“If it scares you, do it! Don’t run away from it. If it shakes you, and fascinates you, write it.”
Lucy Luna
Killer Shorts is very excited to bring you this interview in the Women in Horror series, with the very talented Lucy Luna. A screenwriter, originally hailing from Morelia, Mexico, Lucy now lives and creates in Los Angeles. Inspired by the stories and culture she grew up with, Lucy was honored to screen her short film We’re All Here at the Morelia International Film Festival. Lucy has started her professional journey with the HBOAccess Writing Fellowship, ScreenCraft Fellowship, and placing on the Young & Hungry List.
Starting with Edgar Allan Poe, Lucy found a love of mystery and suspense. Her short horror film, We’re All Here, focuses on the sadness of isolation. Having done well in festivals, with this film, Lucy wrote El Muerto for the CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories series. El Muerto takes an honest approach at the concept of grief, taking place in a morgue. Lucy uses quite a bit of her own personal story in her work, as El Muerto was inspired by her childhood growing up in a morgue. Lucy puts an incredible amount of purpose into her work, which as she puts it is “to make people feel something.” You can also find Lucy’s work on CBS’ All Rise. Check out my interview, with Lucy Luna, where she shares some great advice for writers. What a pleasure it was to hear Lucy’s story and her refreshing instinct for storytelling.
Lucy Luna on Coverfly.
Conversations with Lucy
Where are you from and where do you currently reside? Has this had any influence on your writing?
I am from Morelia, Mexico and currently live and work in Los Angeles. Yes, the culture, stories, people and experiences I grew up with definitely show in my writing today.
Was horror always your chosen genre? Or did you come to it later? What is your first memory with the horror genre?
Yes, once I was old enough and could watch more than cartoons and Disney, I moved on to horror. I started with books and Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart is the first memory I have of what horror was meant to make me feel like. That story made an impact. Even younger I would be watching Scooby-Doo (even if it’s not scary, I loved the mysteries) and I never missed an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? And Goosebumps.
What inspired you to make WE’RE ALL HERE?
I wanted to direct a horror short film. That’s all I knew. It’s something I want to do in the future but I didn’t know if I had it in me. I know I can write, and that’s my job now, but I didn’t know if I could direct. So I gave myself the challenge of doing something small. One location, simple story, couple characters, and mostly playing with audio.
How did you come up with the story/ theme of WE’RE ALL HERE to work with a small cast and one location?
We’re All Here truly represents how devices now-a-days posses us. It’s very subtle, but it’s what I wanted to tell. It’s always shocked me to see people having conversations with others but unable to put their phones down, scrolling while “interacting” with others. I find that so sad, every time I see someone unable to unplug, unable to be present, I think: “they don’t know how lonely they are.” So I decided to tell the story of a woman that isolates so much that literally only interacts with a device.
WE’RE ALL HERE did very well in festivals, such as the Morelia International Film Festival. How did you feel about having your film resonate so well?
I am from Morelia, so that festival was a very special one. I got to see it on the big screen and was able to hear people gasp and nervously laugh. That was the best moment. And that’s when I knew that I could maybe do this again.
How did you get involved with the CW’s Two Sentence Horror Stories?
My team put me up for the job and thankfully they liked my writing so they called me in for an interview and I got it!
EL MUERTO was so beautifully made. It was suspenseful but also incredibly touching. What was the inspiration behind the concept?
Thank you! It’s inspired in my childhood. I told this story in my interview and I think it stuck because my Showrunner suggested to make it into an episode: I grew up in a morgue. Not literally, of course, but I was there pretty often when I was little because my mom is a medical examiner. She’s also a single mom so back then she didn’t have anyone to look after me on Sunday nights, and she had the night shifts. So my mom fixed a file room, turned it into “my room”, and I would sleep there. The next morning she’d drive me to school.
In EL MUERTO, why was it important for you to incorporate the idea of grief, particularly grief of a mother, as a horror device in this Two Sentence Horror Story?
I think grief has been present all the time. I grew up with it. I would hear families break into tears, screaming, when they’d identify a body at the morgue. The mother was more of a strategic choice to make the episode more powerful.
You can find the full episode of El Muerto here on the CW website.
You have written a horror feature script for Mexican producer Gerardo Gática. How did your short film or the Two Sentence Horror Stories have an impact on getting you to this place in the horror genre?
I think it’s all helped me learn the genre. As an audience, we may pick up on things but once you’re writing it, it almost feels like doing math. I just hope I can continue to get better, and can continue making it.
“I like exploring fear, anger and grief, and what that does to people. I want to look at love from every angle.”
Lucy Luna
Though not in the horror genre, you have found success with your script Sophie & Valentina, as well as writing on CBS’ ALL RISE. What advice might you give a writer just starting out, or might be ready to shoot their first short film?
If it scares you, do it! Don’t run away from it. If it shakes you, and fascinates you, write it. If it makes you feel something, you will make others feel too.
What’s next for you? Are there any future projects you want to share?
I am currently writing a horror movie! I’m not sure if I can share a lot about it, but I’m very happy for this opportunity.
Do you see the horror genre in your future? What is something (if anything) do you hope to change about the horror genre?
Yes, I love horror, crime and thrillers. I love writing pure dramas too, ultimately, my favorite horror movies are dramas with genre elements.
And I’m not sure if I’m here with the intention to change anything, but I know that my purpose is to make people feel something. If I can do that, and connect with someone that I don’t even know, through a story, then I’m happy.
When you look back at your career, what mark do you hope you leave on this industry?
Not sure about the industry but I look at it on an individual level. I want people to feel seen. I want them to go “oh, that’s me” or “I’ve been there” or “that happened to me.” I like exploring fear, anger and grief, and what that does to people. I want to look at love from every angle. What happens when it’s present and what happens when it’s lacking.
In other words: I want to be able to hug strangers through my work.
The Killer Shorts Contest hopes Lucy’s journey as a writer will be good inspiration for our winners, finalists, and future entries. It was such a wonderful opportunity to be able to interview Lucy and learn about her story. She puts so much of herself in her work, which is evident with the positive responses she’s received from various film festivals to fellowships. Her horror short We’re All Here tackles the theme of isolation, something many know all too well. I personally fell in love with the emotion expressed in El Muerto, but found a deeper appreciation with Lucy’s childhood experience “growing up” in a morgue as her mother worked. Most compelling is Lucy’s purpose to her work, as she best puts it, “I want to be able to hug strangers through my work.” We have some exciting things to look forward to in Lucy Luna’s career. Make sure to check out We’re All Here & El Muerto, and look out for Lucy’s future work.
You can find more about Lucy and her work at lucyluna.com.
You can find more info on Lucy’s script Sophie & Valentina on her Coverfly profile.
Find El Muerto on the CW.
Lucy Luna on IMDb.
Lucy on Instagram.
Lucy on Twitter.
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Featured Image by Ieva Berzina.
