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Your new movie The Raid
- in a few words, what's it about?
The Raid follows
three ICE agents who act on a tip about a small group of possible
undocumented immigrants hiding inside an abandoned warehouse. But when
they arrive, what begins as a routine operation quickly turns into a
nightmare, as they uncover a series of sinister surprises that push
them into a desperate fight for survival.
The Raid isn't a strictly
linear film - so was that structure intended from day 1, or did it only
happen later, maybe even during editing? And how easy or hard was it to
not (literally) lose one's plot telling a story this way?
The Raid was
designed as a non-linear anthology from the very beginning. It belongs
to a storytelling tradition that became very popular in the late 1960s
and throughout the 1970s, especially through
Amicus Productions
[the Amicus
story - click here]. What
makes anthology films unique is that they present multiple stories
that could stand on their own, but are all tied together by a central
narrative thread. A classic example is
Asylum (1972),
where a psychiatrist visits different patients in an asylum and
each one tells a separate story, while all of them ultimately
connect back to the main plot. That structure was a major inspiration
for The Raid.
In this film, every sinister discovery the ICE agents make inside the
warehouse opens the door to a different horror story, and each of
those stories is directly tied to the central narrative. By the end,
everything connects. So in
terms of keeping track of the plot, it was never difficult, because
the story was designed that way from the writing stage. When I
write, I’m always thinking ahead about which loose ends need to be
tied, where they need to be tied, and at what point in the story those
connections need to happen. That structure is part of the blueprint
from day one.
What can you tell us about your movie's approach to horror?
My approach to horror has always been rooted in exploring legends and
myths from Mesoamerican and Latin American folklore, especially the
ones that remain largely unknown to audiences in the Northern
Hemisphere. The Raid continues
that tradition, as several of its storylines are built around those
lesser-known legends. What interests me most about horror is not simply retelling old myths,
but bringing them into a contemporary social context inside the United States. I
like to take real social realities—things people recognize from
everyday life—and collide them with
ancient, exotic, and often esoteric elements of horror that come from
another time and another place. To make that work, the characters have to feel real first. They have
to be grounded in the social reality we live in, so the audience can
relate to them and believe in them. Then, once that reality
is established, you introduce the horror—whether it’s vampires,
werewolves, nahuales, cannibals, or anything else. In that sense, it’s similar
to Stephen King’s approach: Ordinary people in familiar situations suddenly
confronted by something terrifying and impossible.
A few words about your directorial approach to your story at hand?
When directing a film like The Raid,
my first step is always research.
I need to understand the kind of characters I’m putting on screen,
their social background, their psychology, and the world they belong
to. Once I do that work, I share it with the actors during
pre-production so they can build their characters from that
foundation. From there, the process becomes very collaborative. I don’t like
telling actors exactly how to feel, how to speak, or how to perform a
scene. I give them the framework, and then I let them do their own
homework and explore the character on their own. Later, when we come
together, we shape everything collectively. My job at that point is to
know when to push the accelerator and when to hit the brakes,
depending on what the scene needs.
Technically, my approach is to keep the filmmaking language grounded
and restrained. I’m not interested in flashy camera work that calls
attention to itself. I want the audience to feel like they’re looking
through a window into reality. That realism makes the
horror more
effective when it enters the frame.
Of course, action and horror sequences require a more precise
cinematic language because timing becomes essential. But outside of
those moments, my approach is simple: Cover reality honestly and let
horror disrupt it.
Do talk about your co-directors on
The Raid, Mary Queen Angel and Eashan Patel, and what was
your collaboration like?
My collaboration with Mary Q. Angel and Eashan Patel was very
different, because they come from different backgrounds and have very
different strengths as directors.
Mary Q. had previously worked with me as my assistant on Night
Hunt,
and from that experience I already knew she had the discipline,
instincts, and leadership to direct. It was just a matter of finding
the right project. I always had her in mind for that opportunity.
With Eashan, the path was different. He worked with me on
Nahual as
one of the camera operators, and right away I recognized his visual
instincts and his storytelling eye. Later, I had the chance to work on
some of his own projects and see him direct firsthand, which confirmed
what I already suspected: he was someone I wanted to collaborate with
as a director when the time came.And
The Raid became that
moment.
This was actually
the first time in over 40 years of filmmaking that I handed parts of my own
material to other directors. That’s not something I take lightly. But
I trusted both of them, and I have no regrets at all.
Mary Q.’s strength is working with actors. My own approach with actors
is very collaborative and open, but Mary has a much more demanding and
disciplined method. She pushes actors until they reach emotional
places they may not have even known they could reach. Some of the
strongest and most nuanced performances in the film are there because
of her work. Eashan’s strength is visual storytelling. I gave him one of the film’s
most visually demanding segments because I knew he could handle that
side of filmmaking with confidence. And he absolutely delivered.
My collaboration with both of them was based on trust. Once they were
directing, I stepped back and let them work. That gave me the freedom
to focus on producing, solving logistical problems, and in some cases
even acting in front of the camera, knowing the material was in good
hands. In the end, the editing process brought all
of our work together into one cohesive film, but the strength of their
individual voices is very much part of what makes
The Raid work.
What can you tell us about your cast, and why exactly these
people? As you know from our previous conversations, I usually work with a mix
of long-term collaborators and new talent.
That approach continues here, but
The Raid takes
it to another level. In Chicago, I worked again with actors I’ve collaborated with for
years, such as Monica Ochoa, who plays one of the main roles in the
film. I also returned to work with Jenny Sánchez and Paula Aguirre,
both part of my extended creative family—Jenny and Paula, of course,
also played a key
roles in my previous film Nahual.
At the same time, I brought in new energy with actors like José
Santiago jr, who takes on one of the central leading roles.
One of the most meaningful aspects of this film was also reconnecting
with actors I hadn’t worked with in decades. For example, I worked
again with Christina de León, who originally starred in my film
El Fía de los Muertos over
20 years ago. She came from Los Angeles specifically for this project,
and she now plays another major role in
The Raid.
Then, when we move into the South American portion of the film, shot
in Uruguay, the experience became even more personal. I reunited with
Beatriz Rossi, who worked with me in my very first film back in 1986,
along with Fany Bertinat, who was also part of that original period.
We also had Ana Cecilia García Grosso, who played a leading role in
one of our most well-known South American films, Plenilunio.
And joining them was Eva Dans, a well-known Uruguayan actress,
producer and director, who immediately connected with the project and
came on board without hesitation.
Of course, there are many more actors involved that I can’t list
individually here, but this combination of long-term collaborators,
returning artists from decades ago, and entirely new talent really
defines the spirit of the film: continuity, memory and discovery all
working together in the same space.
The Raid was
partially filmed in Uruguay - so what was that like, and what were the
challenges filming there?
The Raid was
partially filmed in Uruguay, and for me that experience is closely
tied to the broader approach I’ve always had with my
productions. It’s not the first time I’ve taken projects outside of
the US—we’ve filmed in places like Mexico and Colombia before—and I
strongly believe that working in different countries adds both
cultural richness and a different level of depth to the films.
In this case, it was the first time I returned to Uruguay in more than
30 years to shoot a film. However, because we were filming in my
hometown of Colonia del Sacramento, where I still have family and
friends I visit regularly,
I wouldn’t describe the experience as
particularly challenging. On the contrary, it felt very natural and
fluid. Things opened up very easily for us.
The technical crew in Uruguay was outstanding. Almost everyone on the
technical side was someone I had not worked with before, unlike the
actors, as I mentioned earlier. But very quickly that team became part
of our extended creative family, and I sincerely hope to continue
working with them in future projects. Of course, there are always logistical challenges when you are
coordinating a shoot from abroad in advance, and that part can be
complex. But once I arrived in Colonia, everything moved very
efficiently. The human warmth, combined with the professionalism and
technical capacity of the local crew made the entire process
remarkably smooth and rewarding.
A few words about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
This was a film that we shot in stages, not only across different
locations and countries, but also across different seasons. That was
necessary because some of the stories take place on ranches and rural
environments during spring or summer, while others—particularly the
central story of
The Raid—had
to be set in the coldest days of a Chicago winter in order to make
narrative sense and emotional impact. So each
segment had its own atmosphere and its own conditions. The shoots we
did in Illinois, at different ranches during the spring and fall of
last year, were very smooth overall. These were familiar locations,
familiar people, and collaborators we’ve worked with before. They were
not particularly difficult shoots, and in those segments we
also collaborated with Indigenous communities, including Zapoteco and Chololo groups
from San Luis, who brought a tremendous cultural richness, color, and
human depth to those parts of the story.
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Then came the other two major segments. The Uruguay shoot, which we
already discussed, took place largely in a very specific location: a
kind of isolated roadside restaurant on the edge of a river, almost
like the extension of a boat—a sort of bow of a ship over the water.
That segment did present real challenges, because we were shooting in
July, which is winter in Uruguay. Contrary to what many people in the
United States assume, winter in Uruguay can be just as cold as
Chicago. We were shooting on the riverbank during days that were at times
stormy, and that definitely became a challenge. There was one day, for
example, when we were shooting from the shoreline up toward the
location after a heavy storm, and the river started rising very
quickly. At one point it actually reached the sound department, and
the sound mixer ended up with his feet in the water. In over 40 years
of doing this, it was the first time I had ever been literally
“chased” by a rising river. I’ve dealt with rain, wind, blizzards in
Chicago, even frozen cameras—but never a river rising on
us. There’s a first time for everything.
The third major atmosphere was the central story of
The Raid,
shot during the Chicago winter. We were, in a way, unlucky, because
some of the coldest recorded days of the season happened exactly when
we had exterior shoots scheduled. We had to adjust the shooting plan
because batteries were dying the moment they went into the cameras.
The crew kept a great spirit and
nobody wanted to stop or go inside, but technically the conditions
were extremely demanding. We ended up shooting most of those central scenes in interior sets
that we built specifically for the film. It was also the first time we
officially used a studio space I now have in the north of the city,
which made that part of the production a first for us as well. So as
you can see, each segment had its own atmosphere, its own challenges,
and its own set of stories—but in the end, everything came together
very well and we made it to the finish line.
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical receptiion of
The Raid? The film is very new—we have a very fast pipeline. We finished it
literally less than two months ago. We had a local premiere screening with around 100 people in
attendance, of which maybe 15 were people who had worked on the film,
and the rest were members of the public who came in but were not
involved in the production. The reception seemed very strong. There was a
deep silence and a very high level of attention throughout the entire
screening. The film runs 85 minutes; it’s not a long film. I think
it runs exactly the length it needs to run for an
independent, low-budget horror film. The comments
afterward were very positive. People said they were “at the edge of their seats” the entire time, which is always a very
good sign. I could also see it myself because at premieres I usually sit in the
back of the room and observe reactions. Jump scares either work or
they don’t—there’s ;no way to fake that. And I could clearly see people
reacting, jumping, and then laughing nervously afterward. That kind of
response tells you a lot. As for critical reception, the pipeline is still very fast and the
film is very new, so I’ve only seen a couple of reviews so far, but
both have been very positive. One of the most useful indicators for me, though, is what happens in
the marketplace. I’ve been working with Filmhub to make the film
available without pushing it aggressively—just placing it in the
marketplace like putting a product in a fair. And within hours of
being made available, Amazon Prime immediately picked it up with a
license. As is well known among independent producers, it usually takes quite
some time for a film to be picked up, and then even longer for it to
actually go live on platforms. In this case, in less than two weeks,
the film went live on Prime Video as of yesterday, May 1st. So this is not friends or family, and not people close to the
production—this is the market responding, and responding very quickly
and very positively. I think we are on a good path, and we hope to
continue in that direction.
Any future projects you'd like to share?
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Yes—and it’s not really a future project, but actually
a present one: While I was still finishing the final stages of post-production on
The Raid,
I wrote part of the script for a new film called Sangre
de mi Sangre (Blood of My Blood),
based on a story by Jenny Sánchez, who is also producing the film. I wrote the screenplay before finishing
The Raid,
while I was still in the editing process. After that, we went to
Colombia and shot the Colombian portion of the film. At this moment,
as I’m doing this interview with you, we are in pre-production for the
remaining part of the shoot here in Illinois, which will begin filming
in about a month.
So it’s not really a future project—it’s already underway. Once again, it’s a
story that spans two countries and two cultures. The genre is a blend
of thriller with
elements of sci-fi and horror. I don’t want to reveal too much at this
stage, as there will be time to go deeper into it later, but this is
what I’m currently fully focused on.
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
My social media hasn’t changed:
alphastudiosfilms.com,
newalphastudios
on YouTube Ricardo Islas on Faceboo and @rislasfilms on Instagram.
Thanks for the interview!
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amazon.com
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eThaiCD.com
