Mananambal (2025)

Mananambal: A Haunting Dive into Filipino Folklore with Nora Aunor at Her Best

Adolfo Alix Jr.’s Mananambal is a gripping exploration of Philippine mysticism wrapped in an eerie horror-thriller package. Set on the enigmatic island of Siquijor, the film follows a group of vloggers on a reckless hunt for viral content. Their target? Lucia (the legendary Nora Aunor), a traditional folk healer, or mananambal, who quickly proves to be far more than they bargained for. What starts as a sensationalist stunt soon spirals into a terrifying reckoning, as the island’s supernatural forces demand their due.

The mananambal tradition, rooted in Visayan folklore, represents the dual nature of healing and harm, bridging the physical and spiritual worlds. This duality plays out brilliantly in Aunor’s portrayal of Lucia, a woman whose silence is more chilling than any spoken curse. With her face deglamorized and her signature expressive eyes doing all the talking, Aunor once again proves why she is a National Artist for Film. Her presence alone is reason enough to watch Mananambal—she doesn’t need words to convey power, sorrow, or menace.

Bianca Umali delivers a compelling performance as Alma, Lucia’s daughter, whose inner conflict provides the emotional core of the story. Yearning to escape the constraints of her mother’s mystical legacy, Alma’s arc is both tragic and enthralling. Her chemistry with Aunor is electric, particularly in the film’s latter half, where familial duty collides with personal ambition in unexpected ways.

On the other side of the spectrum, the city-slicker vloggers—played by Edgar Allan Guzman, Jeric Gonzales, Kelvin Miranda, and Martin Escudero—embody the recklessness of modern social media culture. Their arrogance and disregard for sacred traditions set the stage for a supernatural backlash. Miranda, in particular, shines as Liam, the reluctant outsider within the group, providing a grounded contrast to his more hedonistic companions.

Alix’s direction ensures that Mananambal never meanders, balancing horror with cultural introspection. While the story treads familiar revenge-horror territory, the execution is precise and atmospheric. The cinematography takes full advantage of Siquijor’s haunting beauty—dense forests, cascading waterfalls, and shadowy caves serve as both picturesque backdrops and ominous warnings.

That said, the film could have leaned even further into the emotional conflict between Lucia and Alma. There were moments hinting at a deeper confrontation between the power of healing and the temptation of vengeance, but the narrative opts for a broader supernatural horror climax instead. Nevertheless, the final act delivers a shocking gut punch, an elegant tragedy befitting its themes of fate and consequence.

Mananambal is a must-watch, not just for fans of horror, but for those interested in the rich tapestry of Filipino folklore. Alix crafts a film that is both thrilling and thought-provoking, offering chills and cultural resonance in equal measure. And, of course, there’s the inimitable Nora Aunor—whose eyes alone could haunt audiences long after the credits roll.

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