'The Drift' shows Cebuano horror cinema can have global appeal

After six months of production earlier this year, the Cebuano horror film "The Drift," produced by Dark Horse Film Productions and Nathiña Film Productions, premiered November 16 at SM Seaside Cinema, where the Centerstage theater was met with shrieks and applause over the film's intense scenes.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

Written and directed by Nathaniel Bunyi, the film focuses on three siblings — Analyn, Arriane, and Joel (played by Nathaniel's wife Miña Richie Bunyi, Megrez San Juan, and Janelle Dan Tero, respectively) who move back to their childhood home after losing their older sister and parents in a house fire. There, they meet an older woman occupying their former home, Lorna (Mona Jane Pono), who claims to be their aunt.

Throughout its one-hour-and-40-minute runtime, strange occurrences begin as soon as they settle in. They see visions of ghostly figures in their new home, and they seem to lose track of time. It escalates to a terrifying breakdown that forces the three siblings to confront the tragedy that almost pulled them apart.

"Our movie is more than just the jumpscares," San Juan said at a press conference before its premiere. "The film also tackles realistic problems that occur in a family, which is actually scarier because they are real."

Rated PG by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the film's main cast also includes Norlaine Selgas as Amy and Jaypee James Alcorcon as Jaypee.