When dolls come to life...

CEBU, Philippines -  If Hollywood has Chucky and his evil bride, local filmdom now has Maria, Leonora and Teresa – three sinister dolls, three times the terror!

First things first, this is not Tirso Cruz III and Nora Aunor’s so-called “love child,” which was how fans of the 1970s Guy and Pip phenomenon regarded the three-foot ceramic-faced doll that Tirso gave the superstar as a gift back then. That doll was christened Maria Leonora Teresa and became so popular, it even spawned a song and became the title of a movie.

In Star Cinema’s newest spine-tingling offering “Maria Leonora Teresa,” which has a nationwide September 17 playdate, Maria, Leonora and Teresa are three separate young girls whose ceramic doppelgangers sow fright to three grieving mothers.

Directed by Wenn V. Deramas, this horror-drama brings together Jodi Sta. Maria, Zanjoe Marudo and Iza Calzado as loving parents dealing with the tragic death of their respective daughters.

During a school field trip, Maria, Leonora and Teresa instantly die when their bus crashes. To cope with their loss, the three parents accept a psychiatrist’s offer to give them life-size dolls which resemble exactly their deceased kids. In this way, they can keep the memories of their daughters alive, and eventually heal from the pain much faster – or so they thought.

Turns out, the dolls are possessed by some dark force, and are on a mission to kill the three parents.

Jodi and Zanjoe, who both breezed into town last Friday for a promo show at SM City Cebu, sat down with Cebu’s entertainment folk to talk about the difficult, yet fun side of doing horror.

The role of overprotective mom named Stella went to Jodi, and she mentions the chance to tackle a heavy, serious role was a welcome change from the long-running jolly character she’s been playing on TV for more than two years.

“Of course, it’s not easy to juggle two characters at the same time, but I took it as a challenge for the growth of my craft. It’s not easy, but it’s fun,” says Jodi.

The actress, 32, shares that while she’s also understandably a protective parent to her eight-year-old son Thirdy, her character Stella’s protectiveness bordered on the extreme.

“I protect Thirdy when I need to, but I also have to let him go for him to learn things in life by himself. Here in the film, Stella is the type of mom who will do everything to protect her daughter – to the extent of manipulating people in her kid’s school so that she’ll get high grades, since her daughter is quite weak in academics. So that her daughter will get a passing mark, she does favors for the people in school,” she says.

Zanjoe, for his part, portrays the closeted gay teacher Julio in “Maria Leonora Teresa,” whose existence revolves around his adopted daughter. The model-turned-actor takes a break from comedy, and stars here in his first full-length horror flick.

Explaining why horror and comedy are equally challenging, he remarks, “Horror is difficult, although the level of difficulty is the same as in comedy. The level of energy you need to give in comedy is just as the same in horror, because the scenes are more physical, mas magalaw. Mas makilos. Natatakot ka, tapos tumatakbo ka. So it’s more draining. At the same time, it’s exciting, because in real life, I don’t get to experience horror stuff, so to sort of experience them during shooting is thrilling for me.”

This is Zanjoe’s third gay character, but he’s not fearful of being stereotyped as the go-to actor for such roles. “Magkaiba naman sila ng pinagdadaanan sa buhay. The first one, he falls in love with a girl. The second one had a twin, while this one deals with him being a parent. I was offered this part, and surely some people will comment how it’s another gay role, but I’m more afraid about not being part of a good film and letting this opportunity pass. I don’t want to have regrets in the end,” says Zanjoe.

When asked to name their favorite horror films, Zanjoe was quick to blurt out “The Sixth Sense.” For Jodi, “Insidious” is not really a favorite, but she pointed out how the movie kept her sleepless for two weeks.  Jodi recalls, “I was afraid to sleep, because what happened in the movie might happen to me. So you’re in the state where you’re awake, but then you’re asleep.”

Playing the pivotal roles of Maria, Leonora and Teresa are Rhed Bustamante, JC Movido and Juvy Bison. Iza Calzado, meanwhile, plays the loving mother who gave up her career for her daughter Maria.

“The kids are a delight to watch,” offers Zanjoe. “They might be young, but they’re always excited to work. Instead of playing, you can see how they’d rather spend their time working. So, kung yung mga bata nga hindi napapagod, parang mas nakakalakas ng loob.”