A new horror film is brewing — and so is a fresh creative alliance.
This September, GMA Pictures and Mentorque Productions will begin filming “Huwag Kang Titingin,” a chilling story directed by Frasco Mortiz and written by Ays de Guzman — both of whom were part of the blockbuster 2013 horror hit “Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay,” which starred Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
Beyond the scares and suspense lies a partnership between two creative forces. And it started with a message on Facebook Messenger. Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes of GMA Pictures reached out to John Bryan Diamante of Mentorque with a simple idea:
“Ang tagal na namin nag-iisip kung ano puwede naming gawin together. Tapos sabi ko, ‘Why not ito na lang muna?’”
Bryan called it the “fastest pitch ever.”
“For me kasi, collaborating with them means understanding how they do it.”
Mentorque, he explained, is still defining itself.
“The company is there, pero hinahanap pa namin ‘yung direksyon namin.”
Partnering with GMA was both strategic and aspirational.
“The best thing to do is to collaborate with everyone established already. Iba pa rin ang reach ng GMA,” Bryan said. “Every time nagkikita kami ni Miss Annette, we talk about collaboration.”
Atty. Annette emphasized that this wasn’t just about one film — it was about building a culture of collaboration.
“Gusto ko talaga i-foster lalo na sa movie industry that everyone can work together. Mas maganda na cooperative lahat, walang competition. Tapos win-win ‘yung nangyayari. Kasi ang liit ng industry and the struggles that we have so mas maganda ‘yung stronger together.”
She also shared what she saw in Mentorque.
“Very impressive ‘yung mga first ventures nila — as in, ang lakas talaga. And I think ‘yun ‘yung kailangan din ng industry: new blood, new ideas, new ways of doing things, which meron ang Mentorque.”
Mentorque’s roots in the horror genre made “Huwag Kang Titingin” an ideal first project.
“Syempre ‘yung pinanggalingan nilang blockbuster movie is a horror movie,” she noted. “So naisip ko nga, meron tayong horror movie, sabihin ko na kay Bryan baka gusto nila mag-partner.”
“What’s masaya is they’re open to our suggestions. ‘Yun ang maganda. Hindi mahirap ang usapan,” Bryan said. “On the producers’ part, we appreciate ‘yung reach ng GMA, their legacy, their mastery…”
The cast is a youthful mix, led by Sofia Pablo, Allen Ansay and Marco Masa, alongside “PBB: Collab” alumni Shuvee Etrata, Charlie Fleming, Michael Sager, Josh Ford and Kira Balinger.
“Originally it’s the project for Sofia Pablo and Allen Ansay,” Atty. Annette shared. “Tapos meron, syempre, inisip namin sino talaga ‘yung mga okay na ipasok para mukha talaga silang barkada — na mag-jell together.”
“Dahil medyo maiingay rin ‘yung mga artists, lumaki rin ‘yung mga ibang roles nila.”
When asked about Shuvee’s rising popularity, Atty. Annette explained: “Actually, favorite siya ng brands. Kasi ang tagal na namin siyang inaalagaan and napakabait kasi talaga na bata. So even before PBB, pinu-push namin siya talaga. Pero napansin siya after PBB. Dati ayaw ninyo siyang pansinin, ngayon hindi na namin siya makita…”
With the film shooting in September, speculation has begun: is this an MMFF entry?
“’Yung original pinag-uusapan namin dati, gawa tayo for MMFF one day,” Atty. Annette admitted. “Parang mag-join forces tayo, ganun. Pero ‘yung mga MMFF movies kasi takes two years to plan, so parang hindi muna ito… pero pwede natin i-try!”
Still, Bryan was hesitant:
“Ako, nag-stay away ako talaga kasi parang after nung back-to-back (‘Mallari’ and ‘Uninvited’), parang kakapagod talaga siya.”
Annette replied with a laugh: “Tayong dalawa naman, so hati tayo sa pagod.”
And yes — the assumptions are flying.
“Akala nila for MMFF ito for sure,” Bryan said.
Atty. Annette, optimistic, responded: “Pwede naman nating itry.”
She added that the cast may bring a new kind of pull to the project: “At least itong cast natin malakas sa social media. Baka the first project to assemble several ‘PBB: Collab’ alumnus so far.”
For Bryan, “Huwag Kang Titingin” is just one step in a longer creative journey. He’s already eyeing a potential “Mallari” limited series.
“Actually ako nga ang iniisip ko ‘yung ‘Mallari’ — supposedly a series, like a limited series. Syempre we’re experimenting, ‘di ba? Pero iba ‘yung ‘Mallari’ na series, na in our perspective.”
He sees potential in teaming up with GMA for more genre-driven content.
“Sila, they are really good with ‘Encantadia,’ di ba? May mga ganung tayo — mga pangarap, pangarap, pangarap.”
And while he has a dream project on Biringan in mind, he knows the process takes time.
“We’re learning. We’re trying to learn. So ‘yun ang maganda. We want to do this right.”
When asked if this is the beginning of something lasting, both partners were optimistic.
“We’re really open to working with everyone in the industry,” Bryan said. “The entire team at GMA — that is, Nessa — are very open to collaboration. When we got together, they were open to our suggestions talaga.”
Even down to the shooting location, the collaboration was smooth.
“Sabi ko nga sana na-shoot natin sa Batangas ‘to. ‘Yun ‘yung proposal namin,” Bryan said.
Annette agreed: “’Yung story kasi talagang dapat outside Metro Manila. So puwedeng puwede.”
So is this the beginning of a long-term alliance?
“Matagal na naming gustong mag-join forces,” said Annette. “This is the start.”
