Showbiz Periscope

TALE OF A RETREAT HOUSE

By Pablo A. Tariman
Manila
December 24, 2015



       The project probably didn’t come easy for Director Lana as he has to work with a cast not necessarily the “kilig” prince and princess of the hour and whose following isn’t connected with blockbuster movies.

       But it worked for Lana as he was able to evince natural acting from the relatively unknown actors.

       But to one’s surprise, Janella Salvador comes up with a performance worthy of the critic’s attention while newcomers Marlo Mortel and Jerome Ponce show a lot of promise.

The seasoned actors, however, make a strong presence in the film namely Vangie Labalan, Janice de Belen, Archie Adamos, Joem Bascon and Iza Calsado, among others.

       The setting is an old house now converted into a retreat venue for young people who are inclined to make fun of spirits inhabiting old houses.

       To the horror of those tasked to keep order in the retreat house.

       The suspense builds up when young people meet untimely death.

       Salvador, for one, holds her own as Ella and it is comforting to see a young actor metamorphose into a focused performer.

       Having watched the film on a midnight screening after a busy day, one was prepared to doze off and indeed the film might just look like a backdrop from a recurring nightmare. 

As it is, Lana re-emerged a fine and sharp storyteller in this film and the solid, if, unerring craftsmanship will surely make him a top contender in the best director category in this coming Metro Manila Film Festival.

He made the best out of the young cast enough to make Salvador a contender for best actress. But the most revealing virtuoso performance was that of a dead woman with a horrible past played with incandescent brilliance by Calzado.

On top of it, this horror film has outstanding cinematography, an excellent musical scoring and a fairly commendable production design.

“Haunted Mansion” is – thus far – one of my candidates for best picture and best director for Jun Lana who -- in his latest outputs -- has proven he is at his best doing both indie and mainstream projects.    

“Haunted Mansion” produced by Regal Films opens on December 25.