co-directed and co-written with Paul Parés and it was my first film. Working with Faye Dunaway was a privilege and I'm grateful to her. It's a film in which my love for classic 1970s films shines through, I would say it's a great homage to Dan Curtis and his Ballad Macabre (Burnt Offerings).
L: What can you tell us about your other films Death Knows Your Name and Hermanos de sangre?
D: Blood Brothers (Hermanos de sangre) is my first film in Castilian and with which we won several awards including Best Argentine Film at the Mar del Plata Film Festival. It is a black comedy with horror elements that somehow revolved around issues that concerned me.
Death Knows Your Name is a horror film shot in English and intended for the American direct-to-video market. It was made on a budget of $ 15,000 and with a lot of passion by a team that did its best to achieve the best possible result within its means.
[WRAP=right][ATTACH=CONFIG]37130[/ATTACH][/WRAP]L: Necrophobia is the title of your interesting new horror film that is inspired by the Italian giallo genre. How did the idea of dealing with the "fear of death" in the film come about? Can you tell us about it?
Q: I think "necrophobia" is a great plot point for a film, because it is a widespread phobia. Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, is afraid of death.
We started from this premise to shape the classical iconography of death in our own way by playing with people's universal fears.
L: The trailer is impressive and engaging. What can you tell us about the killer glimpsed in it?
Q: The trailer was edited by Hernán Moyano, an Argentine producer specializing in genre films. He has been carrying out his work successfully and with talent for more than 15 years.
The killer is directly inspired by the killer in Dario Argento's films but also by the protagonist played by Vincent Price in The Mask of Wax (House of Wax), a character who haunted my childhood dreams.
L: Why so many mannequins (which I love by the way) in the film?
Q: I think terror manifests itself in those inanimate objects that come to life. In that sense, mannequins are sinister by nature. The film has a marked influence from films like William Lustig's Maniac and Tourist Trap, where mannequins are part of the aesthetics of the story.
L: As you can see from the trailer, Necrophobia not only refers back to Dario Argento's films but also recalls Sergio Martino's Torso. Can you tell us about the cinematic influences in Necrophobia?
Q: I partly mentioned this in the previous answer, but yes, the influences you mentioned are those. I also include David Lynch's Lost Roads and Chasing Sleep.
L: What can you tell us about the casting phase? Why did you choose Luís Machín for the serial killer role?
Q: Luís Machín is an extraordinary and versatile actor and he has those characteristics that remind me a lot of Peter Cushing. I have always wanted to work with Luís and finally my wish has come true with this project. I think Luís plays the tormented character perfectly, conveying that sense of veracity that genre cinema needs to be verisimilitude.
L: Necrophobia enjoys the music of Italian composer Claudio Simonetti. What do you think of his music?
Q: Working with Claudio Simonetti was a dream come true. The film grew with his talent and places him in the exact decade in order to pay homage to the cinema of the 1970s.
In that sense I am very grateful to him, because Necrophobia is a low-budget film and to have a musician of his level is a privilege.
L: Is there a release date for Necrophobia?
Q: Necrophobia will be released in Argentina on September 4, I think, and maybe it will participate in the Fantafestival in Rome and the TOHorror Film Fest in Turin, but we haven't confirmed that yet.
L: What are you currently working on? What is your next project?
Q: I am working on several projects including. Ataúd Blanco and Punto Muerto, two genre films that will see the light of day between 2015 and 2016.
L: What are your favorite horror movies?
Q: It is difficult to answer this question because there are too many. I can say that I have a particular fondness for directors like Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, John Carpenter and Jacques Tourneur.
L: Leave a message for the DarkVeins community and your fans!
Q: Thank you for this opportunity. Viewer interest is essential to continue filmmaking. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND OUTREACH.
L: Thank you for your availability Daniel, it was an honor to interview you!
