Kubot and the Aswang collaboration

MANILA, Philippines - The Aswang Chronicles has officially expanded into a movie franchise with the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry Kubot, backed by a partnership deal among the producers  GMA Films, Agosto Dos Pictures and Reality Entertainment  that was inked last Dec. 12.

Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles lead star Dingdong Dantes said in a presscon, “I believe in collaboration, and most of the time, there are better results when it is a collaboration,” citing that the combined resources and minds help ensure a better outcome.

Dingdong’s production outfit Agosto Dos Pictures first teamed up with GMA Films and Reality Entertainment in 2012 for the first installment titled Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles. Dingdong said that from the onset, director Erik Matti envisioned Aswang Chronicles as a franchise. “It can go beyond two or three movies…all I can say is, watch out for the ending,” he added.

The sequel Kubot picks up the story where it left off in the place called Pulupandan, where the entire aswang massacre happened. The protagonists led by aswang slayer Macoy (Dingdong) leave the place and past behind. But just when they think they finally have their peace and quiet, trouble comes back at them from aswangs of another kind called Kubot.

Direk Erik, who is an Ilonggo, said that Kubot, in Visayan folklore, refers to a clan of long-haired female aswangs.

Despite the aswang theme, Dingdong stressed that it stands apart from the horror films in this year’s MMFF line-up. “We consider ours more of a crossover between horror, comedy and adventure, and there’s action in it also. It’s a little bit of everything. Because we’ve seen our strengths in Tiktik — horror and comedy. The others, in respect to their material, they are straight horror, right? (In our film) we have variety.”

Playing Dingdong’s villains are Elizabeth Oropesa, leader of the Kubot, and KC Montero as the avenging son of the aswang clan leader who was killed in Tiktik.

KC described his character named Doms, “My methods are very aggressive, he’s a new-generation (aswang)…(my character) is very strong with tongue power (laughs).”

It was very challenging for KC because “I’m not an actor. I’ve not done movies since 2002. My last movie was with Judy Ann Santos and I still had hair at that time. (All these years) I’ve kinda stuck to TV hosting and radio.”

According to direk Erik, for the role of Doms, they wanted someone whose built alone could create a visual presence that would make viewers think, that the protagonist is in serious trouble.

KC recalled, “They asked, ‘KC we have a movie role for you. Have you seen Tiktik?’ ‘Yes,’ ‘We want you to be a kontrabida to Dingdong.’ My first reaction was, ‘Talaga? Why me?’ This is my first time to play such an important and big role. And I had a lot of fun. Direk told me that the character, he should be somewhat cocky, medyo ma-angas, may yabang.

“It was very hard. I watched a lot of movies like I was looking at the character of Nicolas Cage in Face-Off. I was looking at Joker in Batman, but not as crazy as him. At the end of the day, it was really just… I just pretended who I was, it was a really awkward experience, but it was really fun. My first day on the set with the legendary Erik Matti, (we shot) my most intense scene. And there was no script, I had to make the script, I had to ad-lib the whole thing kasi sabi ni direk, bahala ka na KC.”

He added, “It was really cool to do the film, to especially have fight scenes with Dingdong. We had a fight choreographer but for the most part, we did our stunts and the fighting.”

The stunts also proved daunting for Isabelle Daza, who plays a kick-ass character who will be on Dingdong’s side in the aswang battle.

“Oh my gosh! Sobra yung stunts ko dito, like at 4 a.m. nandun na kami sa Binondo and I had to climb four storeys of a building na naka-rig ako. I can’t imagine how Spider-Man did it. I had fear of heights but I had to do it, to give the film authenticity. I tried not to look down. I had no stunt double.”

According to Dingdong, the sequel truly doubled up on the action sequences as well as the effects. Whereas before, Tiktik was entirely made with green screen (chroma key) technology, Kubot was also shot on location, particularly in Binondo, and a team of Chinese kung-fu stuntmen and riggers were flew in for scenes that involved flying, hanging and jumping.

Direk Erik said that they combined real and digital prosthetics to give the aswangs in Kubot a distinct look. The film was also painstaking and tedious to make, and it took them about eight months to finish it.

Nevertheless, the director said he’s extremely proud of the film that brings back the original cast members Joey Marquez and Ramon Bautista (who resurfaces as a new character) alongside Lotlot de Leon, Bogart the Explorer, Julie Anne San Jose, Abra and newcomer Hanna Ledesma.

This is the first film of Hanna, a former beauty queen who was recommended to take over the role vacated by Lovi Poe — a move that stirred controversy and drew sharp reactions then from direk Erik. But that’s “water under the bridge now,” he said.

“Of course, all of us in the industry, we want to make a beautiful film. So, as much as we could, we wanted to get everyone we wanted to be part of it. But right now, with Hanna with us, she’s doing a really good job as Sonia (the love interest of Macoy). You’re gonna see her in a really long opening of the movie. From the time they leave the house in Pulupandan, up to the time they ride on a bus and are about to make it to Manila, you’re gonna see her get ready for marriage with Macoy. You’ll see that she did justice to the role of Sonia in the previous franchise. Dati, nagpa-panic kami na hindi kami matatapos. Now the movie’s done, everyone’s happy. With Hanna with us, everything is OK. If I weren’t able to find Hanna, maybe I wouldn’t be OK.”

When the producers were asked what are their box-office projections for Kubot, which cost them roughly P70M to P80M to make, Reality Entertainment’s Dondon Monteverde said,“Tiktik did well in the box-office (in 2012). I hope all the producers (in the MMFF) will earn.”

Dingdong said it’s worth it. “If you love your job, your audience, you don’t want to shortchange them, that’s why I’m happy I have co-producers and we have the same vision when it comes to making films, and so we came up with this material.”