‘Outside’: Fearing the dead inside

This article contains spoilers. Zombies, or the “dead ones,” aren’t the most feared in Netflix Philippines’ first zombie film, “Outside.”

A violent outbreak forces the Abel family to flee the city. Francis (Sid Lucero) takes his wife Iris (Beauty Gonzalez) and their two sons, Josh (Marco Masa) and Lucas (Aiden Tyler Patdu), to seek shelter in their ancestral farmhouse.

The move unearths childhood trauma for Francis, who suffered at the hands of his father (special appearance by Joel Torre). Though they find his parents already dead upon arrival, it’s the painful memories that linger in the house that continue to haunt him.

Francis becomes a greater threat than the zombies. As he loses control, Iris insists on moving further north to find other survivors. However, Francis stands his ground and goes to great lengths to keep his family inside.

Outside explores so much family drama that viewers end up fearing the living more than the dead.

Filipino touch

“Covid happened. All these emotions came in. All my fears and anxieties as a parent suddenly flowed into the pages. It’s a film about zombies, but ultimately, it’s a film about an imperfect family who are trying to do their best. No one here is perfect; no one here is a bad guy. No one here is an ‘evil character,’” director Carlo Ledesma said.

The zombies, or the “dead ones,” as Ledesma calls them, were portrayed by Negrense theater actors who appeared on television for the first time.

“The thing is, the movie’s so personal. However, everybody says it doesn’t matter anymore. Whatever your opinion about the film, that’s you. We poured our blood and tears into making it, so it almost doesn’t matter what you guys think because we love what we did,” Lucero said.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez had this to say about making the movie: “It was close to my heart. (...) I read the script and realized I didn’t need to prepare but to trust my director and his direction because the script was beautifully written.”

While Western zombie films usually focus on finding a cure, Outside is very Filipino in the sense that it prioritizes family before seeking safety elsewhere.

If you’re into psychological horror films, Outside is for you.

Visit www.netflix.com/outside.