Gustavo Hernandez’s one-take spook-fest The Silent House, about a girl and her father staying overnight in a creepy isolated house, has already wowed Cannes festival-goers and inspired an American remake. The film has now arrived in the UK, and the Uruguayan director talked to Total Sci-Fi about “making the viewer an accomplice”.

Was The Silent House really filmed in one take or were there hidden transitions?

There is no manipulation of time or space. The viewer will sit and enjoy only one take from beginning to end.

What do you think that technique brought to the film?

The technique of The Silent House accompanies the story and illustrates it. We didn’t simply use the resources to show the technique, rather it was the best way to narrate the story and underline the concept.

We avoid the ellipsis of time and place to create real sensations which accompany the main characters, making the viewer an accomplice and conceiving the fears and emotions as genuine and their own.

Is the film really based on a true story?

Yes, it's inspired by a real event which took place in the 1940s in a small village in central Uruguay. We investigated the papers of the time but all we found was the broken information from the urban legend. What we did was connect the event with the elements we investigated. After, we joined the pieces of the puzzle to understand the reason the events took place in that house.

Were any particular ghost films – or other horror movies – an influence on the film?

I had various classic reference points, from Kubrick to Carpenter. We were also inspired by French horror, where we discovered some disturbing and different films from American horror films.

What are your thoughts on the American remake?

It’s a different vision to ours and we were very enthusiastic about that. It’s always refreshing to see a different perspective on the original. Kris Kentis and Lara Lau didn’t imitate what we did; rather they made their own work.

Does Uruguay have a big film industry?

No, it’s very small. They only make from six to eight films per year, but many of them reach the most important festivals all over the world.

What’s next for you?

I’ve been offered various solid projects in different countries, but we’ve decided for now to work on a new project in Uruguay, because it lets us continue experimenting and taking risks in the genre with a greater freedom.

We’re going to continue with the same team from The Silent House. We are working on a project in the same genre – it'll have a very different feel to The Silent House, but will still be efficient and innovative.

The Silent House is released in UK cinemas on 8 April 2011.