Return of the ‘T’yanak’

JUDY Ann Santos plays adoptive mom to a monster

After the critical success of their collaborative project “Sonata” for last year’s Sineng Pambansa, directors Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes team up once again for “T’yanak,” one of four entries in Sineng Pambansa Horror plus Film Festival this month.

Gallaga and Reyes, who are responsible for several unforgettable “Shake, Rattle & Roll” films, worked on the horror hit “Tiyanak,” produced by Regal in 1988.

In this “Tiyanak” reboot, the duo gathers a topnotch cast, led by Judy Ann Santos, Solenn Heussaff, Sid Lucero and Tom Rodriguez.

“T’yanak” centers on an adoptive mother (Santos) whose baby transforms into a monster, terrorizing a sleepy town.

In this retelling of the “goblin” legend, Gallaga and Reyes took full advantage of technological advancements such as computer-generated imagery (CGI) to bring the story to life, unlike the first version that used puppets.

Gallaga and Reyes’ previous award-winning horror films include “Hiwaga sa Balete Drive” (1988), which won Best Production Design (for the late Don Escudero) at the Film Academy of the Philippines, and “Shake, Rattle & Roll II” (1990), which won Best Production Design (also for Escudero), Visual Effects (Sammy Aranzamendez and Benny Batoctoy) and Makeup (Dennis Julio Y. Tan, Dominique Nazareth and Andrea Manahan) at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Other filmmakers in the lineup are Gil Portes (“Hukluban”), Romy Suzara (“Sigaw sa Hatinggabi”) and Edgardo “Boy” Vinarao (“Bacao”).

Presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in partnership with SM Cinema, the fest will run from October 29 to November 4 in all SM cinemas nationwide at regular admission prices.

All four films are inspired by different stories from Filipino folklore and regional beliefs.