Writer-director Frasco Mortiz has the articulate honesty when he talks about scenes and stories of people and the unknown terror that awaits them.
While directing kiddie skits and episodes in Going Bulilit, he assures both adults and youngsters will relate to the jokes. In the tremendously successful horror-drama Pagpag in the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival, he validated the angry dead can become undead when they give their souls to the devil.
This time regally realistic images of angry humans with dark practices will haunt us when the filmmaker introduces why their avenging nature is deadly in Regal Entertainment’s “The Heiress” on November 27.
Its main characters based on popular folkloric tale of a supernatural spirit called a “Mamalarang,” who transfers her dark powers to a human who lives and practices evil sorcery called a “Mambabarang,” a mambabarang in time chooses a nearest blood relative or youngster to become her successor to empower her chosen young with dangerous evil powers. Thus the movie title.
Courtesy of Regal Entertainment, Inc.
Admitting he has an elementary knowledge of, yet listened intently to several elders who are very familiar with this folklore, noting even that these types of people in far-flung places in provinces still exist, the director took serious notes and thought very well of how the mood and tone of the movie and his horrifying characters will look on screen. “Modern times pero parang luma, may pinanggagalingan kasing kuwento ng mga matatanda na naniniwalang meron pa ring mga taong who practice ng pambabarang,” he says… to the instant gasp-like reaction of presscon guests, asking like “ay talaga… ganon?…. ha meron talaga?”
“Ang mambabarang parang isang sorceress siya eh, na kaya niyang magmanipula ng tao. Mas malakas daw pala sila kaysa sa mangkukulam. Ang mangkukulam kung baga bibigyan ka lang ng sakit, mga ganon. While a mambabarang, puwedeng pumatay”.
Preferring to be realistic because the story is very Pinoy, and is part of Philippine culture though not a flattering matter or entity like fiestas, food, and celebrations that reflect our resiliency as Pinoys, the director says wisely that “mas realistic kung gagawin nating hitsurang tao or tao mismo ang image ng mambabarang. or the mamalarang. Dapat kase talaga tao sila. Hindi sila dapat mukhang multo ng foreign movie. Hindi yung parang ginaya sa ibang images ng multo. Naka Filipiniana na luma. So diba kapag nakaka-kita tayo ng old pictures of Filipinos in old portraits, the image and the time is very distant from us. Iyung ganon kung baga puwede mag bigay ng takot sa atin eh. Most especially in The Heiress, there is that mystery. Also, the character must bear the look and trademark of a Regal Films horror character.” This premise brings us to the likes of unforgettable even iconic images of Tiyanak, Shake Rattle & Roll, Haunted Mansion and Haunted Forest —- all successful Regal Films shockers.
Explaining his necessity to stay hands free over how his scary characters will look, Frasco says it is his camera execution that must be his main tool in order for the scenes to work and the story’s progression to hook the viewers. “Hindi ako masyado nag-dive sa pagbuo ng look ng isang mambabarang. Dumistansiya lang ako sa decisions about how our key characters must appear physically, para hindi ako ma-distract over how I am going to place a mamababarang or a mamalarang in the scenes. Kase mismong their images are already scary eh. So instead I concentrated on the execution.”
Such wise ways of a specific work at directing shows the sensitivity the director has. While unusual images like these are away from everyday people, they will send shivers up and won our spine. Frasco notes that “these types of characters in The Heiress, are not what you see or encounter daily eh. They are not living normal lives. They are dangerous. They are who we must be careful of”. This means The Heiress is a gem of a horror that just as regal and should not be missed.
By Wilbur F. Hernandez
