Banal

Tales of haunted houses and ghosts abound as materials for books and films.  But seldom do we encounter tales that are sourced from what exist as elements of nature.

From the newspapers to the internet, there have been various articles that talk about strange experiences when one goes mountaineering.  In the Philippines alone, there are certain mountains that are revered as sacred by mystics and healers while some are feared as cursed and should never be visited.

There have been reports about people getting lost in the forest, even though they have guides who have years of experience going up and down the mountain trails.  In some cases, those who disappeared while on a hiking trail were never found.

More phenomenal are the experiences of people who feel a certain unexplainable presence while in the forest, even in the company of others.  Needless to say, mysterious occurrences happen when people least expect it. Surprisingly, many people just can’t get enough of haunted mountain tales.   It is perhaps one aspect of our local culture that we have a penchant for wanting to know more about the horrifying adventures into the unknown—regardless of how scary these tales seem to be.

And from these stories come the inspiration for the thriller “Banal,” a film about a group of young mountain adventurers who got lost in the dense forest.  But since the movie is inspired by true events, it promises to go beyond basic and common narrative. There are several instances in the film that are said to be culled from actual experiences of those who have gone to the mountains and came back with the darkest and creepiest of experiences.

But “Banal” is not your typical horror movie.  It talks about the issues most young people have to deal with such as growing up or “adulting,” family issues, and millennial situations life has to offer.  Bringing these burdened young people into the woods just made things more complicated than it is supposed to be. Given these emotional overtures plus a myriad of supernatural experiences, this movie is indeed taking a different stance from the run-of-the-mill horror flicks.

“Banal” is top-billed by Bianca Umali, Miguel Tanfelix, Andrea Brillantes, Taki and Kim Last.  It is produced by APT Entertainment. It will be shown in cinemas on May 29.