HBO has added another original show to their summer lineup with “Los Espookys,” a horror-comedy series created by Fred Armisen, who is most known for his work on “Saturday Night Live” and his original sketch-show “Portlandia,” and Ana Fabrega. Last night, a premiere for the show was held in New York City.
The setting for the premiere was very fitting as it was held inside of a very old, abandoned Baptist church nestled in the back streets of the East Village. Guests were invited to the premiere for an early screening of the first episode of Los Espookys. Cocktails and tiny dishes inspired by the show were served while guests mingled in on a fog-engulfed seating area that eventually turned in to a dance floor after the screening.
Los Espookys is set in an unknown Latin American country where a group of four friends unite to make a career out of their love for horror. The show is mainly in Spanish but don’t fret. If you’re a non-Spanish speaker like myself, there are English subtitles displayed in every episode, but the characters’ facial expressions crazy antics are almost as entertaining as the jokes.
We caught up with the cast of the show on the red carpet to find out more about the new series, how it was developed and whether they each love scary things as much as their characters do.
The Knockturnal: How did the concept for this series come to life?
Fred Armisen: I wanted to do something that wasn’t only scary, but about the love of things that are scary. And about optimism. I wanted to do something in Spanish and little by little, it turned in to a group of people gathering around to make scary stuff. I like the dynamics of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so I wanted to capture something like that.
The Knockturnal: What’s your favorite horror film?
Fred Armisen: The remake of Dawn of the Dead. I love that movie.
Renaldo, played by Bernardo Velasco, is the ultimate horror enthusiast and finds great joy in all things scary. After successfully planning the spookiest Quinceañera for his little sister all by his self, Renaldo’s Uncle Tico (Fred Armisen) convinces his nephew to turn his infatuation with horror in to a business and even has a hand in promoting it.
Renaldo then calls on his three very different but loyal friends, Ursula, Andres and Tati, for help and officially dubs the group as “Los Espookys.” They quickly make a name for themselves. Soon enough, their services of reenacting dramatized versions of typical horror movie concepts are in demand, like staging a convincing exorcism as a favor for a Priest.
The Knockturnal: Are you a horror enthusiast like Bernardo in real life? Do you have a favorite horror film?
Bernardo Velasco: When I was younger, in high school, I was more in to the spooky things. I remember my friends and I would wait for El Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) each year to get a costume and go out in the streets. It’s like a mix of El Día de Muertos and Halloween for us.
The Knockturnal: You’re like the anchor of the group in the sense that you keep everyone together and on the same page. Is that something you can relate to with your actual group of friends?
Bernardo Velasco: I find that Renaldo has many aspects of my life from when I was younger. Now that I’ve grown up, my career doesn’t let me have this kind of group of friends as I did when I was in high school. So, I really like the way Renaldo is always fighting to keep his friends together and to enjoy life.
The Knockturnal: Are you as bossy as Renaldo?
Bernardo Velasco: (laughs) Yes, but grumpier.
Cassandra Ciangherotti plays Ursula, a dental assistant who spends her days cleaning teeth although she rather spend them with her crazy friends.
“She’s the most grounded character. There’s a lot of drama going on, and she has to get away from that drama because she has to be practical. We don’t see anything about her family, all she really has is her sister and she has to take care of her because she lives in La La Land. I think it was very interesting for me to understand the character through the relationship she has with her sister because, in real life, I would really get annoyed with a sister like that. So, Ursula being very compassionate and loving with her sister really helped me understand how she was” said Cassandra.
Ursula’s naïve little sister Tati is played by Ana Fabrega’s, whose previous work includes Portlandia and TruTV’s At Home with Amy Sedaris. Tati is basically the “test dummy” of the group and finds herself sacrificing her well-being every episode in the name of horror and gore.
The Knockturnal: Was Los Espookys something that you and Fred discussed after doing Portlandia together?
Ana Fabrega: When Fred approached me, I already had an idea for a show that was set in Latin America, and initially set in Mexico City, about a group of friends that love horror. So we started with that idea and developed it from there. Fred had a couple ideas for the characters. The Renaldo character was the ring leader of the group. Then there were elements of other things, like he wanted them to be create chocolates which went in to Andres’s character. But for the most part, the characters were developed afterwards once we started writing. Julio and I knew what we wanted our characters to be like. We each went in to it thinking who would play a regal, chocolate vampire type of character. I wanted to be a lost soul with a hat. We wanted Renaldo to be the sweet, passionate one like a mama’s boy, and Ursula to be the most grounded, practical one to make sure that things get done. Tati is the only character who seems to be just as, if not weirder than Andres. Andres is played by comedian and Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres who is definitely the mysterious friend in the group. He’s filthy rich due to his family’s lucrative chocolate business that is heavily inspired by the Willy Wonka franchise, so much so that it’s new line of chocolates are called “Charlie Wonka Chocolates.”
The Knockturnal: I saw that you and Ana wrote each episode in the series. How did you both decide whether the show would be written in Spanish or English? Do you think it was essential for the show to be in Spanish in terms of representation?
Julio Torres: Yes. Personally, I’m kind of obsessed with the idea that if something takes place at a location where people don’t speak English then they shouldn’t be speaking English. I feel like it’s more fun to hear different languages.
The Knockturnal: The truth behind Andres’ upbringing is a secret to the viewers and Andres his self. Does that lack of information affect how he progresses throughout the show?
Julio Torres: I mean, he’s a character searching for answers. So, that was a fun thing to play because he’s just obsessed with this one question and can’t let it go. Just having that aura of mystery around him was really fun to play and definitive to who this person is.
The Knockturnal: Is Andres is inspired by you because you’re just as odd in this show as you are in your standups, by the way.
Julio Torres: I feel like he is me if I were more passive and actually rich.
Los Espookys airs on HBO on June 14th at 11 PM EST. Watch the trailer below:
