Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan | |
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Directed by | Chito S. Roño |
Written by | Bob Ong |
Story by | Bob Ong |
Based on | Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong |
Produced by | Kriz G. Gazmen |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Eli Balce |
Edited by | Carlo Francisco Manatad |
Music by | Andrew Florentino |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | Philippines |
Language | Filipino |
Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan (lit. Mama Susan's Friends) is a 2023 Philippine horror thriller film based on Bob Ong's 2010 mystery novel on the same name directed by Chito S. Roño and written by Bob Ong. It stars Joshua Garcia & Angie Ferro on her last film as she died on August 17, 2023.[1][2]
The story follows the life of Gilberto "Galo" Manansala, a student from Manila, through his journal entries supposedly as a project for school. In his notes, Galo chose to chronicle the creepy experiences he felt in his grandmother's house. His grandmother whom he calls Mama Susan.
The horror began when Galo returned to their province to look after his Mama Susan. As his curiosity grew, he started seeing weird things and hearing creepy footsteps.
Together with kids Niko and Jezel, Galo begins to uncover the secrets surrounding their community and his grandmother's role in the cult.
In March 2016 a possible film adaptation of the book had been teased on Bob Ong's Facebook page. On February 6, 2020, it was announced that the book will finally be adapted into film, starring Joshua Garcia as Galo, which will be directed by Chito S. Roño and will be co-produced by Black Sheep Productions and Regal Entertainment.[7]
The shooting was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines and was resumed on June 20, 2020, after the cast and crew went on self-quarantine. The film was shot in Magalang, Pampanga.[8]
The film was released on May 18, 2023, on Amazon Prime Video.[9]
Lé Baltar of Rappler gave the film a negative review and wrote: If there is anything that the film gets right, it's the point that adopting a written work for the screen, no matter how rich and potent, takes a lot more than being well versed in the original material.[10] Carlos Pineda of Spin.ph criticize the execution of the film and he said: Overall, Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan tries to creatively bring something new into the horror mystery genre, but ends up looking lost in terms of execution. Looking back, I reflected if the film's obsession with audience interpretation was the best method given that some of the narratives weren't really fleshed out.[11]
Trainwrecktim of Letterboxd gave the film 2½ stars and wrote: The first mistake here was getting the writer of the book to write the screenplay. Movie scripts are just a whole ‘nother ball game.[12]