Download - The Analysis between International and Local Horror Films as perceived by Freshmen Students of Mapua Institute of Technology SY 2014 - 2015

Local vs. International Horror Films1

The Analysis between International and Local Horror Films as

perceived by

Freshmen Students of Mapua Institute of Technology School Year

2014 – 2015

A Research-based Extended Essay

Presented to

Professor Aida M. Alfaro

Mapua Institute of Technology

In partial fulfilment of the requirements in

English for Academic Purposes

ENG11 – B6

Submitted by:

Gilbert Ramilo


Aaron Zaeh Dilidili

Tiarra Mojel Manalo

Ma. Joasan Putong

March 13, 2015

Abstract

This research aimed to know the common yet rarely noticed Filipino custom that is present as of today which is the patronization of imported materials – in this case, the horror film. This is essential and important to the Filipinos, especially the youth and students because they constitute the majority of the Philippine population and to the local film makers for them to bridge the gap between their works and to the Filipino mass. This research came with new knowledge that may provide negative effects within to psychology and to our culture so the filmmakers and film audience should follow certain steps to counter-effect this practice.

For the researchers to have the reliable sources and knowledge, several references and materials like books, e-journals, articlesand different websites were utilized. Other information were gathered via the conducted interview with an expert such as a cinematography professor. In addition to, we conducted interviewswith non-experts which are moviegoers and students specialized inmass communication.

All of the information gathered shows that international horror movies could impose danger to our very own Filipino horror films


and to our mentality – shifting from Filipino to Western mentality. It is a continuous phenomenon that lessens our love ofour own works and the loss of our identity as Filipinos as well.

Justifiably, the love of imported horror films can be rectified since there are solutions found to, if not erase this practice among Filipinos, divert the interest of Filipinos to the Filipino-made horror movies.

Furthermore, there are suggestions that each of everyone of us need to follow to establish our interest in our films. Those suggestions include providing education to directors and to thoseexposed in film making, providing mass exposures of Filipino films via advertisements and government intervention.

Introduction

Mapua Institute of Technology uses all the necessary

technological equipments in different methods of gaining

knowledge to produce well-rounded students and students that are


much aware of the current affairs and practices. Through the

Institute, with the help of its medium of education and its

educators, helps its students not only to adapt innovations but

also to conduct this research that aims to provide answers to

some obvious but less known issues. This research was set to

focus with the behavior of Filipinos towards horror films and why

they favor the internationally-produced ones. In the matter of

this study, horror films will be discussed as well as the reasons

why this is happening, as well as to connect the Filipinos to the

horror films made by our Filipino directors and producers.

We love to go to movies. It is evident to each of everyone

of us – sometimes, we go to malls with our friends to watch our

favorite movies or just watch it on-line or by a disk player. We

never ask why we need to watch movies, especially horror films.

Perhaps, we just watch horror films because we just want to, or

just to have a feeling of an adrenaline rush or we just love to

see something horrible. In relation to this, it is observed that

we, Filipinos see international horror films before our very own.


We never asked why is this so but it is essential because at some

point, it can influence our psychology and also our very culture.

The thesis statement of our group, the Team Specs is,

“International films are far more favorable to watch, highly

patronized and recommended than Philippine-produced horror films

as perceived by freshmen Mapuan students, Batch 2014 – 2015.”

The research aims to help the readers of this research

study, especially the students of Mapua Institute of Technology

to guide them in choosing films that is worth the price and to

give solutions to widely known problem among Filipinos about

patronizing foreign products – in this case, horror films. The

result of this study is significant especially to those Filipino

producers to enhance their knowledge about the sentiments of the

movie audience and thus cope with their expectations to deliver

their films that will be enjoyed by them. The significance of

this essays aims to answer the following questions:

What is a horror film?


What is the difference between horror films of Filipinos and

horror films of other nationalities, and why Filipino films

were set aside?

Why this practice among Filipinos is present nowadays?

What are the negative contributions brought of this

practice?

What are the possible solutions and or steps to reverse the

effects of this practice?


“Horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and

panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst

fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating

and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.

They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our

nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions,

our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment,

loss of identity, or fear of sexuality” (Dirks, 2014).

Knowing the history of horror films from its origin up to

its deliverance to the Philippines will help everyone know the

solutions and possible remedies and recommendations to the

problems of why Filipinos favor international horror films than

the Filipino-made ones.

According to Prohászková (2012), the pure literature of

horror, which is the essential element of horror movies can be

dated in the period of 18th century in which the Gothic tradition

is present. Furthermore, English authors also contributed to the


development of the horror genre by making the personas and

archetypes for the genre of horror such as the monsters, vampires

etc.

They also added that the genre of horror was attributed to

dynamism – the energy or desire to make something to happen.

Because of this, the archetypes of horror genre began to grow.

Some of the additional were werewolves, zombie, monsters,

scientists, demons, possessed persons, anti-Christ and so on.

One element that the Gothic period had contributed to the

composition of the horror genre is the environment which the

story is revolving. The settings for these stories are, but not

limited to, cemeteries, abandoned castle, gloomy forest, castle

ruins, old houses and others. The present-day settings as we

perceived today such as some roads or villages that was

unoccupied or abandoned long time ago was also attributed to the

aforementioned settings.

Wilson (2013) discussed that the term ‘horror’ was first

came into play in the year 1764 in the play The Castle of Otranto of


Horace Walpole. It was regarded as the first Gothic novel. Since

then, the manufacturing of horror-based novels and films started.

According to Dirks (2014), the Le Manoir Du Diables, also known

as the Devil’s Castle is the first horror movie produced ranging

about two minutes only. In here also manifested the familiar

elements of horror genre like a flying bat, a medieval castle, a

cauldron, a demon and others including a crucifix in aid to

dispatch with evil.

One of the most notable personas of horror films is

‘Dracula’. According to Guinness World Records (2012), Dracula

had noted as the most portrayed literary character in film and

most portrayed character in horror films. It has appeared in 272

films with 151 of them as features. This film contributed the

personas of blood-sucking monsters like vampires which is present

in the 2008 film Twilight and the later series.

Next to it is the Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. The movie

has slightly longer than the previous films before 1910 and

characterized by more camera techniques than those earlier. Also,

this movie was the inspiration of the films which depicts


scientists that makes supernatural phenomenon through

experimentations, in which this case is commonly known as mad

scientists.

The decade of 1930s, since the filming and showing of the

Frankenstein, became the blossoming in the films with the concept

of mad scientists. Examples of these are Dr. Moreau (Charles

Laughton in The Island of Lost Souls – 1933), Dr. Griffin (Claude Rains

in The Invisible Man – 1933), Dr. Mirakle (Bela Lugosi in Murders in the

Rue Morgue – 1932), and the lovesick surgeon in Mad Love (1935)

(Wilson, 2013).

The Mummy (1932) depicts the element of human bodies being

mummified. According to International Movie Database (2015), the

story revolves in a living mummy that runs to a woman that he

believed as the reincarnation of the one she loved. The elements

of horror and romance was first evident on this film. After the

showing of the three films – the Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy,

the mass became more interested in horror movies.

As one excellent faculty exclaimed, “With the succession of

the sound in the 30s of the 20th century the horror


cinematography spread even more. Hollywood film production, which

did not exclude this genre from its repertoire, massively

contributed to the growth of its popularity” (Prohászková, 2012,

p. 137).

The threat in blossoming of horror genre in the Philippines

was evident also in this decade. Deocampo (2011) stated that in

the early ages of horror genre in the Philippines, it had fallen

into dispute since it was believed to be damaging the mentality

of the audience, particularly the young. Also, accounts from 1935

to 1940, there are evidences of prohibiting horror films in the

Philippines because of its harmful social impact (p. 511)

Even though there are situations of degradation of horror

films, at the times where the Cold War is prevailing, it never

stopped the evolution and blossoming of horror films. Some of the

films shown in this decade are the Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

by Don Siegel and The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) by Jack Arnold.

Also, after the failed attempts of experimenting characters

result on the unproven ‘accounts’ of life, like the


personification of death behind cats, spiders and the likes. They

also experimented in the three-dimensional aftermaths.

The decade of 1960s became the transition of some elements

of the horror film. According to Zinoman (2011), the thrill and

the new parameters for horror was based on real life that will

leave the audience asking and wondering where the evil could

shelter and who the evil was. He also stated that the monsters

were replaced by serial killers and uneasy feelings that replaced

the thrill once delivered by the werewolves and some unnatural

beings.

It also marked the use of the element of zombies running for

some people and trying to catch them. But it was replaced by the

combination of zombies and people contained in an abandoned house

with lots of blood and the likewise around it.

More violence and blood-related movies emerged in 1970s. The

most notable horror film produced under this decade is the low

production cost 1974 Toby Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which

gained the cult status. Other films produced in this decade were


The Exorcist by William Friedkin (1973), and Halloween by J. Carpenter

(1978).

The mark for the entry of horror films in the 1980s and

1990s were the so-called ‘slashers’. Prohászková (2012) explains

that these years of ‘slashers’ were simply the mentally-disturbed

killers, or mass murderer who choose youngsters or women as their

victim. The notable works of 1980s and 1990s were Jason’s Friday

the 13th, and Chucky, the Killer Doll (1988).

This also marks the appearance of sequels and trilogies.

Example of these films were Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, and the films of

Hellraiser, which produced eight sequels that reached the 21st

century.

The Ring (2002) as the remake of the Japanese Ringu (1998), The

Ring Two (2005), The Grudge One (2004), The Grudge Two (2006), The Grudge

Three (2009), Saw (2004) and its franchise which revolves in the

story of which the characters have to obey certain rules and

objectives in order to survive a jigsaw killer – a killer which

can be classified under a ‘slasher’, are the most famous films in


the 21st century and marks the opening of the 21st century

contemporary horror film.

There are so many reasons why most of the Filipinos prefer

to watch the international horror films rather than the local

horror films. One of these reasons is that the Philippine-made

horror films are clichés.

According to Mr. Fu (2014), there are some styles that the

Filipinos copied from the international horror films. One of

these is the “Sadako Style”. He further said that ever since the

Japanese introduced to us the character Sadako, the Filipino

producers started featuring a similar looking character in their

films. Movies like Sigaw and Amorosa are some examples of movie

that featured Sadako style like crawling and the long hair.

Although it was very effective in scaring us for a while but it

was already overused that somehow it lost its frightening factor.

Moreover, he also added the hand-in-the-bed scene. It is already

very common to the viewers that when they see a bed the first

thing that comes into minds is that a hand will come out from

under the bed. When the viewers see these scenes it’s like they


can already predict what will happen next and because of that,

the movie will be considered one of the cliché movies. The

viewer’s expectation or standard will not be reached because of

the quality of the movie. And when this happened, there is a

tendency of bad movie reviews written that will discourage the

people in watching the horror film.

Secondly, poor advertising also affects the number of

viewers in a certain film. International horror films are widely

known than the local horror films. This is because the

international horror films have more budget allocated into

advertising than the local horror films. According to Box Office

Mojo (2014), the international horror movie Ouija (2014) had a

budget of $5 million and earned $99 million. While according to

Anarcon (2015), the local horror film Feng Shui 2 that was

released this year had a budget of $452,642 and earned around

$5.3 million. This only shows that if the producers allocated

budget for advertisement, then they would have earned more money.

“We may relate more in horror films made in the Philippines,

story wise, but the difference in the technical aspects of the


Philippines made and internationally made horror films is so

vast. Internationally made films has more sophistication in terms

of its visual effects and sounds as I said earlier, more than the

story, the effectiveness of horror films is greatly affected by

its sound and visual effects.” (Ms. Dilidili, personal

communication, February 26, 2015)

As Dr. Garcia and Masigan explains (2001), “The Filipinos

during the American occupation fell prey to the Hollywood fever.

With American film distribution on the rise, plus the Filipino

audience’s preference for foreign-made films, American

distributors concentrated on promoting their films and sold their

studios to local would-be filmmakers” (p. 8). It is evident that

Filipinos like better international films than local films and

horror films are no exception to this. With this kind of

advertisements showed in our cinemas there is no doubt that more

and more Filipinos will choose alien films than their own-made

films.

Colonial mentality is one of the reasons why Filipinos tend

to patronize foreign films than our local films. Domingo (2014)


believes that colonial mentality is like a gene, it is pass

through the generations time to time and this mentality is intact

to our minds and body (p. 1). Because of this, Filipinos tried to

compare our films to the foreign one’s and ending up to a

conclusion that we are no match for those story plot, high

quality graphic, special and visual effects.

“The reason why most Filipinos prefer to watched

international films because it gives them the feeling of being

elevated in the society, I was called “Baduy” one time by my

friends because I watched a local movie” (Prof. Agapito, Personal

Communication, March, 4, 2015). It seems then, most Filipinos

don’t watch locally produced films because they think it will

make them lower their standards and level in the society which is

not true at all.

The unceasing showing and emergence of foreign films in the

Philippines is one of the reasons of lowering the standards of

Philippine Cinema (Mon-alon, 2011, p. 2). Furthermore, the

majority of films that are being showed in Philippine cinemas are

foreign films. This gives chance to foreign films to dominate our


film industry and gain more popularity and publicity than our own

locally made films. Thus increasing only the declination of

Filipinos to Philippine movies.

The best way to describe how this foreign films gain their

popularity among the majorities is that in fact they have the

most advance and innovative modern technology in the film

industry. Added to this, these films are produced by huge

companies that has the wealth and means to summon great publicity

for them. Hollywood films for instance are undeniably the most

popular films worldwide. With the strategy and marketing done by

the producers of this kind of films, it is not shocking that they

have the most widespread fans or followers worldwide.

Most of the Filipinos viewers nowadays don’t value the

quality of films. They watch films to support their idols, they

don’t care anymore about the story or how the quality of actors

or actresses portray their roles and any celebrity can be part of

a movie as long as he or she is called star in spite of his or her

acting quality thus, making the Philippine cinema weaker and

weaker (Mon-alon, 2011, p. 2).


Foreign horror films are better, mainly because of its

unpredictable and non-redundant story plot. Its wide subgenre of

horror films (action, comedy, Gothic, natural, psychological, and

science-fiction horrors.) and with the advancement of technology

in the film industry of foreign countries scenes are getting more

realistic, horrifying and scary. Philippines’ horror films or

other genres of films on the other hand are not entertaining

anymore. As Mon-alon (2011) explains, “Genres that have been

present for the past few decades are being recycled over and

over again with the same stories, it is a cliché, it seems like

directors and writers ran out of ideas and stories to tell that

they have to keep repeating imitation of similar plots of what

was done before” (p. 2).

The deteriorating quality of Philippine Films is due also to

the migration of some expert film makers, graphic artists, visual

artists, editors, animators, etc. because of this our country

loses able and young artist that can change the course of the

Philippine cinema. Although the film education here in the

Philippines is good but because of the lack of support from the


government in the film industry and the colonial mentality of the

Filipino people, it will be hard for them to create good horror

films.

Now, therefore foreign films, even though it had given

entertainment to the Filipinos, posed a great threat to the local

film production. According to the statistics provided by the

study conducted by Dr. Garcia and Masigan (2001), this back-track

can be dated at the seventies where the foreign domination of

films is rampant in the Philippine theater (p. 14).

Moreover, the statistics provided by Movie and Television

Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) dated to the years 1970

to 1979 shows that the average previewed production by the MTRCB

in the aforementioned years is almost 522 movies compared to the

182 of the Philippines which is somehow significant in

understanding why we go to the movies of which we, the Filipinos,

aren’t the original composers.

Furthermore, the years 1980 to 1989 provided same retrospect

of films of which 321 are international films and 175 are the

Philippine-produced.


Another negative effect brought about by international

productions as explained by Richard David is that English films

(including horror films) are more sustainable that the Philippine

productions. It is likely because at first week of showing, the

result is promising. But thereafter, it was expected to deplete

at the second week and so on. But the English productions are

likely to retain its position even after its first week (Dr.

Garcia, & Masigan, 2001, p. 16)

For this account, it imposes a long-term effect in the

digital cinematography and production in the Philippines.

Filipinos started to deny watching Filipino-made horror films and

continue watching horror films made by, most especially, the

Americans. The aftereffect of this practice can be reflected to

the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Metro Manila Film

Festival (MMFF) results starting from the year 1995 to 1997. “MMFF

grossed only 20% lower in 1997 than the earnings in 1996 which

was also 20% lower than 1995 recipients” (p.16).

In relation to the aforementioned, the film houses which

shows the films changed the ratio between the Filipino and


International films, from 60% local and 40% international to 30%

local and 70% international. Thus, it may be the root of why, at

present, the Filipinos are accounted to watch horror films by

international than the local ones.

Another possibility of why Filipinos highly patronize

international horror is that they don’t even see one in a cinema

and or they can’t afford at all. Hill (2010), the Philippines has

the most heavily taxed in Asia in terms of cinematography and

film making. Such taxes are subdivided into amusement tax,

culture tax, value-added tax, and tax on raw materials.

Production costs are not limited into these taxes but fees which

would fund the works of the production which includes talent fees

of the actors and actresses, the production teams and film

permits. Therefore, the producers will automatically transfer all

of this accounts to the mass – the audience of the film.

Therefore, the price may rise up depending on the necessity and

or objective to recover all expenses and also, to gain profit

from it. When the production costs cannot be satisfied by the

expected income they can get, they suspend it from showing.


Another is piracy. Aquino (2012) discussed that the

Philippines should have addressed piracy when it was just a small

scale. Due to the high margin of cost making films, producers

became more cautious in making films, so they go in some

practices like making another adaptation or remake of past

movies, hiring low-priced actors and actresses, writers and

staffs. He also added that these kind of films, including the

horror genre, are only enriched with the magic and stardom of the

actors and lack the essence and direction of the story, only

adapts of what the highest grossing Hollywood horror film had,

and or just putting ‘special effects’ even though it is not

impressive enough.

Then there is limitation on production budget. Filipino

films tend to have ‘pito-pito’. It is the practice which can be

observed even for today, that the full-length film are usually

shot only for around seven shooting days. Inasmuch as the

duration and conditions are concerned, the shooting is forced to

24 hours – some production members tend not to sleep and collapse

from exhaustion. This can result to compromised output – either


of poor cinematography or audio-visual technicality, which is far

from keeping the film, when shown in cinemas afloat (Hill, 2010).

Another contributing factor why Filipinos love to watch

international horror films than our local ones is its poor sound

quality. Lewis (2014) that the relationship of sound and the film

frames are somehow important. That these elements should

concisely precise – that the provided sound should fit to the

existing event or story frame.

In that case, Dr. Garcia and Masigan (2001) cited that the

sound equipments used by most Filipino film houses and

productions still uses the mono-sound system which requires the

actors to dub their voices. Comparing, for example, to the

Hollywood horror films such as Conjuring (2014), Anabelle (2014),

and Hunting Connecticut (2008 – ) which uses Dolby Surround Sound

System, our horror films are left far behind.

Furthermore, a quote from Atty. Laxa stated that even if the

film already possesses the good qualities that it should have, if

it fails to achieve the technical aspect, everything is affected

because the technicality brings life to its features” (p. 63).


This statement was also supported by De Castro in an interview in

which she stated that some of the story frames are not connected

and some of the effects, most especially those that are

incorporated in Filipino horror films, are somehow and or

sometimes unbelievable (De Castro, Personal Communication, February

26, 2015)

The MTRCB was also contributing to the continuing decay of

our horror films. According to Dr. Garcia, and Masigan (2001),

MTRCB provides easy classification and a favorable consideration

to the international film producers and too strict on the local

films. This proposition can be provided by the fact that they

provide consideration (p.33)

He also added that the person behind the MTRCB who screens

the films, both international and local, are rating films by the

matter of personal decision. Thus, the implementing rules of the

MTRCB governing this issue has been misinterpreted. He also

stated one case which is “Whoever is the Head of the MTRCB also

influences the profile of the Board – overly strict during the


time of Manoling Morato and quite permissive during the time of

Armida Siquion Reyna” (p.33).

Moreover, MTRCB has the power to grant censorship to each

film that will be shown. Ricky Lee exclaimed that because of

censorship, filmmakers are forced to use the old contemporary

theme for producing films that used a long time ago (Lee cited in

Tagudina, p. 6). This result inhibits our Filipino horror films

to evolve in a greater one and be left behind by other horror

films produced by other countries.

Fortunately, there are possible solutions and remedies to

improve the industry of Philippine horror films to compete

equally to the international horror films. Education always seems

to be the key. With the proper education, the next generation

will be able to think of creative stories and plot that will

definitely capture the heart of the Filipino people.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (2010), there are

two film schools in the Philippines that have been named among

the world’s best on a list drafted by The Hollywood Reporter.

These schools are UP Film Institute in Diliman and the


International Academy of Film and Television located in Cebu.

These schools were on a list alongside United Kingdom’s National

Film and Television School, Australia’s Australian Film,

Television and Radio School, France’s La Femis, Germany’s Baden-

Wurtemberg Film Academy and many more. This shows that if only

the Filipinos would invest themselves to gain more education

about filmmaking then they would be able to create a great and

interesting story. There are many ways to gain more knowledge in

filmmaking. One example is by using the internet. There’s a site

named “4Filmmaking” that provides good storyline ideas on-line.

Another solution for Filipinos to see Filipino horror films

often is to give, if not equal, more exposure to the public via

television, billboard and radio advertisement. According to Grant

McCracken (1987), advertising plays an important role in

consumption and it serves as a kind of dictionary constantly

keeping us apprised of new things to buy or watch. If a certain

movie is not advertised well, then the public will not be

convinced that they need to watch that certain movie. Good

advertisement has an impact on the public. If the budget allotted


for advertising is not enough, then the purpose of advertising it

will not be fully accomplished. According to a site named

Mashable (2015),

“Advertising is the communication relayed from companies to

persuade an audience to purchase their products. This

communication is usually through various forms of paid media - TV

and radio commercials, print ads, billboards and more recently,

product placement. Ads are placed where advertisers believe they

will reach the largest, most relevant audience. Commercial

businesses use advertising to drive the consumption of their

product, while non-profit organizations may place ads to raise

awareness or encourage a change in behavior or perception”. The

main purpose of advertising is to let all the people know that

their product is already released and available. Through

advertising, many people will be aware of the movie released and

if the advertisement is good, then they will be encouraged to

watch it.

Technology used also affect the number of viewers of a

certain movie. If the quality of the movie is not so good, then


there will be less people watching it. Dolby Atmos theater was

released last July 2013 here in the Philippines. According to

Dolby (2013), “Dolby Atmos uses “3D” surround sound in an attempt

to make movie audiences feel as if they are inside the movie,

instead of just watching it”. Through this technology, many

people are encouraged to watch the movie. According to one of the

reviews done by Ardelle (2014), “The theater's sound system is

Dolby Atmos. This is my first time to experience this, and I was

blown away by the quality of the sound. You've never quite

experience surround sound before if you haven't experienced Dolby

Atmos. Wow.”

According to House Bill 3451 introduced by Hon. Anthony M.

Bravo and Hon. Cresente C. Paez, Article 14, Section 14 and 15,

“The state shall foster the preservation, enrichment and dynamic

evolution of a Filipino national culture based on the principle

in unity in diversity in a climate of free and artistic and

intellectual expression.” (Section 14) and, “Art and letters

shall enjoy the patronage of the State shall conserve, promote,


and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and

resources, as well as artistic creations.” (Section 15).

In that case, therefore, the government has a duty of

improving the quality of the films in the country added to this

the state shall support and guide filmmakers to make films that

will sure patronize by Filipinos. Furthermore, this law will also

help Filipino filmmakers specifically horror filmmakers to have

opportunities to train themselves under the institution, to be

internationally and locally recognize by the state and people and

show the essence of the Filipino culture with the aid of the

state. As one expert believes, “Films reflects one country’s

culture.” (Prof. Agapito, Personal Communication, March 4, 2015).

Furthermore, improving the quality of films in the Philippines

will also preserved and nourish our culture.

“Instead of protecting and restricting the industry, the

government would perhaps, be able to support the industry through

an improved institutional frame work that would be able to grant

incentives and promote and develop true creative talents.”

(Pasadilla and Lantin, 2005, p. 53). So it implies that the state


should concentrate on improving the institutional system for

films works, when it comes in promoting, rewarding and creating

workers for this industry.

Pasadilla and Lantin (2005), believes that the solution in

the problems of the country’s film industry is to pass on beyond

the Philippines Market (p. 34). Therefore, the government should

help film company producers, film makers and other experts of the

industry to expand beyond the Philippine arena when it comes to

the industry. Furthermore, the government should always support

and encourage Filipino directors to attend and participate in

film festivals locally and internationally.

“Co-production with international production companies can

be another option for the local industry. Co-production will

increase the investment and capital that will be allotted in

making films as well as marketing them” (Pasadilla and Lantin,

2005, p. 36). The purpose of this is that it will make Philippine

Films more exposed in the international industry that can ignite

interest in foreign countries.


According to Pasadilla and Lantin (2005), “Filipino film

makers labor under huge production cost. To break even, a

producer must gross 12 million pesos from a 4 million pesos film

budget. Two-thirds (2/3) of the gross goes to the theatre owners

and taxes, and the remaining one-third (1/3) to the producer”

(pp. 31 & 32). In addition of this, the increasing price of film

equipment and other materials is giving producers a hard time to

create quality film, thus the government should make the right

taxes when it comes into making films and for moviegoers. This

will help also in reducing the percentage of piracy in the

country.

“And I think we need to change that mentality. Filipino

movies can compete with international film festivals. We should

not consider Filipino films an underdog when it comes to film

making. Most of the Filipino film makers. They won the best

awards in abroad. That’s why our film making is very

competitive.” (Prof. Agapito, Personal Communication, March 4,

2015).


Summary:

The research aimed to help the readers of this study, especially

the students of Mapua Institute of Technology to be their guide


in choosing films that is worth the price and to give solutions

to widely known problems among Filipinos about patronizing

foreign products – in this case, horror films.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following problem:

What is a horror film?

What is the difference between horror films of Filipinos and

horror films of other nationalities, and why Filipino films

were set aside?

Why this practice among Filipinos is present nowadays?

What are the negative contributions brought of this

practice?

What are the possible solutions and or steps to reverse the

effects of this practice?

Conclusion:

Upon doing the research the researchers arrive at the

conclusion that International horror films are more patronize by

Filipinos than locally made one’s. There are many reasons on why


is this happening in our society right now. The researchers

believe that the main cause of this is colonial mentality intact

in the minds of the Filipinos.

The researchers also believe that the Philippines film

industry is always open for opportunities and improvement.

Patronizing our films will not just help the industry to rise but

also it will improve our knowledge about our culture.

These solutions can only be attain if the government will

change the system or structure in the industry in the own opinion

of the students who conducted the research.

Recommendation

According to the information that the researchers gathered, the

following recommendations should be given consideration:

Filipinos, especially the youth, should patronize the

locally-made products like movies.

Teachers should allow their students to watch at least one

local movie and have a discussion about it.


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