Five Raindance Revelations with John Mathis for ‘The Devil Whispered My Name’

Folk horror has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence in recent years, but The Devil Whispered My Name brings something distinctly its own to the genre. Drawing on Argentine folklore and set against the striking backdrop of rural Córdoba, the film blends ancient superstition, personal trauma and creeping dread into a story that refuses to stay buried.

The film – which had its UK premiere yesterday at Raindance Film Festival – the Spanish-language horror follows Carla as she returns to her remote hometown a decade after the death of a friend during an ayahuasca ritual. What awaits her is not simply the past she tried to leave behind, but a malevolent force that has been patiently waiting for her return. Led by acclaimed genre actress Clara Kovacic, the film continues the recent wave of internationally celebrated South American horror while carving out its own identity through its deeply personal connection to place and folklore.

Co-directed by Emilia Cotella and John Mathis, The Devil Whispered My Name is also the first feature the filmmaking duo have created together as a couple, adding another layer of passion and collaboration to a project already rooted in personal storytelling.

To mark the film’s UK premiere at Raindance, we caught up with co-director and producer John Mathis for the latest edition of Five Raindance Revelations, discussing the films that inspired him, the filmmaker he dreams of collaborating with, and what bringing this haunting tale to the screen taught him about both filmmaking and himself.

John Mathis co-director and producer of ‘The Devil Whispered My Name’

1. Tell us about your film and why you felt Raindance would be a great place to unleash it on London and the UK.

Emilia and I shot her debut feature, The Devil Whispered My Name, in 2025 in the mountains of Cordoba, Argentina. We shot the film in the heat of the Argentine summer in just  14 non-stop days and nights.

The story is rooted in Argentine folklore, and it was very important  to Emilia, who is Argentine, that the story was set in a world that she is familiar with. The story follows a group of friends who return to their hometown to face a deep trauma that has bound them since childhood and confront the evil that still dwells there, waiting to consume them.

We are thrilled to be playing at Raindance, a festival that truly supports independent film. This is our  second time playing there after our film Where’s Rose played there in 2021. We can’t wait to be back at Raindance, and we are very proud that it’s our film’s UK premiere!

2. What moment made you realise you wanted to create films, not just watch them?

For me personally, it was the first time I watched the behind-the-scenes documentary on my Lord of the Rings special edition DVD as a child. It blew my mind and opened a world of possibilities where dreams can become reality. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker and to be a part of this industry. I think it’s fitting that Peter Jackson is the one who inspired me to make films, as I soon discovered his past as an indie horror filmmaker!

3. What’s one film that fundamentally changed the way you think about cinema?

The movie Come and See really opened my eyes to what cinema could be. It is by far one of the most meaningful cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. It has a reputation for being one of the most traumatic films of all time, and while I think it earns that title, it is so much more than that. It’s a film about the power of the human spirit and survival. It showed me what cinema could be and how much of an impact it can have on society.

4. If you could collaborate with anyone in film history, who would unlock the most exciting project for you?

It would be my dream to collaborate with Del Toro on a dark fantasy film. Del Toro has been a massive inspiration for both Emilia and me. His films, while dark, are also full of love and life. His film Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the greatest fantasy films of all time. He is also a champion and a protector of practical filmmaking, which is so incredibly important to us as a filmmaking team. For him to produce a film for us would be a dream and also a goal of ours!

5. What’s something making this film revealed about yourself that you didn’t know before?

While I have made feature films before, this was the first film that Emilia and I made as a couple. It was really a beautiful experience to be making a feature film together! It confirmed that this is what we both want to do for the rest of our lives and that we want to do it together. We’ve since shot our next horror feature, Bonded, which is in post-production, and we are in pre-production on the next one together!

From childhood evenings spent exploring Middle-earth through behind-the-scenes documentaries to crafting stories inspired by folklore and mythology, Mathis’ journey into filmmaking has clearly been driven by a fascination with the worlds that exist just beyond everyday reality. That passion is evident throughout The Devil Whispered My Name, a film that combines intimate character drama with ancient fears that feel timeless and universal.

His answers also reveal a filmmaker who values collaboration as highly as creativity. The experience of making the film alongside Emilia Cotella not only resulted in a striking feature debut for the directing partnership, but also confirmed that their future lies in telling stories together. With another horror feature already in post-production and a third project on the horizon, it seems this creative partnership is only just beginning.

The Devil Whispered My Name screened as part of Raindance’s horror competition, where its blend of folk horror, personal trauma and Argentine mythology offered audiences a chilling reminder that some places never truly let go of the past.

The Devil Whispered My Name trailer