“Lilim,” Mikhail Red’s newest horror outing, received praise from international critics
when it was screened at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands last January.
Now, we know why.
The film is quite the crowd-pleaser; with Mikhail ticking all the right boxes’ making for a first-rate psychological, occult horror outing that is as gratifying as any.
This one could actually compete with the best Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia or South Korea could offer.
The colors, the mood, the setting, the camera work, all worked together seamlessly.
The score was apt.
And the surprise twist in the end is momentous, vital.
Mikhail is not taking all the credit for it though.
He noted that the participation of his dad, award-winning filmmaker Raymond Red, as film cinematographer, together with brother Nikolas Red, as co-writer, makes “Lilim” a collaborative effort.
“For sure, their involvement added a lot to make the film what it is,” he said.
“Lilim” is not a big-budget epic but according to Mikhail, that is where the Filipino
creative excels.
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“I think ‘Lilim’ is a good example as to how far we could go given limited funds,” he said. “From the sound design to the CGI (computer-generated imagery) used, to the prosthetic and the stunts, we are proving that the Philippines could be competitive in the horror genre.”
If we have any complaint, and we are nitpicking here, is that Mikhail held back in
terms of eroticism.
We could only imagine what We Craven or John Carpenter could have done with
“Lilim.”
In an alternate universe, the film, filled as it is with sexy, tattooed nuns, young,
horny orphan boys, a buxom, shotgun-toting leading lady, a couple of hardnosed
but idiotic cops, could actually be a sexy gore-fest.
Oh, well.
“Lilim” is now in cinemas.
