Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón revealed his interest in making a horror film during a masterclass at the Locarno Film Festival . The Mexican filmmaker, recipient of a lifetime achievement award at Locarno , is known for diverse works ranging from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” to “Roma.” “I love horror movies,” Cuarón said, distinguishing his tastes from those of his friend and collaborator Guillermo del Toro.
While del Toro leans towards fantasy and metaphysical horror, Cuarón prefers more grounded fare. He’s “flirting” with the genre, he explained, citing Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Tenant” as influences. The director’s potential shift to horror comes after a career marked by both commercial successes and artistic triumphs.
Cuarón discussed his collaboration with J.K. Rowling on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
” The director initially hesitated to take on the project but was won over after reading the book. “I saw that it was great,” he said, noting that Rowling’s writing focused on the passage from childhood to teenage years and the social context of certain classes rather than just magic. “I love the universe that she [Rowling] created because its so grounded in in in humanity.
It was a joy to do that film,” Cuaron said. The “Harry Potter” experience proved valuable for Cuarón’s future projects. “I knew that to do ‘Children of Men,’ I would need visual effects,.