Interview: Gigi Saul Guerrero Wraps For Blumhouse’s INTO THE DARK
We’ve celebrated some great women so far this month, and we know that there are many more women who are adding films, music, literature, art, and more to the wonderful world of horror. We thank all of them for their contribution. Today, we take the last day of this month to elevate one more woman higher into the light: Gigi Saul Guerrero.
Director, Actor, Model, Fashionista. She has gifted us with films such as La Quinceañera, “M is for Matador” from The ABCs of Death 2.5, and “Día de
Check out our conversation below to discover how this horror queen is changing the entertainment industry, starting with six cases of beer.
Follow Gigi on Instagram and Twitter! #LaMuñecaDelTerror
Dread Central: Before we jump into the awesome details that everyone is excited about, many of us would first like to know one thing. What do you love about the horror genre?
Gigi Saul Guerrero: Oh, man. That’s a good question. There is so much. For me, I find it is the only genre that can actually follow you home. The reason I say that is because I remember the first horror movie that I ever saw was Child’s Play 2. I couldn’t understand how crazy it was that I was going home thinking that Chucky was there. I couldn’t understand that a movie could do that to you. Then, when I saw The Exorcist, I kept covering myself with the blanket and bringing it down, hoping to see Linda Blair. I kept thinking that she was in my room. I think it is really cool that a genre can literally follow you home. It can literally continue to haunt you after the movie is over. That’s why I love it so much.
As a filmmaker, I love horror because it’s the only genre where the same audience will react differently. You have people squirming. You have people covering their eyes. You have people like you and me that are cheering for every gory moment. You have people walking out. And you even have people that laugh out of nerves. No other genre does that. If you go see a drama, everyone is quiet and involved. If you go see a comedy, people laugh or don’t. It’s very specific. But in horror, you get every reaction you can think of. I love that. For me, it’s the most rewarding part of making a horror movie. If you sit in the middle of a room, you just hear how everybody is reacting around you. It’s so cool.
DC: How do you feel when you are in a theater and people are watching your movie?
GSG: At first, it was scary. But now, I love it. My most favorite is how people squirm. I feed off of that. It’s like it gets me drunk. I get so excited. I have to sit in and hear everybody.
DC: Do you have a comfort horror movie? One where you may be having a bad day so you put this movie on. Or, maybe you just want to relax and this movie helps you accomplish that.
GSG: I definitely go to Gremlins. That’s not really horror, but that is my comfort movie. That one and The Devil’s Rejects. It’s so good. It’s so grimy. I just love it. Those are two where I can pop in the DVD at any time and just watch.
DC: Those two are fun. Now, I know that you’ve worked on about 25 films. Out of all of those films, what has been the craziest thing that has ever happened on set?
GSG: Man, as an independent filmmaker, everything that you can think of can happen. You’re just doing everything without papers. You’re not paying anybody. You’re literally run-and-gunning everything you film. So, there is everything crazy that you can imagine. But on one of my first films, The ABCs of Death 2.5, it was M is for Matador. We gave this old man six cases of beer to use his farm. That was his payment. And we didn’t really know that the animals were loose all the time. So every time I would call “action,” you could hear the sheep screaming like right beside the camera. Then, one of the baby goats got loose. He just ran right into our lights. He got so spooked. He ran into all of our equipment and everything started falling. Suddenly, all the sheep and the goats started running around. It was pure madness. But that’s probably one of the funniest moments. We had a lot of funny stuff happen to us, but that one is one of the unforgettable ones for sure.
DC: That sounds like it was fun. Furthermore, that was some awesome form of payment for the farmer.
GSG: Yeah. Six cases of beer. Girl. And my parents are amazing. They are always doing some amazing cooking for the cast and crew.
DC: I love that it is a family effort.
GSG: Oh yeah! They are my number one fans.
DC: With you mentioning your family, what women (in or out of horror) inspire you?
GSG: I know it is so cliche to say, but for me, it is definitely my grandmother. My abuela. Everything I make is for her. She’s gone through a lot. My family in general has gone through a lot. It’s been a really tough life, but it’s definitely really amazing to grow up in a house with such strong women. At one point, my older sister had to take care of me. My mother needed the help. She was working a lot. And my grandmother, being a single mother, trying to raise my mom and my uncle… Seriously, I’m just blessed to have such strong women who have guided me all the time. That really is what inspires me so much to do what I do today.
Also, it is really cool to see how the industry’s recognition of women in film continues to grow. But I think there is still more room for it. I just want to keep seeing who else is out there, and seeing what other voices are out there that we are missing. And I’m so blessed. I consider myself to be part of that wave right now. It’s such a nice surprise every day to see that we’re coming out. For me to be in a house full of strong women, it’s the best. It’s important for me to stay close with my sisters, close with my mom, and close with my grandma. That’s a very lucky thing to have around: a grandparent that is still there. And a Mexican one! Whew, girl. You don’t mess with abuelitas, right?
DC: No, you don’t! You showed us that with your movie La Quinceañera. I’ll never forget that grandma. Thinking about that film and the first time I saw it at Fantasia Fest, your Wednesday Addams outfit was pure fire. Where do you shop? Every time I see you, you are so on point.
GSG: You just catch me on good days. But seriously, you’d be surprised. I don’t shop online. I just love to walk into a random store and find stuff. And I never shop in the same place. I’m a big fan of finding some cool stuff in markets when I travel. I love getting authentic clothes from markets. And a lot of my outfits are from Halloween stores. I love buying stuff from there. Like my Wednesday Addams dress—straight out of the Halloween store. I wear it like it’s a normal thing.
Dude, I just love going into stores. That’s why people don’t shop with me. I take too long. And online. Trying to shop for the curves? You never know if it is going to work or not.
DC: Preach! Speaking about online, your dog Nacho is an online sensation. How is he?
GSG: He is in heaven with my parents while I’m filming. I’ll see if I can get him during editing, but my mom is so in love with him. He is such a star. I hope you got to see our Christmas outfits, me as The Grinch and him as Max. I spoil him so much, especially with the weight. I feed him way too much.
DC: Tell him we asked about him. What is taking you away from him is this cool opportunity that many people are excited about for you. What drew you to this Blumhouse project?
GSG: I’m super excited to be doing the 4th of July installment for the Into the Dark series. What drew me to it is that it’s a very Gigi, latino horror. I’m so proud of it. As soon as I read the first draft and had the opportunity to work on the script, I pitched what I would do with that idea. What drew me to it was the opportunity to give
DC: How has the filming process been so far?
GSG: Oh my God! I can’t feel my face anymore. I’m dying inside. Really, for me, it’s a new process. I’ve never filmed something that long. The process has been an excitingly new experience for me every day. Really cool. This is something that all of us indie filmmakers dream of—to work with professionals and have the resources we never really had before. Every day feels like a blessing. Every day, to be able to wake up and I’m still shooting, it’s like, “Wow, I still have the opportunity to continue to tell a story. And, I have the team to back me up.”
Working with a new crew, I was very worried because I miss my Luchagore team. They are like family to me. But as soon as I started working with a new and very talented DP and brand new crew, I was like, “Wow. This is really incredible, to just kind of be put on the spot where people trust you.” That’s really hard to expect, being a female minority and instantly put in the spot as the leader. It feels very rewarding that these group of people you don’t know actually trust you and actually hear what you have to say. It does feel very empowering to be given that chance. I very much hope that more people have that chance. A lot of people deserve it. So, you just have to stay humble and keep being thankful for it.
DC: Are your hours longer than on an independent project?
GSG: Actually, they are shorter. Wow, right? In the indie world, you will just keep shooting on and on. However, when filming on a project like this, there are a lot more factors to consider. Before, it was like, “Oh, we’re at the fifteen-hour mark. No worries, guys. We’ll just get more food.” Now, you have to consider more things. The most I’ve learned about is how to puzzle time. But what I think is also cool about Into the Dark is that they are a well-oiled machine with a lot of professionals. It’s amazing what they are able to pull off with the crew.
DC: Congratulations again on this opportunity. I’m so proud of you.
GSG: I can’t wait for the world to see this episode.
DC: What advice can you give to women who would like to do what you are doing?
GSG: The biggest advice is that you can’t be afraid of failure. You have to use that as a tool to learn what to improve. You just can’t be afraid of it. And the other one is just tell a good story. I find many women making stories because that’s what people are talking about. They say, “I want to write a female lead because people are wanting that.” No. You should be honest with yourself on what you need to tell. And stick to it because once you enter this business, the stories are going to come for you on what to work on. As an independent filmmaker in general, woman or man, this is your only chance to tell what you want to tell, without anyone else telling you what you should work on next. So, be honest with the story that you want to tell from your heart. If your heart is saying that you have to make this, make it. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. Start off with what you want to make because at the end of the day, your voice is one that people need to pick out. “Oh, okay. Gigi definitely made that because that’s her voice.” No matter how messed up or crazy it is, as long as it represents you in a way, you gotta start making your signature so you can begin to stand out.
DC: Very good advice. As a final question, what other projects can we look forward to from you?
GG: Definitely, my acting career has kicked off. So, if anyone has children, stay tuned for Super Monsters on Netflix. I voice a new character who is on every episode for the new season. Her name is Vida. She’s a little Day of the Dead Mexican character. Definitely stay tuned for that. Then, there is more Spider-Girl episodes because I voice Spider-Girl for Marvel. Then, there are a few horror films that I recently acted in. One of them is called Fun House. And I’ve done a couple of shorts with a female director. I haven’t been directed by another female director in a long time. I think the last time was Puppet Killer. I did a short film with Izzy Lee, who was fun and really cool to work with her. So stay tuned for her newest short. And yeah, I just want people to stay tuned to this Into the Dark episode. From there, I would love to make a Luchagore feature. I really want to make something with my team. I’m still striving to make El Gigante, even if it isn’t until 2035. That needs to be the new Leatherface.
DC: I think that will happen sooner than you think. But I am so excited for your Into the Dark episode. And thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today.
GSG: Thank you so much. Definitely let me know what you think about the episode.
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