THE beautiful Yam Concepcion is out with a new film.
It is not what many of us were hoping.
The actress is known for playing seductive characters that easily feed into her audiences hidden desires.
Not this time.
She veers off in “Nightshift,” a horror presentation from Viva Films.
In it, she plays the hapless Jessie, a hospital worker trapped in a morgue full of decaying corpses.
Agreeing to work on the film is a no-brainer for the 31-year-old.
“I want change,” she says. “Gusto ko maiba naman.”
Apparently, she has had it with people mistaking her for the roles she plays.
“May mga tao na apektado masyado dun sa roles na ginagawa ko na iniisip nila ako na ‘yun in real life, na parang kerida ako o mang-aagaw ng asawa so, ako parang teka lang, iba naman gagawin ko.”
But why horror?
“I haven’t done one and I’m happy that my first is going to be a Yam Laranas film. I’m a huge Yam Laranas fan. Matagal ko na siyang gustong makatrabaho. So ito, nung in-offer sa akin, wala na akong tanong tanong pa, umoo na agad ako.”
Note, Laranas has been praised here and abroad for his previous horror movies, including “Aurora” (2018), “The Road” (2011), and “Sigaw” (2004), for which he won a Special Award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film (BIFFF).
“Kaya nga nakakatuwa na ako napili niya for this film,” says Concepcion. “Alam mo na lang din kasi na quality film kapag Yam Laranas.”
Then there’s the possibility of “Nightshift” allowing her to stretch her acting abilities.
“Na-excite ako nung sinabi ni direk (Laranas) na in the film, most of the time, wala akong co-actor na masasandalan. I will have to react doon sa mga nangyayari sa paligid ko, sa set, which, of course, as an actor, is a huge challenge,” she relates.
And it was hard.
Concepcion admits, “Oo, kasi I have to make sure na every take totoo ang dating talaga, na totoong nagulat o natakot ako kasi, sa akin nakasalalay lahat e. Sa akin dapat mag-a-identify ‘yung manonood e.”
One would think Concepcion braver than most accepting a role in a horror film but she admits, “Naku, matatakutin ako.”
“I watch horror films pero takot ako talaga. Hindi ako nanonood mag-isa. Kailangan may kasama ako.”
But “Nightshift” is not your usual horror film.
According to Laranas, it goes beyond the usual thrills as it also examines people’s belief in the so-called after life.
Laranas explains, “Whenever I make a horror film, I don’t just create scares for the heck of it, kailangan may pinangagalingan, may pinaghuhugutan, and usually it’s reality. ‘Yung totoo. Ano ba ang kinakatakutan ng marami? This is because I want people to relate to it organically.”
“Nightshift” opens in cinemas Jan. 22. (Neil Ramos)
