Exclusive: Victor Matellano Talks ‘Vampyres’

With our goods friends over at Artsplotation Films set to unleash Victor Matellano’s Vampyres this October 18th on DVD and VOD, we had the opportunity to shoot a couple of questions over to the director, and you can check out what he had to say below.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us, we appreciate it. So, I’m just going to go straight in and ask, what led you to remake José Ramón Larraz’ Vampyres?

[Victor Matellano] – The remake of “Vampyres” was Joseph Larraz’ own idea. He was the one that proposed to rewrite and direct a new version together. Unfortunately, Larraz become ill and I had to finish the project by myself. I thought the old story of those terrible and fascinating women would be very indulging.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – You got to work with a tremendous cast which includes horror icon Caroline Munro, I bet it was an absolute pleasure?

[Victor Matellano] – Caroline and the Eurohorror’s icons, May Heatherly, Lone Fleming, Antonio Mayans, were wonderful during the whole production. Caroline is extremely professional and a very special person, charming and a sweetheart.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – Judging by the awesome trailer that was recently released from Artsploitation Films, you’ve maintained the eroticism of the original film, but turned it all the way up to eleven! Was that the plan?

[Victor Matellano] – One of the objectives was to keep the mixture of blood and sex that’s the essence on the original film. As Larraz used to say ” lots of blood and lots of sex…” We weren’t afraid of this aspect.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – You’ve directed a few shorts prior to your feature films. Did that give you a chance to hone your skills, and is there any advice you’d like to share to budding filmmakers?

[Victor Matellano] – Shorts are short duration films, really. At the moment of production, one has the same problems that regular films. They are a great way to learn and that’s what I got from them.

[Horror- Movies.ca] – What has the response been like so far? We’ve heard many good things.

[Victor Matellano] – The most important thing is that the audience enjoys the film. “Vampyres ” is exactly what you think it is. A morbid story of witches for an adult audience. Flesh, blood, sex in a supernatural environment.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – What’s next for you? Do you have any more horror films planned for the future?

[Victor Matellano] – I recently finished a western, “Stop Over in Hell”, which is coming to festivals. It’s about a kidnapping in the Far West, with lots of violence and blood, a little comedy in a Weird Western.

[Horror-Movies.ca] – Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. Is there anything else you would like to add?

[Victor Matellano] – Thank you for the interview. I hope you enjoy “Vampyres.” And long live the fantastic cinema. Always wonderful.

Check out the trailer below, and if you’d like a physical copy of the film, hit up Artsploitation Films.