Editorials
Birthdays, Demons and Transitions in Filipino Teen Horror ‘The Debutantes’ [Horrors Elsewhere]
Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.
Prime Cruz’s The Debutantes brings grim meaning to the phrase “You only turn eighteen once.” With every one of their birthdays, the five characters in this 2017, Filipino horror movie succumb to a supernatural force hellbent on making their first step into adulthood also their last.
A Philippine debut is similar to quinceañeras and sweet sixteens in the sense that they all celebrate a young woman’s age of maturity. Filipino girls can look forward to ceremonial dances, well wishes, gifts and more when they turn eighteen. These extravagant soirées require a lot of time and planning, and they have evolved over the years to reflect the times; but in the end, they always signify change.
For The Debutantes’ protagonist Kate (Sue Ramirez), the biggest change in her life is that she finally has a friend. Her delight is evident as she takes up with Lara (Miles Ocampo), one of the four classmates Kate regularly watches out of envy at school. As a token of appreciation for tutoring her in math, Lara invites Kate to Jenny’s (Jane De Leon) debut; Jenny and Kate actually share a birthday. The happy night is then spoiled once Jenny plays a foolish prank on Kate in front of everyone and the world to see. Not too long after, Kate dreams of the others’ deaths and tries to convince them of a curse she herself does not understand. Lara now dreads her own upcoming eighteenth birthday as her friends experience bizarre “accidents” on theirs.
Kate has no close relationships with anyone besides her aunt, baby cousin, and younger sister Wena (Faye Alhambra). She hides behind her hair, eats lunch alone at school, and uses her phone to spy on the girls she wishes she could be. As is evident by her malaise and premonitions, Kate’s anxiety has finally begun to materialize. This extensive and uncomfortable glimpse into Kate’s chronic loneliness, not to mention her past, is a strength in Renato Custodio, Jr., Elmer Gatchalian, and Jenilee Chuanasu‘s script.
What endears audiences to Kate is the event that eventually sends her spiraling. No teen movie centered on the rise and fall of a school outcast is without a scene like this. The prank at Jenny’s debut seems tame when compared to other mean-spirited and misguided acts seen in these kinds of stories. There is no bucket of pig’s blood, catfishing, or faked deaths to speak of. Rather, Jenny unties the back of Kate’s dress while they are on stage together in front of a crowd. Jenny’s guests are stunned and silent, never once erupting in fits of laughter as someone might expect. Yet for someone as exceedingly fragile as Kate, any level of humiliation is too much to handle. She covers herself and runs out of the party like a kind of broken Cinderella. Kate got so close to the sun before falling back down, lower than where she first started.
The supernatural retribution that follows is excessive even by horror standards. In light of the circumstances, viewers reckon the actions of playground bullies do not warrant the wrath of a demonic avenger. Had Jenny, Candice (Michelle Vito), and Shayne (Chanel Morales) been afforded more depth or substantial screen time, maybe they would have felt less like slasher fodder and more like legitimate villains deserving of their fates. Instead, it only feels cruel to watch the harm done to them unfold. Casting them as oversimplified mean girls is a misfire, but their departures are at the very least memorable. These meticulous scenes demonstrate Cruz’s attention to mood and Mackie Galvez‘s way with colors. The director and cinematographer negotiate hues and lighting as they dispense with Kate’s oppressors.
A featureless, all-black demon pulls the strings here, orchestrating the grisly executions without mercy or error. And piece by piece, it becomes clear how this monster came to be. The Debutantes takes creative notes from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jennifer’s Body, Suspiria, and J-Horror but still expresses its antagonist in terms Filipino people can understand. Filipino horror movies are rich in local folklore, and The Debutantes continues that tradition while feeling fairly fresh. Asian regions such as the Philippines have longheld superstitions, and movies like Cruz’s become bridges between the old and new worlds.
The evil entity is presumably a maligno or an engkanto. Both of these mythical, Filipino spirits manipulate the vulnerable, disguise themselves as human, and cause an assortment of physical ailments like depression. They are inherently destructive forces, but in The Debutantes, the demon behind the curtains is a cause for personal transformation. Through its destruction emerges a strength not seen before, and like a debut would symbolize, the demon’s “birth” poses great change. A character thought to be undeserving of friendship finally finds one worth fighting for.
Critics have come down on The Debutantes for everything from a familiar premise to an overly constructed appearance. Even accepting the aforesaid criticisms as valid, there is still a capable coming-of-age story underneath it all. One that emphasizes topics important to the targeted demographic and furthers interest in the nation’s distinguished folklore. Cruz’s movie ultimately merges two worlds and creates something for everyone, including those not privy to Filipino culture yet still wanting to explore it through the country’s diverse and exciting brand of horror.
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. And since fans are going to have to wait a while to see the much-anticipated second season, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six post-apocalyptic thrillers to watch if you’re still craving more Fallout!
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own apocalyptic favorites if you think we missed a particularly fun one. And while it’s not on the list, I’d also like to give a shout-out to The Hughes Brothers’ underrated post-apocalyptic action flick The Book of Eli – which I recently covered in its own article.
With that out of the way, onto the list…
6. The Divide (2011)
Xavier Gens may be best known for his memorable contribution to the New French Extremity movement – with the eerily prescient Frontière(s) – but the filmmaker is also responsible for a handful of underrated thrillers that flew under the radar despite being legitimately solid films. One of the most interesting of these flicks is 2011’s The Divide, a single-location exercise in claustrophobic tension.
Telling the story of a group of New Yorkers who find themselves trapped in a bomb shelter after a surprise nuclear attack, this dark thriller is more interested in the ensuing social chaos than effects-heavy physical destruction. And while critics at the time were horrified by the bleak story and cynical characters, I think this mean streak is precisely what makes The Divide worth watching.
5. The Day After (1983)
One of the highest-rated TV films of all time, ABC’s The Day After is one of the scariest movies ever made despite being more of a speculative docu-drama than an actual genre flick. Following an ensemble of families, doctors and scientists as they deal with the horrific aftermath of all-out nuclear war, this radioactive cautionary tale was vital in convincing real-world politicians to review their policies about nuclear deterrence.
In fact, the film is even credited with scaring President Ronald Reagan into changing his mind about expanding the United States’ nuclear arsenal, with this new stance eventually leading to a treaty with the Soviet Union. With a story this powerful, I think it’s safe to say that The Day After is a must watch for Fallout fans interested in the more down-to-earth elements of the apocalypse.
4. The Postman (1997)
If I had a nickel for each unfairly maligned post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner that was released in the 90s, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. And while Waterworld has since seen a resurgence in popularity with fans defending it as a bizarrely expensive B-movie, I haven’t seen a lot of discussion surrounding 1997’s more serious vision of a fallen America, The Postman.
Following Costner (who also directed the flick) as a post-apocalyptic nomad who begins to rebuild America by pretending to be a member of the newly reformed postal service, this David Brin adaptation is consistently fascinating – especially if you view the story as a cynical fairy-tale, which was Costner’s original intention.
And while the flick suffers from some goofy dialogue and a bloated runtime, it makes up for this by having directly inspired Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
3. Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid may have been billed as an indie Mad Max with bicycles instead of cars, but François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell’s comedic throwback to the post-apocalyptic future of 1997 is much more than meets the eye. From quirky characters to madly creative designs, the flick rises above nostalgia bait by being a legitimately fun time even if you don’t get the copious amounts of ’80s and ’90s references.
And despite the horror-inspired ultraviolence that colors the frequent action scenes as we follow a young comic-book fan deluding himself into thinking that he’s a superhero, it’s the childlike sense of wonder that really makes this a treat for cinephiles. It’s just a shame that we’re still waiting on the sequel that was announced back in 2016…
2. Six-String Samurai (1998)
A lo-fi homage to spaghetti westerns and classic samurai films – not to mention the golden age of rock ‘n roll – Six-String Samurai is a must-watch for those who appreciate weird cinema. While I’ve already written about the madly creative vibes that make this such an entertaining flick, I think it’s worth repeating just in case some of you have yet to give this musical fever dream a try.
And appropriately enough for this list, the film was also a source of inspiration for the 3D Fallout games – especially Obsidian’s fan favorite New Vegas. The game even includes a New Vegas Samurai achievement (unlocked by killing enemies with a katana) with a vault-boy illustration modeled after the film’s rendition of Buddy Holly.
1. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The grisly post-apocalyptic comedy that inspired the original Fallout games, L.Q. Jones’ adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella is just as shocking today as it was back in ’75. Telling the story of a teenage scavenger who travels the wastelands of 2024 America alongside his telepathic canine companion, A Boy and His Dog feels like a Heavy Metal comic brought to life.
While the film’s rampant misogyny and brutal violence make it tough to revisit under modern sensibilities, it’s still a landmark in post-apocalyptic cinema and one hell of a memorable ride. Not only that, but the flick also inspired the creation of Fallout’s most beloved NPC, the ever-loyal Dogmeat.
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