Director Mico Montes discusses ‘Bare Skin,’ his first feature horror film

Mico Montes is an up-and-coming director making his way through the world of horror films. His newest project, “Bare Skin,” is a psychological horror film discussing the different stories of people in group therapy.

Montes attended Orange Coast College and joined a private writing group for filmmaking. “You just bring different questions, theories, pages, screenplays and you really dive into theory there,” Montes said. “Once I had a good understanding of the story, I had something sustainable that I could bring to the table. Then I started producing some stuff for other people and doing some writing for hire. Then about five years ago, I just took the leap and decided it was time to make a movie. So we picked this film because it was the most producible.” 

The genre of horror can span from topics as simple as slasher films like “Friday the 13th,” “Scream,” “Halloween” and “Child’s Play,” all films in which there is an iconic killer that audiences can recognize easily, while other films tackle topics like beauty standards and ageism like the film “The Substance.” Montes’ enjoys how the genre can be expansive and cover different topics. 

“Mostly I write horror, but it's like a mixed genre, so it could be anything from supernatural horror to psychological or erotic thriller horror. I have a comedy [film], and it has that touch of horror to it. I would say most of my themes are based around death.

I like the macabre a lot, and death and love. Those are strong themes in my stories,” Montes said.

Montes’ upcoming feature film, “Bare Skin,” covers strong themes revolving around mental health, healing and therapy. 

Horror films that cover mental health are popular within the genre with so many leaving impressions on viewers, with notable films including “Smile,” “Talk to Me,” “The Babadook” and “Black Swan.” These films are important because they cover topics others would consider taboo or difficult to portray due to the intensity behind mental health and ideas connecting to these films. 

Montes discussed how in this movie he wanted to touch on how people deal with pain and grief., “One thing I did want to express here was that the different ways people can react to pain, because we all go through it no matter what level it is,’ Montes said. “On a certain day, it can be really tough. Sometimes it can just be a minor thing you're going through. I just wanted to showcase these completely different people that seem like they wouldn't know each other outside the group therapy session and how they react to the pain, that they're all connected in their pain. People coming out of the movie, I'm hoping that's one thing that they pull from it is that we're all connected in that daily pain or the daily trauma.” 

Montes found it of utmost importance to make sure his film was diverse in cast. Being of Mexican descent, he felt it was important to make sure that his cast be as diverse as possible, although sometimes it can be difficult due to the auditions being submitted. “It's really important, being Mexican, to keep that diversity in mind when we're casting. If we're on the fence about someone, then we'll lean towards just a diverse cast, but you always want to go with the best actor. For me, I think it's a little frustrating that we're not seeing as many Latinos or other ethnicities submit for acting roles,” Montes said. 

In his film, one of the main characters featured is played by actor Alberto Henriquez, who portrays Oday, a germophobic, somber man weighed down by self-contempt. Left to die, he was forced to commit unspeakable acts to survive. His ordeal left him mentally scarred—an unlovable husband and a forsaken father. Aside from Montes himself, his production team was also diverse. A notable member being colorist Jesús Borego, "Jesús took our film and made it cinematic with his majestic coloring techniques,” Montes said. 

Montes enjoys building worlds within these horror films and how they can be pieced together. “There is something about writing supernatural and horror stuff like that. If you're making a drama or a historical piece, there's a lot of rules you have to follow. If you're building your own world, you can make everything up. You have to stick to those rules, but I enjoy that creative part. You know? That genre allows you to do that more,” Montes said.

Montes’ eventually would like to expand and take on bigger projects that also follow his artistic goals. “The goal would be to be able to do those larger projects, but I just want to keep control of the art,” Montes said. Especially living here in L.A., you see how much, even with this film, how much people want to put their hand on the project and get some kind of control out of it. I just want the message to come across clearly. The themes and the pieces that I write, I want them to be expressed in the film. That's really important to me, keeping the artistic vision on it as we produce with bigger budgets.” 

Montes’ production company, Opening Image LLC, plans to release “Bare Skin” this fall. You can see more of Montes’ work at micomontes.com.