From Screamfest 2021: Julio C. Padilla does some taboo-busting with his short film THE ISLAND OF THE DOLLS

Horror fans like to be horrified…mostly. But while no amount of chainsaw massacres and knife slashings faze most gorehounds, there are some real-world topics too queasy for mainstream horror to touch. Perhaps because the real-life horror surrounding it remains part of the daily conversation, or perhaps because it’s something that could touch almost anyone’s life in some way, abortion remains a kind of body horror not often stared in the face.

Julio C. Padilla’s The Island of the Dolls goes there, though it’s out to rattle audiences regardless of political stances. The way young teenager Xochitl reacts to her back-alley abortion may not necessarily be relatable, but it’s enough to creep you out whether you approve or not. We had many questions…and you probably will, too.

1.    The concept of the Island of Dolls as a dreamlike fetal afterlife is haunting. Did you come up with that entirely yourself, or is it drawn from any mythology or folklore?

The actual Island of the Dolls exists in Mexico City and there are films about that island with different stories. I liked the island so much but I created my own story.

2.    For the images of the island, how did you get and prepare all the dolls?

I didn’t film at the original island due to budget and because visually it was not what I wanted anymore so I created my own island and the cabin. I came up with this idea in 2016 but it was so difficult and costly for me to film at those locations because they are three hours away from the city. In 2017 I tried again but it didn’t happen. I began to collect and gather dolls and I also got someone else to help me find dolls because little girls don’t play with dolls anymore so they are not as easy to find as you would think. Around 260 dolls were collected in two years and then the art department did the rest, which I consider a great job.     

3.    Even though horror often presents us with uncomfortable things, certain concepts often seem too uncomfortable to even tackle. Abortion is one of those. What made you take the chance and do it anyway?

I wrote more than ten stories for these locations, but they were flat. Finally, I came up with a story that I was happy with and that also received the approval of my MFA committee. I knew that I didn’t have enough budget to execute the original story because there were a lot of VFX and instead of being hunting it was going to be a joke so once again I was stuck. I knew that I had to do the something about it, less dolls and more people. I knew I had these locations with dolls and humans. How to create a strong connection between dolls and humans was my biggest question and I didn’t write anything for months.

One day I was watching the news and I saw that a protest was going on against abortion in Chicago, then I asked myself what if the main character goes through a clandestine abortion? Immediately it came to my mind: what about if somehow, Xochitl puts the fetus inside the doll? That’s the connection and then I wrote the whole script in 5 hours. Overall, I wrote for the location and found the concept later. 

4.    It’s impressive how you play the horror on both sides of the issue here. Pro-choicers will fear the back-alley doctor; pro-lifers fear the abortion itself. Were you conscious of playing to everyone’s fears, no matter their opinion of abortion?

The way I see this story is that it is not pro-life or against it. Abortion itself was not intended to be the central theme or idea. It is more about one of the many ways an abortion can be done and about the situation behind the abortion (what leads Xochitl to make the decision to abort). Based on my research some women die because of clandestine abortions, others may regret what they did, while some may not care. 

I don’t make cinema to send a message to a specific group of people. For me it is more about an experience full of emotions. If the audience feels something and it resonates in some way, then the film has done the job. They don’t have to agree, of course; that’s the beauty of art. 

5.    Can you see this story evolving into something larger? Do you feel there’s more to explore in this concept?

Yes, there is a lot more to explore. Abortion is a controversial topic that is prevalent everywhere, not only in Mexico. More than one person has suggested that a feature be done, and while there is room for that, there are also other themes that I want to explore such as organ trafficking.  

6.    How comfortable were the actors with the subject matter?

During the callbacks I had private meetings with the potential candidates to get to know them more (of course) and to measure their rank and how flexible they were as actors. So, the final cast members were very comfortable and happy to be in the film. From the very beginning, none of the actors were hesitant to act and deliver performances and the story never seemed that uncomfortable to them. 

7.    Filming the boat scenes in those locations looks like it might have presented a special set of challenges. How tough were those to pull off?

One of the best things that I have learned on sets and my academic background is that safety is the most important thing and as a director, I always make sure the cast and crew are safe. There is no beauty shot that is worth more than a human life. 

Most of the logistics for these shots were done during pre-production. In the final scouting I asked the head of each department to go to the locations, so we were all on the same page. The wide shots of the boat were shot from a bigger boat and for the close-ups we rigged the small boat to the big one. I was lucky to have a very experienced gaffer and grips on set. They had experience on Netflixs Narcos sets so I was very comfortable with it. The two actresses that sail the boat had to learn to sail at the last minute and that was more challenging than the actual filming.     

8.    Were the flies and bugs real? If so, any issues getting them to show up where they needed to be?

The ones that move are real and the rest are props. Yes, it was challenging to get these shots. It was supposed to be a lot more, but we did the best we could because it was not possible to control every little detail or aspect of the film. 

9.    Popcorn or candy?

The smell of popcorn is the smell of cinema for me.