Juan Piquer Simón (Valencia, February 16, 1935 – Valencia, 7 January 2011 [ 1 ])[ 2 ] was a filmmaker and writer Spanish. After studying fine arts and decoration, he enrolled at the Madrid film Research Institute after which was devoted to advertising.

Trajectory

Early

Piquer ventured into film genre in Spain and wheel in Madrid Almena Films studies.

Initially, he wanted to shoot a film version of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer legends but vertical Times Union Franco, chaired by Juan Antonio bardem, he gave no membership card film director, an essential requirement for a movie in the country.

It was shot in 1964 two documentaries, one entitled violent Spain, banned by the censors of the time. It spoke of the horrors in Spain during the Civil War. The documentary was called life and peace.

People trilogy

In 1977 he filmed and released journey to the center of the Earth, based on the famous novel by Jules Verne, with kenneth More as main character. It’s a different title in Spanish industry because it is a production of distribution international with special effects, something unprecedented in that country.

Professor Lidenbrock (Kenneth More) is a curious book by an alchemist describing a fabulous world of the center of the Earth in a library of Hamburg. With his niece (Ivonne Sentis) and her fiancé (pep munné) Decides to start the trip with a guide (Frank Braña) and is into monsters and remains of ancient Atlantis, populated by scientists clone (all Jack Taylor).

In this film included scripts internal Lake, a special lightness, the emergence of a giant APE and giant, mushrooms using resources and means of special effects not used so far in Spanish film. When the effects were too expensive to Piquer knew camouflage by ellipsis or obviate imaginatively.

Critique “loaded” against the film, but the public Yes liked, especially the fan to fantastic cinema, which welcomed it as a major event.

Features of Piquer, apart from its narrative ability, is the use marketing to launch the film technical which until then was unknown in Spanish films: “There is the mentality here in Spain that we can only do films with types with beret or committed cinema.” ‘Us is forbidden to do films adventures, horror or another genus, reserved field exclusively English-speaking filmmakers’ – Piquer said in an interview with ecran fantastique.

A year later, his production company, released a much more modest film, chills, signed by Carlos port, although several sequences were shot by Piquer, responsible for final assembly and executive producer. Vernianas adventures, Piquer passed to Satanism and eroticism, an intimate film but was triumphant. The central script was a tableware to four in a Satanist decor that turned around the world. The pair formed by Angel Aranda and Sandra Alberdi confused with José María Guillén and Marian Karr.

In 1979 came supersonic Man, devoted to the theme of superheroes. At that time appeared the Superman of Richard donner, shot with all sorts of luxuries, and compete with this was impossible. Richard Yesteran, short-lived career, actor played the superhero whose antagonists were the wise men crazy cameron mitchell and Jose Maria Caffarel.

The plot of the movie is that Kronos or Supersonic Man arrives with his ship to land to fight an evil scientist (Cameron Mitchell) that you want to conquer the world, the superhero receives special powers to put an end to such perfidious character.

For the first time the “front projection” was used in Spain removed the blue edges appeared to superimpose images to give the impression that fly. The experience was fun but did not reach the height of the incursion in the world verniano.

In 1980 he started the shooting of mystery on Monster Island-inspired School recuperate, starring Peter cushing and terence stamp. David Hatton and Ian will be ran with the greatest weight interpretive. The movie again to amuse your audience and critics to disturb. There was a project meet the actors of the films vernianas in a new adventure, but it was unsuccessful.

Part of the material used in mystery of the island of monsters, Piquer shot the sea Devils based on A master of fifteen years. Again Ian Sera in a role similar to the previous one. The plot is as follows: six boys from different countries traveling on a ship attacked by pirates, are later abandoned and collected by a whaler later attacked by a whale killing the entire crew. Captain Godson is put in front of the boat and the boys of sailors. Mixed in an adventure in a paradisiacal island are until they start the headaches.

This new foray into the world verniano successful lower than the previous ones, but it closed a trilogy for Spanish fantasy film that was not followed.

A thousand screams is the night

In the category of splatter film Piquer would get a major box office success. Before, as a producer, he helped regardless of terror (1980), Tomas Aznar, like chills online. Thieves organized a massacre in a road restaurant and later are caught up in an adventure with satanistas where torturers will eventually become victims.

A thousand screams is the night (1982) belongs to the film called gore. This subgenre of horror drinks, according to some of the style created by Mario bava blood Bay and continued in the Friday the 13th series: a series of characters found in a closed area and they are systematically killed, here to make a human puzzle. Christopher George and lynda day George starred it with several Spanish actors in supporting roles. The action starts when a child battering killed his mother. Forty years later, a series of grisly crimes occurs at an American University.

His commercial career was discreet in Spain but successful abroad. Premiered in 97 theaters in New York and raised $720,000 at the time.

The following deliverables, dirty war (1984) and the new aliens (1984), with a child found an alien bear-like nest (Piquer stated that with this movie he learned what there is to do ever), went unnoticed.

Slugs, viscous death

In 1988, Piquer and his team moved to United States to shoot Slugs, viscous death, on a few slugs killers. Special effects won a Goya collected Basil Cortijo, Carlo Di Marchis and Gonzalo Gonzalo. This time the stage is a North American rural community where a mysterious slugs kill those who are. (Based on a novel by Shawn Hudson, an international best seller, and produced by Francesca De laurentiis, dino De laurentiis daughter) and silvana mangano, who appeared briefly in the sequence of the restaurant).

The film deals with animals that cause disgust and unexplained animal aggression. He is the scene of the couple whose sexual intercourse is interrupted by the attack of small slugs.

A year later begins the filming of the rift, with the same production company and team of special effects, which was this time with Colin Arthur repeating Goya and success.

The film is about the NATO sailors who must figure out what has happened in a Bathyscaphe lost in Dannekin, crack in the bottom of the sea, close to Norway. When you arrive, they discover an underground cave filled with monsters caused by genetic experiments.

Filmed in the Tres Cantos Verona studies had Jack scalia, famous actor of American telefilms, r. Lee Ermy, Ray Wise, and several Spanish actors such as Frank Braña, Emilio Linder and Pocholo Martinez-Bordiu.

With Dister, producer of these last two titles Piquer addressed the tormented world of Howard Phillips lovecraft with Cthulhu mansion (1991). Frank Finlay starred in, the film had better acceptance outside that at Spain.

Without the use of sophisticated special effects of the latest cinema Hollywood Piquer here uses a more traditional concept. The plot is as follows: a gang of mafiosi hides in the home of a wizard named Chandú, who lives with his daughter, ignoring the terrible secrets that hide their walls.

Last years

His last films have been difficult to see due to a poor distribution. Three years later only collaborated on the screenplay for a film called links 2 43 (1994) of the defunct José María forqué, filmmaker little accustomed to these genres. That same year he directed the Devil’s Island (1994), produced by a company which he founded Primitivo Rodriguez, based on a novel by Vincent Mulberry, belongs to the adventure genre very online vernianas raids. Later collaborated on the screenplay of the gold-bug (1997), based on a story by Edgar allan Poe, although the film is signed by Vicente Martin.

Manoa, the city of gold (1999) was his last title, inspired by Emilio salgari, that as in previous cases had an inefficient distribution.

In other collaborations include Bracula dog II (1997), Álvaro Sáenz de Heredia, Chiquito de la Calzada, or rice and tartana (2003), José Antonio Escrivá, the Valencia recreation of Vicente blasco ibáñez.

Studies Piquer

The study part from the very beginning of Juan Piquer, production company everyone began to call them studies Piquer. It opened the year 1972 building ground floor and three flats occupying a printing press in the Pradillo Street no. 60.

The building consisted of the following facilities: the ground floor, with an area of 400 m 2 and height of 5 m, 300 m 2 dedicated to film and Studio 100 m 2 room of make-up, dressing rooms, camera and services. The first floor of 90 m 2 was involved in production, direction and management. The second, 90 m 2 it was Assembly and file room and room projection and casting. The third of 90 m 2 occupied it the Design Studio of sets and costumes, library consultation and script, props and “truca” of Visual effects and titles.

Electrical, AC, need more material, and electric fluid would be solve generator and lights of the Mole Richardson which store was not more 150 metres of the study. The place was chosen by the ease then, car park and by being close to Madrid laboratories films and Fotofilm Madrid, as well as voicing EXA studies.

The shooting of feature film starts in 1976 with the production of journey to the center of the Earth and covers 12 feature films until 1990 with Cthulhu mansion.

On this date the Studio preferably devote special effects with only system FRONT PROYECTION existing Spain with 40 m 2 display. While it shares the space with Telson S.A.

In 1994 ceases the activity as a study of shooting on the ground floor as a store. Others continue with normal activity and it operates the pre and post production of the following films: the diabol Island, 1994, Manoa, 1995 and 1996, the gold-bug.