30 Coins

Lore & Background

30 Coins was created by Álex de la Iglesia for HBO Europe, with co-writing by Jorge Guerricaechevarría. The series follows Father Vergara, an exorcist and ex-convict living in the small Spanish town of Pedraza, who seeks to escape his troubled past. When paranormal events begin in the village, he teams up with local mayor Paco and veterinarian Elena to investigate a coin he owns, which may be one of the thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas Iscariot. The trio becomes caught in a conspiracy involving the Holy See that threatens the world. The first season of eight episodes premiered on HBO Europe on November 29, 2020, with weekly releases. The first episode was screened at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 11, 2020. The series aired in the United States via HBO and HBO Max in 2021, and later on HBO Latin America. Production took place primarily in Pedraza, province of Segovia, with additional locations including Sepúlveda, the Aldeadávila Dam, and brief shoots in New York, Jerusalem, Paris, Geneva, Rome, Campo Real, Madrid, and Alcalá de Henares. Indoor scenes were shot at the Castle of Calatrava la Nueva, the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz, the Castle of Guadamur, the library of the Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España, and the University of Salamanca's General Historical Library. After months of rumors and social media content from De la Iglesia, HBO Max officially confirmed a second season on February 11, 2022, with shooting already underway. Footage for season 2 was shot in Toledo. The musical score was composed by Roque Baños.

Reader's Guide

30 Coins is significant as a Spanish horror series that blends religious conspiracy with cosmic horror, drawing comparisons to the works of H.P. Lovecraft and William Hope Hodgson. The series received a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season, based on 11 reviews, with critics praising its propulsive action, effective scares, and absurdity. Reviewers highlighted the strong performances of the lead trio and the Indiana Jones-style artifact quest. The show's grotesque visuals and drama-horror hybrid were noted as strengths, though some criticized the CGI in later episodes and disjointed plots. The series' legacy includes its unproduced third season, which was already written by May 2024, with creator Álex de la Iglesia seeking a way to produce it. The show's use of real Spanish locations and its referential style, inspired by filmmakers like Antonio Mercero, Ridley Scott, and John Carpenter, contribute to its cultural footprint.

Did You Know?

• The first episode of 30 Coins was screened at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 11, 2020.
• The series was produced by Pokeepsie Films for HBO Europe, with participation of HBO Latin America.
• Most of the production occurred in Pedraza, province of Segovia, with additional shooting in Sepúlveda and the Aldeadávila Dam.
• In May 2024, Álex de la Iglesia stated that Max had not renewed the series, but episodes for a third and final season were already written.

A Cursed Coin and a Condemned Priest

The narrative engine of 30 Coins is de la Iglesia's decision to marry Catholic exorcism with the cosmic dread of H.P. Lovecraft. Father Vergara, an exorcist turned ex-convict, has been banished by his own Church to the quiet village of Pedraza, where he hopes the people who wronged him will simply forget he exists. That fragile peace shatters when unexplained paranormal events ripple through the community, pulling Vergara into an investigation alongside local mayor Paco and the town veterinarian Elena. The thread that ties every mystery together is a single coin in Vergara's possession, which may be one of the thirty pieces of silver handed to Judas Iscariot for his betrayal of Christ. What begins as a local haunting escalates into a conspiracy that implicates the Holy See itself, threatening the very foundations of the world the characters inhabit. Co-written by Jorge Guerricaechevarría alongside de la Iglesia, the script deliberately blends the grotesque and the absurd, creating a tone critics have likened to a "crispy plait" of Luis Buñuel and Alex Cox filtered through Lovecraftian horror.

A Pilgrimage Through Spain's Heritage

The production design of 30 Coins reads like a love letter to Spain's architectural and geographic heritage. The primary shooting base was Pedraza in the province of Segovia, with additional work in nearby Sepúlveda and at the Aldeadávila Dam in Salamanca. The series also captured brief exterior footage in New York, Jerusalem, Paris, Geneva, Rome, Campo Real, Madrid, and Alcalá de Henares. Indoor sequences were filmed in a remarkable array of historic interiors: the Castle of Calatrava la Nueva and the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz in Ciudad Real, the Castle of Guadamur in Toledo, the library of the Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España, and the General Historical Library at the University of Salamanca. Season 2 added the city of Toledo to the list. The series was produced by Pokeepsie Films for HBO Europe with participation from HBO Latin America, and its musical score was composed by Roque Baños. Executive producers included de la Iglesia, Carolina Bang, Miguel Salvat, Steve Matthews, and Antony Root.

Festivals, Streaming, and Critical Praise

The first episode of 30 Coins was screened at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 11, 2020, before the full eight-episode season rolled out weekly on HBO Europe starting November 29, 2020. The United States received the series through HBO and HBO Max in 2021, followed by HBO Latin America. On Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 holds a 91 percent approval rating across eleven critic reviews, averaging 7.7 out of 10, with a consensus praising its "propulsive action, effective haunts, and just the right amount of absurdity." Individual critics drew rich comparisons: Scout Tafoya saw a Catholic take on the cosmic horrors of William Hope Hodgson and Lovecraft, while Rosie Knight at IGN highlighted the show's strength as an Indiana Jones-style artifact quest alongside its horror elements. Marissa de la Cerda at The A.V. Club noted the "phantasmagoric visuals and viscera" that are de la Iglesia's signature. Not all reviews were uniformly positive, however; Cinemanía's Miguel Ángel Romero flagged "particularly calamitous CGI" in the final episodes and some disjointed plotting, even as he praised the ensemble's performances.

An Unfinished Story and a Creator's Fight

Despite strong critical reception and a confirmed second season that premiered on Max on October 23, 2023, 30 Coins ultimately ended without the conclusion its creator envisioned. In May 2024, Álex de la Iglesia publicly stated that Max had not renewed the series for a third season. However, he revealed that the episodes for what would have been the final season were already fully written, and he expressed his intention to find a way to get them produced. This leaves the narrative of Father Vergara, the thirty pieces of silver, and the conspiracy reaching into the highest echelons of the Holy See hanging in an unresolved state. The second season's production had been confirmed on February 11, 2022, after months of speculation fueled by de la Iglesia's social media posts and Najwa Nimri's self-announcement as a cast addition on the red carpet of the 9th Feroz Awards. Filming for that season reportedly began in February 2022, with footage shot in Toledo. The series thus stands as a two-season work whose intended finale exists only on the page, a testament to the fragility of streaming commitments even for critically acclaimed projects.

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