FROM THE horrifying plot twist from his film Deleter, to the creepy atmosphere from Eerie, Mikhail Red is making a mark in reshaping modern Filipino horror movies.
Just by looking at his masterpieces, Red heavily relies on the atmosphere to produce the scares. The grey-ish vibe during the day, and the terrors of the night were heightened during Eerie and Deleter.
In addition his films dig deep into the supernatural, and one of the key reasons as to why Red taps into these narratives stem from one of his inspirations, Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series.
Why Mikhail Red loves Diablo?
Red admitted in an interview with the media that Diablo has always been a part of his childhood.
"I was always a gamer ever since I was a kid. I used to play a lot of RPGs, and one of those was Diablo. I was a huge Diablo II player, I played in the old school Battle.net and I did a lot of PvP (Player vs. Player), and eventually I played Diablo III and IV. I have always been a gamer by heart."
Red's addiction to Diablo stem from the game's overall qualities. Diablo is a game that encourages players to select and customize their champion, then go on a killing spree against demonic entities.
"For me Diablo is like the complete package because I remember playing it for the first time and I was already captivated by the spectacular cinematics, the narratives, the themes, the atmosphere," Red started.
He added: "But at the same time it also has a very deep and complex gameplay. It was addicting, it really consumed a lot of your time because you struggle and play through different acts."
"And there is a lot of creativity involved as well because you need to come up with your build, you need to customize your character...and there's the horror aspect when you explore dungeons."
But one key aspect from the Diablo series that shaped his film making stem from the games' characters. In a game that highlights the battle between good vs. evil, Red realized that morality is a complex subject.
"I mentioned earlier that a lot of my characters in my films are neither good or bad, they're always morally ambigious and you have a lot of those in Diablo, and I guess the tone, the bleak and serious tone is something that has always fascinated me."
Exploring his upcoming horror film, Lilim
And his obsession with the supernatural will extend to his upcoming horror film, Lilim, and based on the title itself, it seems this film has roots from the Diablo universe, since one of the game's characters, Lilith, is a demon.
Red likewise hinted that the title has a profound meaning that will leave viewers speculating.
"I like the idea where it has double meaning. It's a Filipino title, meaning shade or shelter, because it is set in an orphanage. But there's that sinister feeling where Lilim is like children of Lilith so there's a demonic angle to it, but it's a Tagalog word," Red reflected.
Lilim's premise centers on two siblings seeking refuge in an orphanage in Makiling during the oppressive period of the 80s. Eventually they'll discover something sinister from within.
By watching the trailer, viewers will see the influences from Diablo, given the involvement of cult-like entities and demonic beings.
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