If you thought “Gabi ng Lagim” as seen on TV was scary well, the big screen cranks the chills to eleven.
Show host Jessica Soho herself calls it a “big leap” and she means it.
“Napakalaking lundag nito ika nga, big leap ho ito para sa amin from the small screen to the big screen,” she told us at a recent screening. “Binusisi talaga ito, piling-pili po ‘yung mga kuwento, pinabongga ‘yung mga special effects, lahat po binuhos na namin dito.”
“Inilevel up, pinabongga ho ito kasi ginawa ho naming experiential kung dati nanonood lang ho tayo sa TV screen, ngayon papasok ho kayo sa malamig at madilim na sinehan para sa ‘Gabi ng Lagim: The Movie,'” she added.
The film brings to life three stories: “Pocong,” “Berbalang,” and “Sanib.”
In “Pocong,” Miguel Tanfelix stars as Mark, an OFW seaman who discovers that ghosts don’t care about your work schedule. They will terrorize you more than the possibility of sea pirates taking over your ship.
Meanwhile, in “Berbalang,” hottie Sanya Lopez battles a rural terror—a flesh-eating aswang straight out of Tawi-Tawi lore called, well, Berbalang.
Finally, in “Sanib,” Jillian Ward is Angel, a teen whose demons—both literal and figurative—test a priest-in-training’s faith.
The team behind these stories was, in Soho’s words, “purposefully picked” for their cinematic expertise.
Yam Laranas directs “Pocong” from a script he co-wrote with Onay Sales-Camero. Dodo Dayao directs and writes “Berbalang,” while GMA resident director King Mark Baco makes his horror debut in “Sanib,” from a script written by Anton Santamaria and Sales-Camero.
This isn’t cheap thrills. Each story carries social weight: OFW struggles, abuses of power, mental health, and Gen Z anxieties.
“We made sure na relevant. Hindi lang ito mananakot na pelikula, pag-iisipin ka rin niya,” insisted Jessica.
She further maintained: “Ang nakakatakot ho dito, hindi lang ho ito kathang-isip—totoong mga karanasan ng totoong mga tao, so hango sa totoong mga pangyayari kaya nga ho mas lalong nakakatakot.”
“KMJS: Gabi ng Lagim The Movie” is produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs in partnership with Sony Pictures Releasing International.
Now showing in cinemas.
