Piolo Pascual will play three different roles in this decades-spanning period horror flick that will let us experience fear like never before.
Following announcements of the same vein, Pinoy horror movie fans are in for another spine-chilling treat with the unveiling of the latest project of the ultimate leading man, Piolo Pascual. The award-winning actor is set to showcase his range once more and scare the living daylights out of us in the historical horror, Mallari, a retelling of the true-to-life account of a 19th-century Filipino parish priest and his blood-curdling series of murders. Do you feel the goosies already? Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from this thrilling horror flick.
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THE FIRST FILIPINO SERIAL KILLER
While most details about the movie have yet to be fully announced yet, it’s confirmed that Mallari is inspired by the true events surrounding the story of Fr. Juan Severino Mallari, a Kapampangan priest who is believed to have been on a killing spree in the early 1800s, murdering at least 57 of his parishioners in the town of Magalang, Pampanga.
While there are no historical records of how he committed his heinous crimes, historian and psychiatrist Dr. Luciano Santiago explains in the book, Kapampangan Pioneers in the Philippine Church, that Mallari’s murderous exploits were rooted in the belief that his mother was bewitched (nakulam) and that taking innocent lives would undo the black magic. Mallari is the first serial killer to be documented in Philippine history as well as the first Filipino priest to be hanged.
Mallari’s plot will revolve around three different timelines: the Spanish occupation (1851), the post-war period (1950), and the present time (2023), with Piolo Pascual taking on a different role in each era.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
As mentioned, Piolo Pascual will headline the cast of Mallari. This is also the seasoned actor’s first time to be the lead of a horror film and to play different roles in one movie to boot. Pascual will be teaming up with director Derick Cabrido, a certified genre expert who previously helmed the Nora Aunor-led Tuos, the Netlfix Originals offering U-Turn, and the Black Sheep-produced Clarita, for which he won a best director award in international film festivals.
Adding to the film’s pedigree is writer and creative producer Joaquin Enrico Santos, known for his work on blockbusters like the rom-com classic Labs Kita…Okay Ka Lang? and the DonBelle movie An Inconvenient Love. Produced by Mentorque Productions and Cleverminds Inc., Mallari promises to serve us a whole other level of terror. With Pascual and a talented team behind the scenes, we can’t wait to see what kind of spine-tingling magic they will bring to the screen.
COMING SOON
Mallari is currently in the pre-production stage according to Cabrido. But with an expansive story that’s sure to make our skin crawl and with three Piolos to entertain us, the hype is definitely on. You can stay tuned to Mentorque Productions’ social media page for more updates about this must-see bone-chilling tale. Meanwhile, Piolo Pascual’s other projects include the Ibarra musical coming this June and Replacing Chef Chico, a new television series with Alessandra de Rossi.
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