5 Reasons to watch Regal's horror film 'The Missing'
Since the 1990s, Regal Entertainment has been known for its horror movies such as the horror anthology Shake, Rattle, & Roll and the film series Mano Po.
This year, Regal took a step further to take Filipino cinephiles to a whole new level of creepiness with The Missing, an official entry to the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival.
If the name Regal doesn't make you excited to watch The Missing, starring Ritz Azul, Joseph Marco, and Miles Ocampo, here are 5 reasons why the movie is a must-watch this year.
1. It brings viewers to a different side of Japan
Most of us have been staying at our homes during most of 2020 to avoid contacting COVID-19, and if you miss traveling and exploring new places, The Missing will bring you to Japan.
The movie was shot in the rural Saga Prefecture, away from the busy streets of Osaka and Tokyo. Although it is a horror movie, The Missing proves that Japan is not all trains and robots and the Land of the Rising Sun has more laid-back places.
2. It introduces the less-known Japanese culture
If you're tired of watching the same old horror stories involving different Philippine mythological creatures, The Missing has a different storyline.
In partnership with the Saga Film Commission, The Missing introduces the former practice of the Japanese called Hitobashira, where they bury an alive human being under or near large-scale buildings as a sacrifice to the gods to make the structure stronger.
3. It tackles mental health issues such as PTSD
Ritz's character Iris Valerio has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the sudden abduction of her younger sister.
Although she has been drinking her medicines, she still has hallucinations. Or it's not hallucinations?
4. It revives the classic Asian horror movies
In the early 2000s, Asian horror movies such as Shutter, The Ring, and The Grudge became big hits that even Hollywood adapted its storylines.
The Missing director and writer Easy Ferrer looked back and got inspired by these world-class Asian horror films.
5. It lives up to Regal Entertainment's name
For the past decades, Regal Entertainment's films have been a staple in every Filipino cinephiles' watchlist, and The Missing lived up to Regal's name as the home of blockbuster horror films.
It is also given that the movie's lead stars Ritz Azul, Joseph Marco, and Miles Ocampo showed their best performance.
In The Missing, Seiyo Masunaga, the Japanese boy, won the Best Child Performer Award while Ritz and Miles were nominated for the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively.
If you want to watch The Missing and other official entries, here's a step-by-step guide.
