Last week we brought you an exclusive still from Juan Martinez Moreno’s The ABCs Of Death 2 segment, “S is for Split,” and today we’re continuing our coverage by sharing a short interview we conducted with Moreno. We had the opportunity to shoot a few questions the filmmaker’s way about his super-tense segment, delving deeper into his love of horror and what cinematic scares keep him up at night. In addition, be sure to return on 10/23 for a guest entry from Moreno himself, going into detail about his favorite cinematic death scene of all time.
WGTC: What’s your favorite horror movie and how did it influence you as a filmmaker?
Juan Martinez Moreno: It’s impossible for me to name just one, there are LOTS!! I love some classics, Todd Browning’s Freaks, Jacques Tourneur’s Night Of The Demon, or Robert Wise’s The Haunting. I guess I learned from them about the construction of a solid story, and how to create the right ambiance. Also, The Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre are two of the most scary and shocking genre films ever made, they showed us how far you can go and they changed the genre forever.
WGTC: What do you think the biggest differences between American and Spanish horror are?
Juan Martinez Moreno: Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t believe in nationalities, I believe in talent.
WGTC:Â Game Of Werewolves has a comedic undertone, but your ABCs Of Death segment is deadly serious. Was that an intentional decision?
Juan Martinez Moreno: Yes, absolutely. The story asks you for the tone. In “S is for Split” I didn’t see any room for comedy, not the way I wanted to do it.
WGTC:Â Is it more challenging to establish a full story arc in such a limited run time versus a feature film?
Juan Martinez Moreno: No, it’s not, at least not for me. It’s easier to build a story that is going to be told in five minutes, you just need to use the time wisely.
WGTC: What’s the one horror movie scene that will always scare you no matter what?
Juan Martinez Moreno: Again, lots of them, but if I have to choose I would say the spider walk in the director’s cut from The Exorcist and LeatherFace’s chainsaw dance at the end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Both are hypnotic and scary as hell.
WGTC:Â With such a varied background, do you see yourself continuing to make horror movies, or moving on to another genre for your next project?
Juan Martinez Moreno: I like stories, no matter the genre. My first movie was an action comedy, the second one was a psychological thriller ant the third one was a horror comedy. I hope one day I’ll make a western, or a musical. But definitively I will come back to horror.
That concludes our interview, but I’d like to thank Juan Martinez Moreno for his time. Be sure to catch The ABCs Of Death 2 on VOD now and in theaters October 31st!
