Film Name: Lily’s Ritual
Director: Manu Herrera
Writers: Javier Fernández Moratalla, Manu Herrera
Starring: Mike Fajardo, Elena Gallardo, Maggie García, Patricia Peñalver, Eve Ryan
Four friends meet at a remote cabin for a witch initiation ritual. Things turn sinister when Lily learns
she’s meant to be sacrificed to the demon Lilith.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds I got a chance to ask Director / Co-Writer Manu Herrera a few questions about his film ‘Lily’s Ritual‘ which has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 16th January at 15:00hrs.
Q. Your film, El Ritual de Lily, has been selected to screen at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. What
can audiences expect?
A. Audiences can expect a film that travels through different subgenres of horror, blending them with a poetic sensibility and a surprising character no one sees coming. It’s visceral horror, but also lyrical horror — a kind of poetic gore.
Q. You co-wrote the screenplay with Javier Fernández Moratalla. What inspired you during the writing process, and what was it like collaborating together?
A. The writing process was very smooth because Javier and I have worked on several projects together. The inspiration emerged as we went along: at first it was a story about witchcraft, but ur research led us into much darker and more symbolic territory.
Q. What were some of your influences for the film’s aesthetic and style?
A. The aesthetic is essential for me. My main influence was gothic horror — its atmosphere, its visual texture, and its ability to portray darkness through beauty.
Q. Did you make any changes to the original script during shooting?
A. The story itself didn’t change, but we worked a lot on the dialogue with the actresses. We gave them room to improvise and bring nuance and naturalism to the scenes.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during the shoot?
A. One of the most exciting parts was working with practical makeup effects and the more physical scenes — building the horror directly on set, without digital tricks.
Q. Did you encounter any major challenges during production?
A. Honestly, not many. It was an intense shoot, but the team was incredibly committed, and that made everything much easier.
Q. What makes El Ritual de Lily stand out as something different within the horror genre?
A. I believe we’re exploring a kind of poetic horror, where beauty and the macabre coexist. I’m
convinced that horror can walk hand-in-hand with the beautiful and the lyrical — and Lily is the
perfect character to explore that.
Q. What do you hope audiences take away after watching the film?
A. I hope they enjoy it, that they feel fear when they’re supposed to… and that they discover this fascinating character who has been explored so little in cinema.
Q. Do you have any other projects you’re currently working on?
A. Yes, several. Among them, a couple of new horror scripts we’re developing that continue this personal line within the genre.
Q. If someone wanted to write and direct their own film, what advice would you give them?
A. To go for it — and to never give up. The journey is long and tough, but absolutely worth it. There’s nothing like seeing your own story come to life.
‘Lily’s Ritual’ has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 16th January at 15:00hrs.
You can find out more about Horror-on-Sea and purchase tickets for Lily’s Ritual here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
