Cinematographer Galo Olivares Talks About How He Created A World For The New ‘Gretel And Hansel’

“Gretel and Hansel” is now in theater telling a new version of a timeless Grimm’s fairy tale. We all grew up knowing the story of “Hansel and Gretel” and the lesson of being careful where you go and who you befriend in the world. Mexican cinematographer Galo Olivares helped director Osgood Perkins create a universe as creepy and tantalizing as one would expect from the classic tale.

Galo Olivares is the man behind the haunting and unsettling imagery of “Gretel and Hansel.”

For Olivares, the first thing he had to do was to make sure he found the right place to create the perfect ambiance for the film.

“The first thing that I did after I got out the plane was start scouting, and we realized Dublin, Ireland was the perfect canvas for this story,” Olivares says. “All the team did a great job. We had a great production designer and a marvelous costume designer. Sophia Lillis and Alice Krige were just wonderful so it was pretty easy to come together with all the pieces for this film.”

Olivares grew up with the creepy tales of La Llorona and the story was one that inspires his work on this film.

“I grew up hearing the legend of La Llorona. My grandmother’s house was somehow close to a cemetery and I remember we could see it from the top floor,” Olivares recalls. “We have several legends here in Mexico where we actually celebrate death. We have the day of the dead, which is a beautiful celebration that reminds us that death is part of life. So, I have always been inspired by this universe and I loved being able to bring a small part to this film.”

The biggest thing Olivares wanted to do was give the story a modern upgrade while keeping the spirit of the story intact.

“I remember one of the first things we talked about with Osgood was what he didn’t want this movie to be. Suddenly, we started to talk about Star Wars and how this tale could be timeless,” Olivares says. “That’s why there are many modern details but you cannot tell when is this happening, whether it’s the past or future or another dimension maybe. I always thought of the witch’s house as a kind of mothership.”

You can watch “Gretel and Hansel” now in theaters.

Congratulations on the movie, Galo Olivares.

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