Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón revealed his interest in making a horror film during a lecture at the Locarno Film Festival.
The Mexican director, who won a lifetime achievement award at Locarno, is known for his diverse works ranging from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” to “Roma.”
“I love horror movies,” Cuarón said, trying to differentiate his tastes from those of his friend and colleague Guillermo del Toro. While del Toro leans toward fantasy and metaphysical horror, Cuarón prefers more realistic films. He explained that he “flirts” with the genre, citing Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Lodger” as inspirations.
The director's potential shift to horror comes after a career marked by commercial success and artistic triumphs. Cuarón spoke about his collaboration with J.K. Rowling on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” The director was initially reluctant to take on the project, but was convinced after reading the book.
“I thought it was great,” he said, noting that Rowling’s writing focused on the transition from childhood to adolescence and the social context of certain classes rather than just magic. “I love the universe she lives in.” [Rowling] “This film was created because it is rooted in humanity. It was a pleasure to make this film,” Cuarón said.
The Harry Potter experience proved useful to Cuarón’s future projects. “I knew that to make Children of Men, I would need visual effects,” he explained. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t know anything about visual effects. This is going to be my kindergarten.’” The skills he gained on Prisoner of Azkaban later influenced his work on the dystopian thriller Children of Men and the space drama Gravity.
Cuarón also spoke about the commercial failure of Children of Men upon its initial release, which led to the decline of his career. This decline eventually led to the creation of Gravity, which he envisioned as a commercially attractive project to revive his career.
During the lecture, Cuarón emphasized the importance of reinvention and self-challenge as a director. He described his approach to Roma, for which he won the Oscar for Best Director, as a complete departure from his previous methods. “I wrote the script, but the rule was that I would write it and I wouldn’t look back, no corrections,” he said. He then shelved the script and shot the film continuously, with the actors learning their roles day by day.
This unconventional process, while creatively stimulating, had an emotional impact on the director. “I didn’t realize the impact that reproducing the space of my childhood had,” says Cuarón. “It was like going to a mental institution and receiving electric shocks.”
Cuarón's next project is the Apple TV+ series “Disclaimer,” starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline. It is set to premiere on October 11.
