Master horror storyteller Chito Roño initially didn’t want to venture into horror again, but there’s a compelling reason why he’s returning to the genre with the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2024 entry “Espantaho,” produced by Quantum Films.
Direk Chito, whose last horror film was “Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan,” admitted that he’s been getting script offers, including for submission to this year’s 50th MMFF, and “lahat sila gusto horror ang gawin ko.”
He said that he’s been vocal about wanting to do drama. “Nakalimutan na nila na meron akong ‘Private Show,’ ‘Olongapo,’ ‘Dekada 70,’ ‘Yamashita,’ ‘Bata, Bata… Paano ka Ginawa?’ lahat yun. Ang naalala nila ‘Feng Shui’ (laughs),” he said, referring to his now-iconic horror movie, during an intimate media interview, including The STAR.
When asked what type of film he would prefer to do instead of horror, he said, “Gusto ko musical, charing! Pero nagawa ko na rin yun (‘Emir’). I really want to do drama. Or horror comedy, but more of a comedy. Natatakot ka, sisigaw ka pero matutuwa ang mga tao.”
However, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to direct Espantaho, primarily because it was his own brainchild.
“Idea ko yung project,” he shared. “Gusto ko naman siya, wala naman pumilit sa akin.”
Based on the synopsis, “Espantaho” tells the story of Monet (Judy Ann Santos) and her mother Rosa (Lorna Tolentino) who are mourning over the death of the family patriarch Pabling (Emil Sandoval). The harvest from Pabling’s rice land helped them survive all these years, but when a drought came, Monet had to put up a small business, buying and selling antiques.
After the burial, Pabling’s legal wife Adele (Chanda Romero) arrives with her children Roy (Mon Confiado) and Andie (Janice de Belen) to claim the land property. But as arrangements are being made during the nine days of pasiyam, dark secrets and a malevolent plot unravel. Monet and Rosa must confront past traumas and a supernatural evil to save their family.
According to direk Chito, the concept for the film stemmed from his own fascination with antiques.
“I’m into antiques, but may takot talaga ako sa antiques kasi baka mamaya may dalang mumu sa banga. If there’s an antique with a very long history, takot talaga ako. I have things at my house which I bought pero ang lalim ng pag-aaral ko bago ko siya kinuha,” he said.
“That’s where the idea came from. It’s like, consciously, you have this fear that something might be coming with the item. I don’t know if you have that same thinking or feeling that when you buy something na may pinanggalingan na ‘di maganda, mapupunta din sayo yung malas.”
But that’s as much as he’s willing to reveal about the plot. “O nga pala, shut up na tayo,” he quipped, drawing laughter.
The film boasts a powerhouse cast led by Judy Ann and Lorna.
Direk Chito explained, “Matagal na kami magkaibigan ni Juday. She wasn’t married yet. She was just a teenage star. I’ve always promised that I will give her a project, but palagi kaming ‘di natutuloy — ewan ko ba. So now, I told her — I call her ‘Curacha’ — Curacha, gusto mo ba itong pelikula ko? Padala ko yung script. I sent it to her and she liked it.”
“She’s more mature and a lot different now,” he said of Judy Ann, whom he last worked with during her pre-“Esperanza” series days. “She’s very cooperative. She’s very professional. She comes in early. If the call time is 12 noon, she’ll be there at 10 a.m. All of them actually.”
The veteran filmmaker said of the rest of the cast, “They’re my friends. Lalo na si LT (Lorna Tolentino), we’ve done many projects together since ‘Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara,’ etc. My task was to make her a different character. It’s always a pleasant experience kapag ka-trabaho ko sila. There’s familiarity and better communication. And you already know the capacity of the actor.
“Same with Janice. I was able to work with Janice since Gabby Concepcion days. I was able to work with Chanda Romero in ‘Olongapo.’ Actually, she was the one who reminded me (laughs).”
He confessed to being weary of the horror genre. “Nagawa ko na halos lahat. Ay, nagawa ko na yan sa ‘Feng Shui,’ ay nagawa ko na yan sa ‘Sukob,’ pagod na ako,” he admitted candidly.
Despite that, he’s determined to offer something fresh with “Espantaho” because he’s not a fan of “repetition.”
“It’s very hard to compare (it with my past works). I always have this… how would I do it differently? Because I’ve done it several times already. Kailangan ibahin ko naman. Okay, may scene na nanakot. I try harder to come up with something new,” he said.
“Hindi ako mahilig sa umuulit eh. So, I try something new in filming some horror scenes so that there will be something unique in this picture. We try to do it differently every time. No (I don’t watch other films), for me, it comes organic, it comes with the script. It has to be not far from where we are.”
Produced by lawyer Joji Alonso’s Quantum Films for its 20th anniversary, with Cineko Productions and Judy Ann’s Purple Bunny Productions, “Espantaho” also stars JC Santos, Mon Confiado, Nico Antonio, Donna Cariaga, Kian Ko, Archi Adamos with Eugene Domingo and Tommy Abuel in very special roles. It opens on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, as part of the 10 MMFF entries.