OVERLAY REPORT

In the production of the 1995 cult classic **The Day of the Beast** (*El día de la Bestia*), improvisation was a cornerstone of director Álex de la Iglesia’s frenetic style. While the film followed a structured plot, specific scenes and production elements were heavily improvised to capture the film's chaotic energy. ### 1. Dialogue Improvisation during Rehearsals The lead actors—**Álex Angulo** (the Priest), **Santiago Segura** (José María), and **Armando de Razza** (Professor Cavan)—worked from an "informal" or "loose" shooting script. De la Iglesia encouraged the actors to improvise their dialogue during rehearsals before the cameras rolled. * **The Result:** This led to the film's signature overlapping dialogue and conversational flow, particularly in the scenes where the trio is bickering or panicking. * **Santiago Segura’s Contribution:** Segura, who was a relatively unknown comedian at the time, brought much of the "heavy metal" slang and the specific mannerisms of his character, José María, to the table. Since Segura was not actually a metalhead in real life, he improvised much of the character's "street" persona and comedic timing, which earned him the Goya Award for Best New Actor. ### 2. The "Fake Script" Improvisation (Kio Towers) One of the most famous stories of improvisation regarding the film isn't about the acting, but the **production itself**. * **The Scenario:** The climax of the film takes place at the **Puerta de Europa** (the leaning Kio Towers) in Madrid. At the time, the towers were still under construction and owned by a bank that was hesitant to let a "satanic" movie film there. * **The Improvisation:** To secure the permits, the production team had to "improvise" a fake, "light" version of the script to show the owners. This version completely removed the themes of the Antichrist and the Devil, presenting the film as a much more conventional and harmless comedy. The owners only realized the true nature of the film after it was released. ### 3. The Nativity Scene (*El Belén*) The scene where the characters set up a makeshift Nativity scene to summon the Devil is often described as "improvised" in its execution. * **Detail:** While the ritual itself was in the script, the specific "casposo" (crude/tacky) items used and the frantic way the characters interact with the props were largely left to the actors' spontaneity to reflect the desperate, low-budget nature of their quest. ### 4. The Schweppes Sign Scene While the core action of the iconic scene on the **Carrión Building** (hanging from the Schweppes sign) was carefully choreographed for safety, the dialogue and reactions from Santiago Segura and Álex Angulo were largely authentic and unscripted in their intensity. * **Detail:** The actors were genuinely hanging from harnesses high above the Gran Vía in the middle of the night. Their panicked shouts and much of the frantic banter while dangling were captured live to maintain a sense of genuine peril and absurdist humor. ### 5. Professor Cavan’s Exorcisms **Armando de Razza**, playing the fraudulent TV psychic Professor Cavan, improvised much of the "theatricality" of his character. * **Detail:** His over-the-top hand gestures, pseudo-occult jargon, and the specific way he interacted with the TV equipment in "The Dark Zone" segments were developed through on-set improvisation to parody the real-life sensationalist paranormal shows popular in Spain during the 1990s.