‘Mallari’ beyond its gore and jump scares

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Scene from “Mallari” —MENTORQUE PRODUCTIONS

While the creators of “Mallari,” a movie about the only documented Filipino serial killer, hope it would be a box-office success because most audiences find the lives of serial killers to be fascinating, they pointed out that the film does not glorify or celebrate the murders in any way.

“Mallari,” with Piolo Pascual in the lead, is based on the horrific story of Filipino priest Severino Mallari, who lived in the 1800s and reportedly murdered 57 people to aid his ailing mother. His case is the only documented serial killing in the Philippines so far.

“It is important to note that the actions of serial killers are not glorified in any way here. There are still a lot of things we can learn from their stories, though. Serial murders don’t happen in a vacuum; there are both biological and environmental factors that affect how they become who they are,” the film’s director, Derick Cabrido, told Inquirer Entertainment.

“Mallari,” by Mentorque Productions, is an entry to the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, which runs starting Christmas Day.

Generational trauma

“In terms of our daily lives, we also want to show the importance of not judging people based on their appearances. The movie also shows how age, religion and status in life are not always indicators of innocence,” he pointed out.

Another important area that the film attempted to touch on is the “effect of generational trauma,” said Cabrido. “We may not be conscious of it all the time, but there’s a reason why, sometimes, generations in the same family go through similar challenges and experience similar hardships.”

“Mallari” features an intertwining three-timeline narrative: Father Mallari in the 1800s; Johnrey Mallari, the grandnephew in the 1940s; and most importantly, the present-day Jonathan Mallari, a doctor and a great-grand-nephew. Do they also think there are other Filipino serial killers? Writer Enrico Santos believes that “there are other multiple killers, but not serial killers by Western definition. The killings we tackled in ‘Mallari’ are the closest we have to a serial killer, and it is supernatural in nature.”

Derick Cabrido —DERICK CABRIDO/INSTAGRAM

Supernatural thriller

He pointed out that more than the depiction of serial killing, “we actually wanted to entertain the audience with a supernatural thriller,” he stressed. “We wanted the audience to see that even the idea of serial killing is a Western concept. We Filipinos never commit it because killings happen in our country for reasons other than psychological. In fact mostly, emotional—revenge, passion, a warped sense of justice, and yes, even love. We tried to show that in ‘Mallari.’”

Santos, however, said they feel that the data they’ve gathered on the 19th century priest was not enough. “So we tried to turn ‘Mallari’ into social commentary on what strikes fear among Filipinos today. In 1812, Filipinos feared demons and otherworldly beings. What did Filipinos fear most in 1946? According to our research, the news was that the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) had infiltrated the Philippines. Rumors were spread about the ‘aswang’ lurking in the provinces. There were people who would put blood on trees to scare the rebels hiding in the mountains in order to drive them back to the city,” Santos recalled.

“Today, we’re no longer scared of ghosts but of who might be hiding at the corner of the street, ready to pounce on us. The film is a good exploration of fear in Filipinos through the centuries. It’s not just meant to scare its audience. There’s also something cultural to it, an attempt to explain why Filipinos are always being made to feel scared by the Spaniards, the Americans and, today, by each other,” he pointed out.

As for Cabrido, he said it was highly unlikely that we have Filipino serial killers lurking around. “Because we haven’t heard any news about this,” he stressed. “But more than that, we, as a country, need to be more equipped with dealing with mental health concerns and disorders. We may not have serial killers, but we also don’t want to foster an environment that brings out the worst in people. Serial killers should remain on the screen, not walking around us.”

History of fear

Focusing on the film’s statement on the lack of awareness in dealing with mental health concerns, Cabrido said: “Mallari was sentenced to death by garote. This is a political issue. If today, you’d ask whether or not this was a fair sentence to a man who could be mentally ill, the answer is ‘no.’ We didn’t study mental health back in the 1800s. In the case of Mallari, he definitely suffered from multiple personality disorder. Did he have schizophrenia? Maybe. The story is multilayered—spiritual, political and, at the same time, psychological.”

Santos agreed by saying: “‘Mallari’ transcends the serial killing topic. The story is the history of fear in Filipinos from Spanish times until now. The story shows how even horror is tainted by politics. It shows that the greatest horror, to Filipinos, as always is love gone wrong.”

When asked whether they were prepared to hear negative reactions from the Catholic church on the negative depiction of a priest in the film, Cabrido said: “This really happened and had been reported. We’d be more careful about offending the Church if the film was fictionalized and if we merely set up the character.

“That is one of the things that’s unique to ‘Mallari.’ It’s true to life. Maybe, we were not able to faithfully follow what happened in the 1800s, but we were clear when we said what this was ‘inspired by.’ We tried our best to tell the story as accurately as we could.”