Yam: Horror is the most visual of all the genres

You seem to be fascinated by thrillers (Sigaw, Patient X, etc.), Why so?

“I’ve directed drama and a romantic film and I enjoy them. But it’s true I’m specially fascinated by mystery and horror. Horror is like a universal language that everyone speaks no matter what country or culture they are from.

“I’m a very visual director and horror is the most visual of all the genres. It’s a genre that tells its stories with powerful imagery, atmosphere, symbolisms, etc. I enjoy creating that atmosphere and that alternate world.”

How did you conceptualize All Souls Night?

“All Souls Night is about finding out how much horror can happen in such a confined space such as a house. An ordinary house with an ordinary family. What can go wrong? A lot can go wrong. We know this in real life, e.g. ‘kyat bah,’ etc. All Souls Night pushes this idea to extremes.”

Why Aloy Adlawan and Jules Katanyag as the movie’s directors and not you?

“Aloy and Jules are fantastic directors. I thought that this genre needed a different point-of-view. They are experts in writing and directing in both cinema and television.”

Do you have a hand in choosing the actors?

“Viva, ALIUD and I all had a hand in choosing the actors.”

As a housemaid in a mysterious house, Andi is megged by two directors, Aloy Adlawan (left) and Jules Katanyag

How was it working with Andi?

“Andi is a dream to work with because she’s just simply a great actress. Very natural. She has a strong onscreen presence. She’s real and so the scene becomes real and the made-up world becomes real. Great actors like Iza (Calzado) in Sigaw, Andi in All Souls, and Anne (Curtis) in Aurora make the audience get into the story.”

Does having a woman as lead character make it more scary?

“I’ve heard it said that women are cast in horror films because they are perceived to be more vulnerable, more expressive and more interesting than male actors who are thought to be not vulnerable and less expressive. But I think this preconception is limiting. I like strong women characters.”

What happened after Sigaw was remade by Hollywood (re-titled The Echo)?

“Sigaw getting remade as The Echo is the gift that keeps on giving. I get a kick out of learning how it’s still being discovered and watched all these years after. After that, I made The Road (with TJ Trinidad, Alden Richards, Rhian Ramos and Barbie Forteza), followed by a very small passion project called Abomination (with Tippy Dos Santos). I shot a film in Toronto that is yet to be released, and then Aurora.”