What ‘VHS’ director Darryl Yap fears the most

MANILA, Philippines — Controversial filmmaker Darryl Yap has taken up a new genre.

The Viva director, who has quite the reputation for making films that provoke strong reactions if not public debate, is now trying his hand for the first time at horror with “VHS or “Viva Horror Stories.”

But while the film promises supernatural jumpscares, based on the teasers, direk Darryl is more interested in exploring something he believes is more frightening. That is, human nature and what people are capable of inflicting on one another.

Interestingly, when asked what scares him the most in real life, the director admitted to having many fears.

“I think the reason I have so much courage is because I have so many fears, too. I can’t really say what they are or where they’ll come from. Fear isn’t something you can order off a menu. It always comes as a surprise. You just have to face it,” he said in response to questions sent by The Philippine STAR via messenger.

“And I think that’s what people will find in this film. It’s not just about my personal experiences. I believe people will find something they can relate to in the characters, both human and inhuman.”

His latest film is a three-part horror anthology featuring stories about a cheerleader haunted by a sinister presence on campus, a seemingly perfect romance concealing a horrifying secret and a celebrity couple confronted with a difficult choice following the birth of their child.

The cast includes Sarah Lahbati, Ella Cruz, Sachzna Laparan, McCoy de Leon and Kit Thompson.

“VHS” is part of SM Cinema’s annual Halloween horror film festival, “Sine Sindak,” which returns for its seventh edition from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3.

The filmfest, which will be held exclusively at SM Cinemas nationwide, brings together local and international horror offerings. And for this year’s edition, dubbed as “Sine Sindak: The 7th Cycle,” featured are seven horror and thriller films from different countries, with “VHS” as the lone Filipino entry.

The other films in the lineup are South Korea’s “App The Horror,” the United States’ “Crawlers,” Japan’s “Never After Dark,” Denmark’s “The Influencer Project,” Indonesia’s “Cerita Lila” and Vietnam’s “Phi Phong.”

For direk Darryl, whose previous works include “Jowable” and “Maid in Malacañang,” the decision to venture into horror came from a combination of timing, an opportunity presented by Viva Films and a desire to experience something different creatively.

Asked why he decided to take on the genre at this point in his career, he said: “Perhaps, so I could break the chain. But who knows if it will indeed be ‘uncontroversial’? This is a very timely and personal film,” he said.

“When Viva asked if I had a story for Halloween, my first instinct was to dig through my old one-act plays from years ago. I guess the decision to cross over into horror came partly from Viva asking at just the right time, and partly from a creative itch to try something different.”

Still, this doesn’t automatically mean that direk Darryl is leaving behind the provocative storytelling that has somehow become attached to his name.

In fact, he believes that making audiences think can be more challenging than just frightening them. “As a provocateur, controversy has practically become second nature to me. Don’t get me wrong, but my horror doesn’t exist merely to scare people. Its primary purpose is to make them think, which, to me, is a much harder thing to do,” he explained.

Direk Darryl hopes this will distinguish “VHS” from other Filipino horror films. Rather than relying on supernatural occurrences or the usual elements associated with the genre, he wants to get into the darker aspects of human behavior, which can be a more disturbing element of a horror movie.

Explaining more on what distinct touch audiences can expect from his first horror outing, he said, “You can expect a lot of differences here. Of course, there has to be a supernatural element, otherwise, it’s just a thriller.

“There are things in the film that are horror by nature, but that’s not really the focus. I’m more interested in people, in human behavior, in what we’re capable of doing to each other. At the end of the day, that’s what this film is about. The supernatural is there, but the real horror is human... the horror is the reality.”