House of Dolls marks Fort Worth native Salas’ first venture into horror, following the release of his action-packed wrestling-centric movie, The Devil’s Ring. Salas says he’s always wanted to write a slasher film, having grown up on movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. But with each of his films, Salas likes to include personal elements.
The movie was inspired by conversations among Salas and his own three sisters.
“There was just one day, we were just talking, and somehow we started talking about an inheritance and then we just started arguing,” says Salas. “So then I left, and I started writing this story out. I wanted to tell something that people can connect to, and I applied that with a backdrop of a horror element.”
When making the movie, Salas says he learned that even in times of unfavorable circumstances, tragedy has the power to bring people together. “As you watch the movie, you see it unravel and they soon come to accept each other for who they are,” says Salas, “even if the truth about that might be terrifying.”
House of Dolls had an extravagant premiere at the end of September with sold-out screenings in Los Angeles, New York, and, of course, Dallas. Not only did the movie arrive just in time for spooky season, it also came at a scary time for filmmakers.
Our interview took place just days after the Writers Guild of America strike came to an end, and during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Thankfully for Salas, the film was produced independently, and his promotional campaign did not violate the conditions of the strike. But the reception toward the film has proven Salas’ efforts fruitful.
Salas recalls “cramming 200 people into a theater” during the Dallas premiere of House of Dolls. The film has since been released onto video on-demand platforms and even reached No. 1 on VuDu. Salas credits the film’s success to its hardworking crew and its illustrious cast.
"Now more than ever, it's easier to go out, pick up a camera, and tell your story. So as far as the future of [the filmmaking] landscape, I think it's going to be limitless.” – Juan Salas
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The first person Salas cast for the film was Meeko Gattuso, whom he discovered after seeing him play a terrifying drug supplier on HBO’s Euphoria. The film also stars Dee Wallace, known for her roles in Cujo and E.T.
Salas sent Wallace the script, unsure if it would even make it to her inbox. But she read it and instantly fell in love.
During production, Salas recalls Wallace being “very hands-on.”
“I asked her ‘You can still scream, right?” says Salas. “I shouldn’t have asked her that, because she just went for it, and it was loud. It was amazing to work with her.”
As a Latino filmmaker, Salas says he is happy with the current landscape of Latin and Hispanic stories on screen. Like most of us, Salas posits that there is room for improvement in terms of the number of stories being told, as well as the level of representation, but he remains hopeful for the future, as creators have more avenues to explore.
“There's gonna be representation for everyone,” Salas says, “because there's so much content, and there's so much of everything. Now more than ever, it's easier to go out, pick up a camera, and tell your story. So as far as the future of [the filmmaking] landscape, I think it's going to be limitless.”
House of Dolls marks Salas fourth feature-length film, and he has no plans to slow down anytime soon. Having taken on action, drama, and now horror, Salas says he’s already mapping out what he wants to do next.
“[Filmmaking] is always a learning experience, especially in horror, because there are various themes in horror,” says Salas. “Scary stuff, dramatic stuff, it's not like a straight road. The challenge was bigger in telling that story, and I did learn a lot of things along the way to take them into my next movie that I'm planning.”
