The ultimate leading man Piolo Pascual turns serial killer in his first horror film “Mallari” under Bryan Dy’s Mentorque Productions, written by Enrico Santos and to be directed by Derick Cabrido.

The story revolves about the first documented serial killer in the Philippines who happens to be a priest in 1840 that killed 57 people in Pampanga. It will be fictionalized through film in three timelines pre-Rizal 1800s, post-World War 2 during 1940s, and the present year, 2023.

When I googled the name Mallari, and it came out as the first documented serial killer in the Philippines, sabi ko, hindi siya… I mean, of course, it’s a fictional film but it’s based on a true story. And sabi ko, there are a lot of films that had been coming out from different countries. Because of the streaming platforms, we were able to watch them. And I think we should be proud of what we can do as well,” Piolo shared when he received the pitch which he initially declined but retracted the same day.

Photos from the media launch here.

Going out of the usual roles he portrayed before is something that he welcomes very much at this point of his career. “I think that’s part of being an actor, you become another character. It’s very complex for me as in every situation I get in. In any character, I always find something that’s different from me that I kinda relate to my own way of expression and at the same time, I think it’s a big responsibility for me to get out of the image people know of me.”

“It’s a good challenge for me. I guess, in all the things that I’ve done for the last two decades, I always look for something that would ignite my passion for what I do. And this is it,” he excitedly share.

Papa P as he is fondly called clarified that they do not want to celebrate the serial killer himself but to celebrate the Philippine cinema.

I asked him during the presscon that as a religious person, does he makes compromises especially that his role is a priest and he candidly answered, “A role is a role, you don’t have to believe in it, it’s just a story. I have so much respect for my craft that I don’t tend to compromise because I know that this just a story, it’s just a film, it’s a story to tell, and you don’t leave it out. Mahirap kasi kapag nag-compromise ka, mako-compromise yung proyekto mo, mako-compromise yung karakter.” 

Just a trivia, he tried entering the priesthood or pastorhood twice but ultimately his calling is in showbiz.

The film has been submitted for MMFF 2023 consideration and we hope that it will make the cut.