Inah de Belen got teased about mom’s iconic ‘Tiyanak’ movie

In the 1988 horror movie “Tiyanak,” Janice de Belen plays a woman who takes in an abandoned child that turns out to be a horrific monster baby.

The Pinoy cult classic gave birth to catch phrases like “Ayan na ang anak ni Janice,” which eventually lived long enough to haunt Janice’s actual daughter many years later.

Inah de Belen, who is now an actress herself, shared what it was like to grow up as an unofficial scary movie icon in a special Halloween episode of GMA’s Pinoy Klasiks.

At first, Inah said she didn’t even understand the whole “Anak ni Janice” craze when people kept teasing her about it.

“Kasi balbon ako, so pag inaasar nila ako, lagi nilang sinasabing, ‘Tiyanak!’ gan’yan,” she said.

“So sinearch ko and I asked my mom ta’s, ’yun pala, may movie pala siya na ‘Tiyanak,’ and ’yun nga ’yung laging sinasabi na ‘Anak ni Janice,’ so doon ko lang na-gets kung saan talaga galling ’yun,” she added.

And for those who were wondering if she actually played the tiyanak in the movie as a baby, Inah can fully assure you that she did not.

“There are people who say or they ask, ‘Ikaw ba ’yung gumanap na tiyanak don sa movie? Parang, ako, ‘No, I wasn’t born yet,’” she said.

“1992 ako, guys! And 1988 ’yung Tiyanak and tignan niyo naman ano manika talaga siya, manika lang siya so it’s definitely not me,” she explained.

By the way, did you know that the term “tiyanak” is said to be derived from the word “mati” and “anak” which, together, translate to “dead child”?

You can learn more about the origins of the Pinoy legend and its significance in pop culture by watching the entire episode of “Pinoy Klasiks.” – Margaret Claire Layug/RC, GMA News