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.
