Beatriz Bodegas joins Jesús Font for his first bite of the big screen
- Comic horror flick HollyBlood stars young actors Óscar Casas, Isa Montalbán and Piero Méndez, currently filming in Valencia
Beatriz Bodegas—whose work on The Fury of a Patient Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Raúl Arévalo
film profile], Raúl Arévalo’s nervy directorial début, was instrumental in its 2017 Goya win—is in the throes of producing HollyBlood, a vampire-themed romantic comedy currently filming in various locations across the Valencia region under the direction of TV veteran Jesús Font. The cast features Óscar Casas (from the TV series Instinto), Isa Montalbán (shortly to appear in Sólo una vez), Carlos Suárez (I Can Quit Whenever I Want [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Secun de la Rosa (seen recently in Little Switzerland [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Amparo Fernández, along with first-time actors Piero Méndez and Lara Boedo.
The screenplay, written by José Pérez Quintero, centres on Javi, a perfectly ordinary teenager with a perfectly ordinary life, who has no reason to suspect that his crush on classmate Sara might be reciprocated. She only has eyes for the lurid literary saga HollyBlood, about to get its own big-screen adaptation. Nevertheless, Javi is determined to tell her how he feels. Through a string of unanticipated events and misunderstandings, Sara comes to believe that her suitor is in possession of supernatural powers. While battling his own guilt over the deception, Javi also has to contend with the school bully, Sara’s opinionated best friend and a Van Helsing obsessive fixated on hunting vampires. Unbeknownst to them all, an ancient evil stalks their school, preparing a new attack and forcing them to make a choice: will they overcome their differences and fight side by side, or will they succumb to the most powerful vampire the world has ever known?
In the words of its director, “HollyBlood is a light, entertaining fantasy film that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Inspired by the vampire romance genre, it will hopefully offer viewers an hour or two of fright-filled fun, with a few jolts of adrenaline and excitement, as they watch a bunch of teenagers armed with stakes and strings of garlic take on their vampire foes, blood dribbling from their mouths. Through their ordeal, they will learn some valuable lessons in life and love as they speed unstoppably toward adulthood.”
Font has reams of TV experience to his name, having directed countless series, miniseries and TV films. Some of his best-known work includes El comisario (winner of the Spanish Academy of Television Arts and Science’s Best Series Award), MIR, Gavilanes, El faro (winner of the IRIS Award for Best Regional Fiction Programme), La salazón, Gran Nord, El año que trafiqué con mujeres, Buscando al hombre perfecto, Todos los hombres sois iguales and Historias de la puta mili.
HollyBlood is a production by La Canica Films, Quexito Films, SUICAfilms and Amigos y Colmillos AIE, in association with RTVE and Netflix and with support from SGR and Wandermoon Finance. Filmax has been signed to distribute the film in Spain.
(Translated from Spanish)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.