A gripping tale of strange experiences caught on camera

MANILA, Philippines — A group of amateur celebrity ghost hunters is embarking on an adventure where the real and reel as well as the natural and supernatural worlds intersect.

Each is bringing his or her fears and courage to document and discover what exactly inhabits an abandoned and haunted health care facility.

They may have an idea, but it remains a figment of their imagination or a product of what has been said by the previous daring visitors until they step into the main setting, a specific time and place, of “Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital.”

The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry, described as a meta, found footage horror film in which actors portray themselves and capture their collective stories through GoPro cameras, is a unique horror tale that one must consider and watch.

It’s not strange, but it’s not that frequent to look at the setting of a story as another “character” that may support the human characters in fulfilling a goal, let’s say, to give viewers compelling content or chase clout and fame, or in preventing them from achieving it.

It’s like a “disembodied,” non-human character that has limitless knowledge of the place and plays the emotions of its guests.

The setting is crucial in any narrative, for it affects the mood of the characters and the mode of their movements and actions.

It’s not surprising why “Strange Frequencies” producers Dondon Monteverde, filmmaker Erik Matti, and actor Enrique Gil decided to film their MMFF movie, now showing in theaters, in Taiwan to give authenticity to it.

“Well, una sa lahat, ang dami ng horror movies na ginagawa sa Pilipinas (first of all, a lot of horror films have been done in the Philippines),” said Dondon in a recent press conference. “We wanted to bring in a different texture and a different sensibility when it comes to horror kahit adaptation siya (even if it’s an adaptation).”

By the way, “Strange Frequencies” was based on “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum,” a South Korean film.

“Ginawa natin na Pinoy pa rin yung touch with a touch of Taiwan, di ba? (what we’ve come up with is a film with a Filipino and Taiwanese touch),” added he, referring to the supernatural manifestations such as ghosts and religions found in and unique to Taiwan.

“Para iba naman totally ang mapanood ng horror fans, kaya nag-decide kami na talaga sa Taiwan (so that horror fans will totally watch a different film this time).

They did research about the film setting and found it to be one of the most haunted places in Asia.

“Duon tayo pumunta (let’s go there) because the location is a part of a show,” said he.

The cast members, composed of Enrique, the leader of ghost hunters, Rob Gomez, Alexa Miro, Jane De Leon, MJ Lastimosa, tarot reader Raf Pineda, and content creator Ryan “Zarckaroo” Asurin, stayed in Taiwan for almost a month with the production team.

“Napaka-ganda nung experience na nagkaroon muna kami ng fun nights bago kami sumugod sa Xinglin Hospital kasi duon medyo nag-warm up na, nakilalala namin yung isa’t-isa, nakapag-kwentuhan na ng mga personal life (it was good that we had fun nights before entering the hospital because we had the opportunity to warm up with and get to know each other and talk about personal lives),” said MJ, adding that each has different life experiences.

Her stints in the national and international beauty pageants somehow came handy in filming “Strange Frequencies.” She knows how to get along with people and to work on her own.

“I would do my own hair and makeup and I went to another country, iba-iba yung lenggwahe ng mga taong nakakasama ko (the candidates were speaking in different languages),” recalled she of her pageant days.

“It’s nothing new, but this time, it’s a different scenario in a sense that we’re doing a content,” she gave one a sneak peek into her “Strange Frequencies” acting experience. As the actress and character MJ, she didn’t expect to go to a floor alone, and in the middle of the night, she burst into tears. “It’s not usual to be in a place that’s really haunted, and you don’t know what to expect,” said she.

It’s safe to say that being part of “Strange Frequencies,” given its genre and theme, is one for the books for everyone who participated in it.

MJ acknowledged the collaboration and cooperation of fellow stars for managing to stay in a haunted place and surpassing the challenges of filming.

Enrique was grateful for the commitment and hard work the cast put in the film.

“I’m just so really thankful and happy that everyone was so game because it’s no joke to shoot this film, to be honest, in an abandoned place,” said he, emphasizing that everybody was game and on the same page despite hazards such as bats and mosquitoes inhabiting the place. “I just have to commend all.”

With that, watch the engaging and extraordinary tales the actors of “Strange Frequencies” caught on camera in cinemas.