Interview by Geno McGahee
In 2007, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was released and it re-ignited the found footage sub-genre and became one of the most popular recent franchises. Many found footage have arisen since. One of the best to come along is the atmospheric and scary “EVIL LEGACY,” by filmmaker, Manuel Eiras Gonzalez.
CINEMA EPOCH is unleashing EVIL LEGACY on DVD on Halloween in a set called “The Scared Stiff Collection,” and is worth the cost of the set alone. Eiras Gonzalez has created an aura of mystery and horror, mixed with a very artful style. It has some common characteristics with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, but focuses on character development and more consistent scares rather than a money shot ending. EVIL LEGACY is an amazing film.
Scared Stiff sat down with Manuel Eiras Gonzalez and spoke about his film EVIL LEGACY that is coming to DVD on Hallowen.
GM: What got you into film and who are your inspirations?
A very good question. I love movies since I was a child. Telling stories about everything that you can imagine, creating their own worlds and showing everybody my vision. The best job in the world. People that you don’t know, perfect strangers, becomes your audience for a few minutes and gives to you their precious time for their lives, to tell them a history. They search and fly away for their problems and reality. This is my real inspiration. I try to not disappoint them because their time is the best recognition and gift that the audience can give to you.
GM: Could you tell the readers what EVIL LEGACY is about?
Evil Legacy is about lying, our particular fears and nightmares, all narrated using the voyeurism of people, the need for see everything. Our characters hide what they really are, if they are good in their lives or not, if they hate their father or their mate…etc… and how a strange presence becomes in their worst nightmare throwing your souls in to his worst fears. Will they survive? Better watch the movie and answer that yourselves.
GM: The film EVIL LEGACY is an amazing movie with great atmosphere and scares along the way. How was the filming experience of it and what inspired you to create it?
The filming was very funny but hard too. We worked usually at night. It is very tiring to do that, but all the crew was marvelous and it was a really good experience. The best part of the filming was make the fighting scene, was like a theatre, all the actors couldn’t move a millimeter, only in their small marks, because it was a long shot and if they move away we should repeat all sequence. They did a very good job.
I remember one day I was in an ATM and saw the hidden camera inside it. That same night I met with my screenplay crew and I told “can you imagine a horror story view only across security cameras? Like BBC´s Dead Set or a kind of Big Brother TV show, but with horror”…. 6 months later they had Evil Legacy ready to shoot.
GM: What is the most difficult part of the film process and what is the easiest?
I prefer start with the worst. Without a doubt the post production. We shoot the entire film in 17 days but the post production of audio and video was 1 year because all single shot of the film had effects and some of them was really complicated to make. We needed to create a particular atmosphere with the audio tracks and score. What is the sound of a immaterial creature from underworld? We asked this question continuously and tried everything that we could mixing sound and orchestral effects. We spent months working on that but the results are amazing. The easiest part was working on set with actors and team, I love this part when you a screenplay becomes real.
GM: How long did it take to film?
In total two years, since we started with the writing until we made the end credits roll.
GM: Do you see yourself focusing on horror films mostly as you progress in your film career?
I love all movies genres (the horror movies in particular). I will like to prove myself in other genres in a near future, like drama, because I need continue to grow as a filmmaker. I think that someday I’m going to get make films of all genres. But, at the moment, I will continue with horror movies, I have a lot of thing to tell yet.
GM: What do you think of the current horror scene? What films have you liked?
In the early 90’s, the horror movies were in a very bad moment until Wes Craven made Scream. From there, the genre makes stronger and now lives a very good moment. It’s not like end 70’s and all 80’s, Carpenter´s Halloween, Peter Medak’s The Changeling or Kubrick’s The Shining are the rosetta stone of modern horror movies. There will never be movies like these, but all industry works very well with new stories, points of view or remake classic plots to bring to the present. Actually, I find some interesting things about the Paranormal Activity franchise and I love modern classics like 28 Days Later or Dawn of the Dead. The future is very promising I think, there are a lot of new talents on the industry working very hard.
GM: What film do you have in store for the fans next?
We are working all day on a new story. It’s title is “Forsaken”, a sci-fi survival horror movie set in the near future. We will shoot it soon and hope have it ready to Halloween 2015. Stay tuned network…we will give news very soon.
GM: Do you have any advice for other filmmakers that are planning to make their first film?
Don’t give up. Keep pushing and work very very hard. Only work makes the difference.
GM: Do you have anything to say in closing?
I wish to thank all my crew for their amazing work and Cinema Epoch and Geno McGahee for the opportunity to reach more people. Good job guys!. I hope that all people enjoy with the film. Was a very great pleasure to have talked with you, thanks for reading this.
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