Direk Topel’s ‘must-haves’ in a suspense thriller

MANILA, Philippines - When it comes to the scary film genre, expect director Topel Lee to make the heart-pounding scenes so memorable that one could find himself gasping for breath upon recall of his works. Be they horror or suspense, direk Topel is able to send the chill down one’s spine.

Some of his memorable works were Ouija topbilled by Judy Ann Santos, Iza Calzado, Rhian Ramos and Jolina Magdangal; Sundo starring Robin Padilla; White House with Gabby Concepcion as lead star; and Shake, Rattle and Roll short films including the remarkable Shake Rattle and Roll 8’s Yaya headlined by Iza Calzado and Nash Aguas.

Without a doubt, direk Topel has a method to make us jump out of our skins or cover our eyes in heightened emotion.

“I think in movies there are lots of things that you can set up,” direk Topel told The STAR after the media gathering to drumbeat Bloody Crayons, a suspense thriller produced by Star Cinema. “Primarily, the sound adds more tension. When the sound is good, it helps in building up surprise.”

Suspense thriller, he said, is different from horror in some aspects. Supernatural elements are mostly present in the latter while suspense thriller offers surprise from unexpected happenings. “When doing suspense, the gulat factor is more important. Horror is more on developing your fear.”

The so-called Cat Scare is the most common “surprise device” and direk Topel always tries to incorporate something that has not been seen yet in a movie. Unpredictability is one important factor of pulling the audience closer to the story.

“If you notice in some movies, the set up itself gives the audience a reason to anticipate what will come next and I don’t appreciate that (kind). Mas appealing sa akin ’yung set up like for example (the movie) Don’t Breathe. I’ve never imagined the level of fear a deaf person could give when he is able to control his environment. Another impressive movie is Get Out kasi bagong-bago ’yung kwento.”

Asked how he makes his movie frighten the wits out of anyone, the director claimed he does nothing grand. He usually asks his friends what scares them “and that’s how I started things and then I translate them on screen.”

For those not familiar, direk Topel comes from the family of artists. His dad, Mon Lee and his uncle Rox Lee, are into animation. They created the popular cartoon character Cesar Asar. Direk Topel studied Cinematography at Mowelfund Film Institute and after, he started working on film projects. 

“Nagdire-diretso na after studying. I did Shake Rattle and Roll 8’s Yaya which got rave reviews. Do I also write? Not yet but I want to try pero kasi naging busy ako with soaps. Hopefully, matuto ako o makagawa ng isa.”

Bloody Crayons is his “comeback” movie after being away from the directorial seat for a long time. His last big screen project was Basement and handled Amorosa on TV. It is no secret that Quark Henares was initially selected to direct Bloody Crayons but his schedule didn’t jibe with its shooting schedule.

“I’m thankful to be its director even if I was the third choice. In fact, hindi naman sa choice it so happened that it fitted into my schedule. No big deal about the issue.”

But he admitted to facing challenges while doing Bloody Crayons. First was the set up of the story since there is no game in the original story. By the way, Bloody Crayons is based from a novel written by Wattpad author Josh Argonza. He had given his go signal to do revisions to the story.

“Doon sa book walang game so gumawa kami ng game which is the Bloody Crayons game to make the movie more interesting and that part was challenging. Another challenge was to hide the killer within or amongst them. Kung sino  ba talaga ’yung pumapatay. Mahirap ’yung pagtago kasi baka mahulaan agad ng moviegoers.”

Direk Topel always makes it a point to have his three “must-haves” in doing suspense thrillers. He deems the story is the foremost element needed to ensure an excellent movie outcome.

“The story must be written with a clear message because everything begins with the story kaya dapat malinis ‘yung pagkalatag whether it’s drama or horror.

“Next for me is the unpredictability. I always try to come up with new ways to scare people and add devices or element of surprise that is new.

“The last is the technical aspect which includes the music, lighting, setting and production design.”

Luckily, direk Topel has no problem dealing with actors particularly in Bloody Crayons. They are Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona, Jane Oineza, Sofia Andres, Diego Loyzaga, Ronnie Alonte, Yves Flores and Empoy Marquez. “They are well-trained since most of them had acting experiences in soaps so the work flow was smooth.”

(Bloody Crayons opens on July 12 in cinemas nationwide.)