YVETTE Tan, dubbed as the “Queen of Philippine horror stories,” urged Thomasians to use her signature genre as a form of social commentary in a lecture on Jan. 20.  

“Traditionally, horror is a great way to explore the human condition. It is usually [used as] a form of social commentary, most noticeable in American horror films,” Tan said during the inaugural installment of the “MaKathAklatan: An Author Lecture Series.”

The award-winning author said the horror genre in the Philippines is “still stuck in folk horror,” featuring lower mythological creatures such as the aswang

“It’s always [the] aswang, always [the] lower mythological creatures. If it’s a serial killer, hindi tayo natatakot,” Tan said.

Tan said the preference for folk horror could be rooted in how Filipino concerns were never allowed to change.

“If given the theory that horror is a reaction to something societal, zombies for example in the ‘70s was our reaction to the over-commodification of everything—how come in the Philippines, ganoon pa rin tayo?” Tan said.

Tan’s style moves away from folk horror, focusing instead on the fear of human nature itself.

“A big theme in my stories is that humans are the real monsters. The feeling that I wanted to put forth is that you may try your best, [but] sometimes, humans suck,” she said.

During her lecture, Tan also delved into the history of the genre, the writing process, and ways she uses horror in her stories.

Known for her short stories “Kulog” and “Sidhi,” Tan received honors from prestigious literary award-giving bodies such as the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards and the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards.

In 2017, Tan worked with filmmaker Dan Villegas as the screenwriter for the indie film, “Ilawod.” In 2022, she released “Seek Ye Whore,” her second collection of short horror stories that features Filipino mythology and folklore. 

She is also a columnist for Manila Bulletin, where she had worked as agriculture section editor. 

The lecture concluded with a book signing event.

The lecture series, organized by The MaKatha Circle, will hold three more sessions for students of the Faculty of Arts and Letters. 

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