Film: The Cemetery of The Lost Souls
Director: Rodrigo Aragão
Writer: Rodrigo Aragão
Starring: Carol Aragão, Renato Chocair, Diego Garcias, Francisco Gaspar, Markus Konká
Corrupted by the power of Cipriano’s Black Book, a Jesuit and his followers begin a reign of horror in colonial Brazil, until they be cursed to live forever trapped under the graves of a cemetery. Now, centuries later, they are ready to break free and spread their evil all over the world.
In a new interview on Blazing Minds ahead of the Southend Film Festival, I got a chance to ask Writer-Director Rodrigo Aragão a few questions about the film The Cemetery of The Lost Souls.
You can watch The Cemetery of The Lost Souls at the Southend Film Festival on Saturday, 6th June 2026 at 16:00hrs.
Q. Your film The Cemetery of The Lost Souls has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Take Over Day at the Southend Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. The Cemetery of The Lost Souls is a Brazilian horror epic inspired by the colonial era of Espírito Santo, which is the region where I was born and live. Of course, all of this mixes fantasy, gothic horror, and vampires to make everything more fun. So the audience can expect an atmospheric experience full of practical effects and a very Brazilian regional identity.
Q. What were your inspirations when writing the script?
A. I was inspired by the violent history of the colonization of Espírito Santo and by the legends that originate from that period, mostly passed down orally through generations, which made them become increasingly fantastic with each generation. In my research, I noticed that most have European roots, but over time they mixed with stories from Indigenous culture, and this mixture forms a very interesting folklore. With this in mind, I used elements that I love, such as classic Gothic horror, as well as references to films I adore like Evil Dead (1879) and The Lost Boys (1987). Of course, within our own low-budget scale. I also keep Amando de Ossorio’s films close to my heart; his templar zombies without eyes enchant me deeply.
Q. Did you have any of the cast in mind for the characters when writing the script?
A. No. This movie was the longest dream of my life. The first version of the script was written in 2004 on a very large scale, and I was only able to finance it after making five feature films, so we started filming in 2018, and in this long journey until the movie became a reality, the characters changed faces many times over the years, but I believe everything worked out in the end. I can’t imagine these characters being played by other people.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. The main visual influence of the film was Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Coppola’s courage in making a film with silent cinema techniques inspired me a lot, of course within the proper budgetary proportions. Classic gothic horror cinema was also a strong influence, all mixed with classics of Brazilian literature like O Auto da Compadecida.
About 80% of the film was shot in a studio, which was a very conscious creative decision. We wanted to reinforce the magical atmosphere of the story, creating a handcrafted and immersive cinematic universe. The use of theatrical sets, practical effects, makeup, costumes, and controlled lighting helped us build a visual identity closer to a fable than to a realistic horror film.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Yes, always. I usually say that movies are living creatures, they change during the construction process. It is an organic process where mistakes, unforeseen events, and new ideas that only happen on set can greatly improve the final result, and I love that. I like to stay open to these changes and see the movie grow in its own way and sometimes even unexpectedly.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Without a doubt, the battle moments, I always dreamed of doing this type of scenes. Seeing more than a hundred actors with swords, bows, and arrows in hand was an almost childish personal achievement. The moments we tied actors with ropes to perform flights were very fun, and of course, making a vampire die by melting a wax head Indiana Jones style was great. I can say without a doubt that this was the most fun set of my life.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Of course! All the time. This isn’t the kind of film that is made frequently in Brazil, even less so in Espírito Santo, so I can say that practically the whole crew was doing things for the first time. The interior of the caravel is a good example: it was a set that moved with more than a dozen actors, and there was water falling everywhere, making it difficult to position equipment close to the actors, who had trouble standing. Another example was the arrival at the coast, an outdoor shot on a remote beach in the middle of a forest reserve. On that day, there were heavy rains, and we had to walk a lot through the forest carrying heavy equipment, but in the end, the scene looked more beautiful with the rain. This is a good example of the ‘living film’ approach.
Q. What makes The Cemetery of The Lost Souls stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I believe that The Cemetery of The Lost Souls stands out because it combines Gothic horror and adventure through a perspective deeply connected to Brazilian culture and imagination. Instead of following the traditional settings usually seen in American or European horror films, the movie builds its own mythology inspired by colonial Brazil. I also think the film has a very handcrafted soul. We made extensive use of practical effects, prosthetics, makeup, costumes, miniatures, and sets built in the studio to create a tangible world that I believe many fans of 1980s horror films miss in today’s market, which is usually filled with CGI.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. First of all, I hope that people have fun and manage to feel the passion that exists behind each frame of the film. The Cemetery of The Lost Souls was made with a lot of love for practical effects cinema. I also hope that the audience discovers a different side of Brazilian horror cinema — Brazil has incredible stories, legends, and artistic possibilities that deserve to be explored within the genre.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Yes! We are currently preparing the release of Folclórica, a fantasy and adventure project inspired by Brazilian folklore. The film is entirely led by puppets, bringing characters from Brazilian legends into a colorful and imaginative universe aimed at children and families. It is a project very different from everything I have done before, and we are very excited to work with a young audience for the first time. At the same time, we are also developing a new horror script inspired by one of the scariest legends in Brazil: the Dry Body. According to the legend, he was a man so cruel in life that, after death, he was rejected by both Heaven and Hell, condemned to wander the Earth forever without ever truly dying. It will be a very fun film, mixing horror, dark fantasy, and adventure in the way I like most.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Start with the resources you have and tell stories that you truly love. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or for a big budget. Independent cinema is built by people who refuse to give up. But I would also say something very important: only do it if you really feel that you can’t live without making films. Filmmaking is extremely demanding — exhausting, expensive, and often brings little financial return, especially in independent cinema. You need to love it deeply to keep facing all the challenges. At the same time, it is also one of the most rewarding experiences there are. Seeing worlds, characters, and dreams that once existed only in your imagination become real on the screen is something magical and very hard to describe.
You can watch The Cemetery of The Lost Souls at the Southend Film Festival on Saturday 6th June 2026 at 16:00hrs.
You can find out more about Fabulas Films on the Website and Instagram and Writer-Director Rodrigo Aragão on Instagram
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets 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!