Filmmaker Yam Laranas is a one-man horror band, operating out of his native Philippines, where he writes, directs, produces, shoots and edits his eerie films. His 2004 ghost story SIGAW was part of the Asian horror invasion and attracted the attention of Vertigo Entertainment (RING, DARK WATER, THE GRUDGE), which hired Laranas to remake his own film with an American cast as THE ECHO in 2008. Laranas returned to his country to helm his latest film, THE ROAD (no relation to the same-named 2009 postapocalyptic film), which Freestyle Releasing opens in 16 American cities this Friday and simultaneously debuts on Freestyle Digital Media (to find the film in your area, go here, and read Fango’s review here).

Creepy and uncompromising, THE ROAD begins with the repercussions of a 12-year-old cold case, which is reopened when three teenagers disappear while driving down a cursed and remote road. As detectives try to find clues to the whereabouts of the missing kids, they also unearth the path’s horrifying past, which spans two decades—a history of abduction and murder. Fango spoke with Laranas about THE ROAD taken…

FANGORIA: What was the inspiration for the story (co-written with Aloy Adlawan)?

YAM LARANAS: I was very much intrigued by crimes of the past and the long-term effects of mysteries that go unsolved. I believe they create ripples in time—ghosts. Visually, I was inspired by the paintings of Rene Magritte. The cloaked heads and the hidden faces—you will see variations of those in THE ROAD. Ghosts are scary precisely because they are unknowable.

FANG: Can you describe how the three separate time periods play into the plot?

LARANAS: The film is about how ghosts beget other ghosts. The ghosts we see now were created by ghosts in the past, and those ghosts were created by ghosts in an even more distant past. That’s why we say, “Nobody leaves the road”—it’s a violent cycle you can’t get out of. Not being able to escape is true horror to me. The three time periods take you deeper and deeper into the past. They are meant to show different people from different times trying to break this cycle of violence, but failing and ending up as ghosts.

FANG: THE ROAD is a mix of the supernatural and serial-killer genres. Was it tough to balance these elements?

LARANAS: It was difficult to serve the demands of both a horror film and a psychological murder mystery. On one hand, as a director, you want to scare the audience out of their minds. But at the same time, you need them to absorb information and clues to solve this mystery. So THE ROAD had to be more carefully plotted and emotionally richer than what we ordinarily expect a horror flick to be. It’s very tough, but also very satisfying when it works.

FANG: The scenes of child abuse are more shocking than the murders. Was that always your intention?

LARANAS: What happens to the child in this film is the cause of everything that happens afterward. So it had to be the most shockingly horrific thing in the film to start that decades-long cycle of horror.

FANG: What kind of statement were you trying to make with the fanatical mother and weak father of the serial-killer-to-be?

LARANAS: THE ROAD is about people who are trapped. Everyone in THE ROAD is trapped one way or another. The fanatical mom is trapped by her circumstances. She wants a different life from what she has. The father is trapped by his fixation on dogma. The result is this child who is psychologically trapped. Once again, nobody leaves the road.

FANG: How far did you want to push the violence?

LARANAS: I wasn’t thinking very consciously of how much violence to show, but what images are needed to serve the story. I don’t like gratuitous violence. When I’m watching a movie, I can sense which scenes are being thrown in for pure shock value, or to satisfy a requisite number of “scares.” The audience can sense this too. I want the scares to be organic and rooted to the story. Those scares are harder to achieve, but they last longer than a cheap thrill.

FANG: Was the film shot in sequence or by individual section?

LARANAS: It was shot in individual sections, mostly driven by practical necessity. We shot everything we could in a given location so we wouldn’t have to spend money setting up again in that same place. Great thing our actors are just fantastic. They made the action look seamless.

FANG: Is it tough juggling cinematography and directing duties at the same time on your films?

LARANAS: I’m so lucky and grateful whenever I can do both. I was a cinematographer first, before I became a director. So, by the time I became a director, I was already deep in the habit of visualizing the shots, how they should be framed and lit. It’s not very tough, because I do my homework and I come to the set already knowing where I want the cameras, which lenses to use and which lights and filters. It actually saves everyone a lot of time.

FANG: The running time (110 minutes) is kind of long for a low-budget horror film. Was it tough to whittle down the story, and is there a lot left on the cutting room floor?

LARANAS: The length had more to do with having to tell three full stories in one film. THE ROAD is also a murder mystery and a psychological drama. I paced it slower than a horror film to allow the audience more time to absorb the information and soak in the emotion.

FANG: Are you a one-man horror-filmmaking industry in the Philippines? Are there other struggling genre filmmakers in your country?

LARANAS: There are filmmakers in the Philippines who can write, shoot, light, edit and produce their films. It’s a question of whether they want to. It’s very hard! I prefer it, though. It’s the only way I can really make sure that what I imagine in my head is what appears on screen. I’m responsible for everything—especially the mistakes, of course! Whatever mistakes are all mine.

FANG: It’s quite an accomplishment that a foreign-language horror film like yours is getting such a major release in the U.S. What made Freestyle take such a gamble on THE ROAD?

LARANAS: Freestyle believes THE ROAD has a story that can connect with a broad audience. The themes here are universal, and THE ROAD could be any road in any country anywhere. The high production standards also helped. We shot THE ROAD in 2k. It’s well-acted and very visual, which helps break any language barrier.

FANG: Your own redux THE ECHO came out at the tail end of the Asian remake craze. Will THE ROAD fare better?

LARANAS: I’m hopeful that THE ROAD will at least be appreciated on its own merit and not be seen in the context of a current craze like THE ECHO was. In that sense, THE ROAD is already faring better.

FANG: Were you happy with the remake overall?

LARANAS: I’m very happy about THE ECHO. But a serious filmmaker will always be exploring and learning and getting better at his craft. So when you look back at any of my films, there are always things that you wish you had done or not done or done better. Happy, yes. Content, no.

FANG: What ever happened to your quasi-zombie film PATIENT X?

LARANAS: I love the premise behind PATIENT X. A city doctor gets a call from small-town doctors who need help with a mysterious patient. But when he gets there, he is shocked to find that instead of curing the patient, the doctors are trying to kill it. And it won’t die. I wish I had dwelled on this premise more than the thriller part of it. It could have been a much stronger film.  

FANG: What’s next for you? More genre films? Any new overtures to work in the U.S.?

LARANAS: I’ve written a horror/mystery script set in Los Angeles and Echo, Oregon that I’d love to do soon. I’m reading scripts sent by my agent Brant Rose and friends here in LA. I’m just waiting to be grabbed by that next ghost… 

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