Piolo Pascual
With the extremely tight schedule he keeps, actor Piolo Pascual said he was ready to turn down the offer to do “Mallari,” which would eventually be his first horror film.
But, shortly after the story was pitched, something happened to him that made him do a double take and eventually commit to the project fully.
Piolo is scheduled to shoot the movie, directed by Derick Cabrido, in September. “I said ‘no’ to it initially because I would be coming from a musical play (Tanghalang Una Obra’s ‘Ibarra’) and I will also be on tour in July for the all-star concert of Cornerstone Entertainment artists. After that, I will be doing another concert tour in November, but this one happened,” Piolo told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent phone interview.
According to Cabrido, the project was developed in 2020 already with Piolo in mind. However, “Mallari” has since had a major change in storyline. From being a single character, the story will now feature three characters in three different timelines, the director said.
“When this was pitched, I said, ‘My gosh! I don’t have time to do three characters!’ They also plan to submit it for the MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) in December. I don’t want to work during Christmas,” Piolo began.
Based on a true story
“On the night the project was pitched, I went to work with Kyle (Echarri for another project, titled ‘The Ride’). We were talking with Joao (Constancia) about the Netflix movie ‘Dahmer,’ which is a story about a serial killer in the States. I wasn’t sure if it was Joao who asked if we ever have a serial killer in the Philippines. Eventually, he googled it and found that there’s one documented serial killer in the country. This was Severino Mallari,” said Piolo.
“The moment I heard this, I stood up. I had goosebumps because I thought, ‘This happened on the same day of the pitch.’ I had to catch my breath for a while. When I sat down, I told them about the pitch that same morning about a horror film titled ‘Mallari,’” he recalled.
Piolo said he was never informed during the pitch that ‘Mallari’ is based on a true story. “I read the synopsis but, all the while, I thought he was fictional. I said, ‘Lord, kung sign ito, I will listen to the pitch again.’ So they prepared another slide for the second pitching, and yeah, I went from saying ‘no’ to just committing to it fully. I just couldn’t pass up on it. I didn’t want to take for granted whatever sign I was shown. It was clear, and it happened on the same day,” he said.
Poster of Derick Cabrido’s “Mallari”
The film centers on Juan Severino Mallari, a Filipino Catholic priest who was also the first documented serial killer in the Philippines. He reportedly killed at least 57 people in Magalang, Pampanga. He reportedly committed the murders to help his mother, who was said to be bewitched or cursed. The priest believed that in order to combat black magic, he should sacrifice the lives of those who visited the church over the course of 10 years. Mallari was caught when he fell ill and multiple bloodied items were found in his possession.
Challenging character
Piolo then said he was well aware of the challenge of playing the character. “Yes, but it’s also quite an interesting topic to talk about. Sobrang hirap nito (This is going to be very tough)! This will definitely take me out of my comfort zone,” the actor stressed. “Just like in anything I do, I will cross the bridge when I get there. Right now, I’m focused on doing ‘Ibarra’ and I will eventually deal with everything after this run. It’s the same thing with ‘The Ride.’ As soon as I start filming that with Kyle, I will focus on that, too.”
The poster for “Mallari” was released last week and the news of his inclusion in the project has already been reported, Piolo noted. “They said other productions are also doing their take on it, so we had to go public with the project. Admittedly, it’s another chapter in my career. It’s good that these things come at a certain time in my life when I can already take them on. I was able to block a couple of weeks for ‘Mallari,’ so I guess it’s happening,” said Piolo, followed by nervous laughter.
“Mallari,” is written by Enrico Santos. Its director, Cabrido, also megged the 2019 horror film “Clarita,” which starred Jodi Sta. Maria and was based on what happened to 17-year-old Clarita Villanueva, the first recorded demonic possession in the Philippines in 1953.
Meanwhile, “Ibarra” will run from June 8 to June 18 at the GSIS Theater in Manila. INQ