INTERVIEW: LOU E. ALBANO
October 8, 2009 | 3554 views
What is your personal favorite story?
My favorite story is "Sidhi," because it's a re-imaginging of a Quiapo that I would like to have experienced. The story that people respond to the most is "Daddy," because it's deeply personal. Except for the phone calls, almost everything in that story are based on fact.
In your opinion, what makes for an awesome horror story?
I think what makes a work of horror effective is its creep-out factor. If a ghost jumps out at you onscreen, you scream and freak out and it lasts a few minutes, maybe a few weeks. But a movie or a book that creeps you out, sneaks up on you without you knowing until you've left the theatre or turned the final page, that feeling can last a lifetime.
Do you have supernatural powers?
Nope. No supernatural powers, and thank goodness for that! I would like to keep my third eye blind, thank you very much.
If you can have one, what would it be?
My super power choices are corny, but I have very practical reasons for them. I would like to have the power of flight, so that I can save on airfare and then super strength so I can carry my luggage while I fly. I would have also liked to read minds, which would come in handy during exam season. But in reality, I'd settle for a fast metabolism any day.
How does Philippine horror compare to, say European horror or Japanese?
I believe that you can't compare one culture's mythology—lower or otherwise—to another. I do think that we don't love our mythology enough, which is why we feel insecure when pitting our monsters against the more popular ones from other countries. The difference, I think, between Filipino and say, Japanese horror, is that the Japanese love their creatures and don't care what anyone else thinks of them (probably because they risk being cursed if they do). They write or make films for themselves and leave the foreigners to make heads or tails of it. And that passion shows in their stories. Well-crafted work make other people want to understand where its makers are coming from. Of course, not everyone agrees with this.
Do you intend to keep writing horror? What are your plans for the future?
I'm working a novel next. It will probably involve a boy and a girl, but none of them will have fangs. The girl might have a penchant for glitter, but only for costume parties. I have yet to think of a title.
And finally, what's in your halloween reading list?
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Death's Dominion by Simon Clarke
Tropical Gothic by Nick Joaquin
Black Evening by David Morrel
The Terror by Dan Simmons
"A Story" and "The Mats" by Franz Arcellana, who is my favorite Filipino author. He does not know that what he's written actually counts as horror!
