Fanspot
Apartment of Pilar
“- How is your grandmother?
– I don’t know. She doesn’t talk.”
Adela (Marina Gutiérrez) and Susana (Almudena Amor)
Known for co-directing the cult horror film [Rec] with Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza begins shooting Abuela in the summer of 2020 after the first containment related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some scenes are filmed in Paris, on the Seine and in the chic districts, but it is well and truly in Madrid that the heart of the production takes place.
For the apartment of Pilar, the character of the grandmother played by Vera Valdez, Paco Plaza chooses to establish himself in an affluent building on Alfonso XII Avenue, bordering the Retiro Park. If usually the interior scenes are shot in a studio, Paco Plaza, convinced by his set designer, has chosen this time to shoot in a real apartment. A choice he came back to for Digital Ciné at the time of the film’s release in theaters: “For my production manager, it was preferable to shoot on real sets. For her, the apartment was an integral part of the story. I had to choose camera angles that I wouldn’t have thought of in the studio. In a studio you can move the walls, but in a real apartment, you have to have the feeling of a documentarian. This adds an authentic look to what you are shooting. I think it was a good idea.“
Like the building in [Rec] Barcelona, 38 Alfonso XII Avenue, goes down in the history of Iberian horror cinema. An address attached to the austere face of Pilar, this grandmother with the worst intentions.
Premiered at the Gerardmer International Film Festival in France, Abuela won the Jury Prize. A proof of the popularity and the talent of Paco Plaza, this gifted image maker never stingy in traumatic evocations. Evocations now also attached to this luxurious building in Madrid, a stone’s throw from Retiro Park.
Abuela won the Jury Prize at the Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival in 2022.
C. de Alfonso XII
Located in the center of Madrid, near the Retiro Park, this beautiful building of classical style stands out thanks to its entrance door richly decorated with moldings.
Two blocks from the Museo Nacional del Prado, 38 Alfonso XII is one of the most emblematic buildings in the Spanish capital. Currently occupied by the law firm Benow Partners, it is located on an avenue whose name pays tribute to King Alfonso XII. The street runs alongside the park and has many mansions and other luxury historical residences. It leads north to the Puerta de Alcala, a neoclassical triumphal arch with five arches.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
NEW YORK map of 100 cult places (French Edition)
The New York Fantrippers map, an original way to discover the Big Apple! Through 100 pop culture places, walk its streets from another angle. Movies, TV shows, music, comics and novels, will allow you to spend a pleasant moment in the World City. With a folded format of 10 x 18 cm and 60 x 54 cm unfolded, it slips easily into your pocket or your bag to be consulted easily.
Content quality
Interest for fans
Value for money
Discover all the places The Grand-Mother on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.