The Heiress main cast with Director Frasco Mortiz. Photo by Joseph R. Atilano
The Heiress takes its time in building up the tension, the sense of looming danger, and the extreme scares with its smart method of storytelling. It is methodical in its approach as it takes the moviegoer deeper and deeper into the world of the Mambabarang and Mamalarang in this masterfully made modern horror movie from Regal Entertainment, Inc.
Tonally, it is similar to past horror classics from Regal Entertainment, Inc. There is its unmistakable signature style to it but it has been updated to the times now in terms of the way that The Heiress has been crafted, put together, and meticulously made from scene to scene. There is a conscious effort to make The Heiress appeal to todays generation of moviegoers and it accomplished that.
The color treatment for The Heiress is appropriate for a modern horror movie. There is that subtle touch of grey to its color treatment in specific scenes which reminds me of the classic horror movies of yesteryears.
The sound design of The Heiress played a very pivotal aspect in establishing the psychology behind this movies ability to scare, frighten, and emotionally disturb the moviegoer. And it goes well beyond the usual creaky and knocking sounds that we have become so accustomed to hearing in horror movies as those heightened isolated sound effects are just but a small piece to this movies craftmanship which gives it its superior sound quality.
The original score of The Heiress is that of international standards. It holds its own, it heightens the moviegoers experience, and it is quite remarkable for its effectiveness to further pull you into what is unraveling in front of you. This is the best and most fitting original score for a local horror movie I have heard, thus far. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing it as I was paying very close attention to every sequence, scene, and story arcs that were happening in The Heiress.
Maricel Soriano. Photo by Joseph R. Atilano
Sunshine Cruz. Photo by Joseph R. Atilano
Janella Salvador plays into her onscreen character of Guia effortlessly and seamlessly. As you watch Guia on the big screen, you will begin to believe that you are watching a real person and not a fictional character. The credit for that goes to Janella Salvador who proves once again she can do any role in any genre and The Heiress is yet another feather to her cap.
Maricel Soriano gives a riveting, gripping, and strong performance as Luna the aunt of Guia. This is why she has rightfully earned the moniker of being called The Diamond Star. Maricel Soriano dazzles in how well she lived up to her role in The Heiress. This is her best performance to date. Maricel Soriano can still go! No doubt, this is vintage Maricel Soriano always at her best.
The directing style of Director Frasco Mortiz is that of one who knows exactly what he is doing. He knows when to smartly utilize and rely on close-up shots, wide-angle shots, and quick cuts and when not to use them. The fluid and continuous shots in The Heiress greatly contribute to keeping the focus of the moviegoer firmly attuned to what is going on in the scene. There is also a feeling of simplicity, a more grounded approach, and a very sincere attempt to get the most out of each shot which proves to be very effective in keeping the moviegoers attention riveted almost entranced, I would say throughout the entire movie. Clearly, Director Frasco Mortiz understands horror to its very core. He is a true student of the horror genre. After I got to watch the Red Carpet Premiere of The Heiress, I am convinced that Director Frasco Mortiz is the best young horror movie director in the country.
The Heiress is a true-to-the-bones horror movie. It is gruesome in some respects because only the scariest of horror movies can be described in such a manner. It is demonic. It is very disturbing in some scenes. It is so horrifying that it will make your stomach turn and make you gag at some extreme scenes.
The Heiress is a legitimate, authentic and pure horror movie that I have seen in years. I am amazed that in the year 2019 there could still be a horror movie that got me scared because admittedly, I have become quite desensitized with the many horror movies I have seen over the years. But The Heiress is truly, truly scary.
Janella Salvador. Photo by Joseph R. Atilano
McCoy De Leon. Photo by Joseph R. Atilano
The Heiress has blood, gore, and violence in it. Any horror fan and horror purist will be happy and proud to say he has watched a movie like The Heiress.
The Mambabarang and Mamalarang can be the next local horror icons. It is not hard to imagine that these two demonic entities become iconic in the world of Pinoy horror. You can add the Mambabarang and the Mamalarang to the list of popular and memorable monsters that have gained mainstream awareness and attention care of Regal Entertainment, Inc.
In The Heiress there are those moments you would want to cover your eyes and just peek through your fingers, seeing how frightening and disturbing some scenes are in this movie. I am so happy to know that local horror movies have finally evolved and The Heiress is undeniable proof of that.
Do you want to have a scary, frightening, and disturbing time in the cinemas? Go watch The Heiress right now!!!
The Heiress is indeed horror as horror can possibly be without getting the X-rating. I am lucky to have been able to watch a movie like this made in my life once again.
Truly, The Heiress is extreme horror to the core.
My score for The Heiress: 10/10
Read Next
LATEST STORIES
MOST READ
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
Link:
Movie Review: 'The Heiress' plus my exclusive photos at the Red Carpet Premiere - INQUIRER.net
- 'Immaculate' ending explained: Was the baby a demon? - Business Insider - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Horror Movies That Would Have Ended Earlier If Their Heroes Were Smarter - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 2nd, 2024
- Terrifier 3 director reveals they filmed 'most insanely horrific scenes' that nearly made lead actor vomit on set - UNILAD - April 2nd, 2024
- The Latest Stephen King Horror Movie Has A Killer Cast And Director - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN 2024: Release Date, Cast, Plot, And Everything You Need to Know - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- Sting Review | Excellent Creature Feature with an Emotional Backdrop - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- IMMACULATE Interview with Director Michael Mohan, Discussing the Making of the Film, Reactions to the Ending, and ... - Daily Dead - April 2nd, 2024
- Mood 'Windigo' - Book and Film Globe - April 2nd, 2024
- A 2016 Thriller Is The Top Movie On Netflix Right Now - HuffPost - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Beetlejuice, 36 Years Later - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- All the Horror Movies We Can't Wait To See in 2024 - The Mary Sue - April 2nd, 2024
- A Buzzy Korean Horror Movie Is Sneakily One Of The Biggest Box Office Hits Of 2024 - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 horror movie confirmed, after second film debuted to a surprise perfect Rotten ... - Gamesradar - April 2nd, 2024
- Fear Street 4 Is Reviving An Old Horror Trend That Was Perfected 48 Years Ago - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Lisa Frankenstein Hides The Fact That It Cast The Real Star Of 2023's Viral $181 Million Horror Movie - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Finally, Someone Confirms That A Sequel To HELLRAISER Is In The Works - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- We're definitely hard at work on: Hellraiser Sequel Promises to Be Even More Terrifying as Producer Vows to Take ... - FandomWire - April 2nd, 2024
- Future Chucky Movie Will Connect To The Series, Says Don Mancini - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- After Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Freddy and Jason Need to Cameo in the Poohniverse - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- Chucky Creator Reveals He is Working on a New Child's Play Movie: 'Whatever Keeps Me Working' - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- AI In Late Night With The Devil Sparks Controversy - Forbes - March 24th, 2024
- A horror movie based on a Stephen King novel with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score is climbing Netflix's top 10 - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- This is why we're so obsessed with nuns in horror movies - according to the official source, a nun - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Stephen King reveals the one horror movie he couldn't sit through as he was too scared - UNILAD - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil directors address the use of AI art in the film - JoBlo.com - March 24th, 2024
- David Dastmalchian on Late Night with the Devil, The Life of Chuck and Good Fiend Films - Kansas City Pitch - March 24th, 2024
- Welcome to the Poohniverse: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Team to Unite Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell and More in Low-Budget Horror Crossover (EXCLUSIVE)... - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night with the Devil is the best horror movie of the year so far - Yahoo Movies Canada - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney 'wanted to be drenched in blood' in 'Immaculate' - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- Film of the Week: 'Stopmotion' - The best horror film of 2024 so far - Euronews - March 24th, 2024
- How to Watch Immaculate: Is the Sydney Sweeney Movie Streaming? - TheWrap - March 24th, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN: A Battle With The Devil And An NC-17 Rating FANGORIA - FANGORIA - March 24th, 2024
- Elevated Horror: The New Wave of Artful Scares Taking Over Hollywood - LRM Online - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil Plot Explained: The True Meaning of the Movie - The Direct - March 24th, 2024
- David Chase is directing his first film in 12 years. Its a horror movie. - NJ.com - March 24th, 2024
- Us Was The Box Office Hit That Gave Jordan Peele True Power In Hollywood - SlashFilm - March 24th, 2024
- Cast of 'Gremlins': Catch Up With the Stars of the '80s Hit - First For Women - March 24th, 2024
- 'Immaculate' Review: Sydney Sweeney Is Wide-Eyed but Sly - The New York Times - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney explains that bloody 'Immaculate' ending - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- When Will Sydney Sweeney's Horror Film, 'Immaculate,' Be Available to Stream? - AOL - March 24th, 2024
- Blumhouse to Return Insidious and Other Titles to Theaters for Halfway to Halloween Fest - Hollywood Reporter - March 16th, 2024
- Every Movie In The Wrong Turn Franchise Ranked - SlashFilm - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating 'Halfway to Halloween' With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- DeWanda Wise Sings Creepy Theme Of New Horror Film: 'Imaginary' - The Root - March 16th, 2024
- Hostel: Part II (2007) WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? - JoBlo.com - March 16th, 2024
- New LEPRECHAUN Movie Will Be Funny, Scary And Full Of Practical Effects - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating Halfway to Halloween With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - IMDb - March 16th, 2024
- The Horror Nail-Biter On Max With A Controversial Ending - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- "Says the person who was in Madame Web": Sydney Sweeney is Getting Skewered for Saying Modern Horror Movies ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- First trailer for horror movie reboot The Crow features an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgrd on a bloody mission of revenge - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- You'll Never Find Me Is Unforgettable Horror, See The Terror In Action - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen star has seen all of your internet theories about the horror movie prequel and, well, they're all wrong - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Sltface take on horror movies with their new single, 'Final Grl' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- From 'Five Nights at Freddy's' to 'Imaginary': Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - theday.com - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen's Big Death Reveal Really Doesn't Bode Well For The Prequel - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies to Come Out in the Last 5 Years - MovieWeb - March 16th, 2024
- 'The Animal Kingdom' Exclusive Clip Previews the Gnarly Body Horror of Magnet's New Movie - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- 'Oddity' Review: This Supernatural Horror Film Will Tear You To Pieces | SXSW 2024 - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- "Marketing is failing this movie tremendously": David Dastmalchian's Late Night With the Devil Dubbed as One of the ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- STOPMOTION is a handcrafted tale of beauty and horror - Moviejawn - March 16th, 2024
- Horror Lovers Will Love this Dining Spot in Texas - klaq.com - March 8th, 2024
- Is Late Night With The Devil Based On A True Story? - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Kooky King: 6 of the Weirdest Stephen King Film Adaptations - Nightmare on Film Street - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown, the Viral Willy Wonka Experience Villain, Is Already Getting Their Own Horror Movie - IGN - March 8th, 2024
- 13 Original Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- From 'Imaginary' to 'Five Nights at Freddy's.' Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Movie Review: M3gan Meets The Boogeyman - Mama's Geeky - March 8th, 2024
- Christopher Nolan Originally Conceived Inception As A Horror Movie - SlashFilm - March 8th, 2024
- 'Whalefall' Movie in the Works From 'No One Will Save You' Director Brian Duffield - The Mary Sue - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based On THE UNKNOWN From Glasgow's WILLY WONKA Experience In The Works Horror Movie ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 8th, 2024
- Horrifying 'Late Night With The Devil' Trailer Released - Outkick - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary review: M3GAN, take the wheel - Dexerto - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown: Horror Movie Based on Unofficial Willy Wonka Experience Is in the Works - ComingSoon.net - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Film Review: Light on Frights - Loud And Clear Reviews - March 8th, 2024
- Dead Mail Directors on Their '80s Horror Influences - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- HORROR BEAT: Blumhouse offers a non-update on the future of THE EXORCIST - Comics Beat - March 8th, 2024
- And the Oscar for best picture doesn't go to ... horror! - NPR - March 8th, 2024
- Shaitaan OTT Release: When And Where To Watch R Madhavan And Ajay Devgn Starrer Horror Thriller Film - Indiatimes.com - March 8th, 2024
- The 'Wonka Experience' Is Being Turned Into A Horror Movie - UPROXX - March 8th, 2024
- 8 new horror movies on Netflix, Max, Shudder and more in March 2024 - TechRadar - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero