A Mata Negra

“The Black Forest ”

Brazil |  2018  |  98 minutes  |  Director: Renato Aragão

In the dark depths of a remote Brazilian forest, a young girl uncovers a mysterious book of spells - unleashing a series of violent supernatural mishaps as she goes through a gore-soaked journey into the unknown.

Renato Aragão is perhaps the big name of the contemporary Brazilian horror, establishing himself as a master of gore through a series of "homemade" productions, acting as director, screenwriter, producer, and special effects artist.
Born and raised on January of 1977, Aragão started shooting his films in Guarapari, a small town located in Espirito Santo, Brazil. His father was a magician as well as a cinema owner, so he was created in a world full of tricks and makeup. The realization of what could be his future came early. When he was seven he watched a documentary film about "The Empire strikes back". Everything he liked was there: movies and special effects, even though he had no idea what any of that meant. It was the 80s, when "Evil Dead" was released, a cult classic horror film that ended up (un) doing his mind. Then he passed a period doing courses and workshops that made him believe he was ready to make his own movies. 
He began in 1994, working as special make-up artist for the short film "The Legend of Proitner", followed by "Vampicide" (1996), another short film, nowadays obscure. His debut as a director happened in the theater, with the horror play "Mausoleum", playing from 2000-2003. Later on, he directed his own projects, with "Chupa Cabras", "Rotten Fish" and "Rotten Fish II", all short movies, and "Mud Zombies" (2008).
His idiosyncratic style combines the imaginary universe of Brazilian folklore with the grotesque excesses of Sam Raimi and a pre-Hollywood Peter Jackson. "Mata Negra" is his most ambitious project so far.