Lovi is Princess of Horror

MANILA, Philippines - If there was a young actress with a good track record of box-office hits, particularly in the horror genre, it would be no other than Lovi Poe (photo).

Who could ever forget her Aswang? The Jerrold Tarrog film made a killing at the box-office when it was shown last Halloween. The film, along with Lovi’s performance, was critically acclaimed. Lovi also made her film debut a few years ago in Shake, Rattle & Roll 9 which was the second top grosser in that year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. Lovi also just recently completed Eric Matti’s Tiktik: Aswang Chronicles, opposite Dingdong Dantes, which is eagerly awaited by horror fans. Hence, the tag Princess of Horror Films.

Recently, Lovi finished a different kind of horror film titled Guni Guni. What attracted Lovi to the project was the uniqueness of the script.

“When I was reading it, I was fascinated by the story of Mylene, the lead character. She was escaping from her past, but it always came to haunt her through hallucinations, until they became real,” she says.

“Her character, as a student being haunted by her dead identical twin sister, became a challenge to me. It’s not the typical horror movie about twins.”

Before embarking on the role, Lovi did some research on Siamese and identical twins and even watched films about the topic. The most recent film Lovi saw was David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers, which she describes as a psychological scare with a wonderful performance by Jeremy Irons.

Lovi confessed that she enjoyed filming Guni-Guni. “I had wonderful co-actors surrounding me on the set — Empress (Schuck), Tita Gina (Alajar), James Blanco, Julia Clarete... they were so cool. My director, Tara Illenberger, served as an inspiration. She has wonderful ideas, and I’m really excited with the outcome of our film.”

What about her new leading man, Benjamin Alves? “He is nice to work with. I hope to see more of him after Guni-Guni,” replies Lovi.

(Guni-Guni opens Aug. 22 in theaters nationwide.)