Untold (film)

Last updated
Untold
Untold movie 2025.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDerick Cabrido
Screenplay byEnrico C. Santos
Story by
  • Derick Cabrido
  • Roselle Y. Monteverde
  • Noreen Capili
  • Anton Santamaria
Starring
Edited byRenewin Alano
Jayvee Margaja
Music byVon De Guzman
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • April 30, 2025 (2025-04-30)
Running time
108 minutes [1]
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

Untold is a 2025 Philippine psychological horror film [2] directed by Derick Cabrido. It stars Jodi Sta. Maria, Juan Karlos Labajo, Kaori Oinuma, Lianne Valentin, Mylene Dizon, Joem Bascon, Sarah Edwards and Gloria Diaz. [3] The film is Jodi Sta. Maria's first horror film under Regal Films and her fourth time leading a horror project. [4] It is the final film approved by Lily Monteverde before her death. [5]

Contents

Plot

Vivian Vera (Jodi Sta. Maria) is a celebrated journalist and the face of the tabloid-style investigative series Untold on Mon News Network. Her career is marked by sensational exposés that have propelled her to fame, but beneath her polished exterior lies a history of ethical compromises and fabricated stories.

One of her most notorious reports involved the "Cement Massacre," where a group of informal settlers protesting against a development project by Cateland Development were brutally killed. Vivian's coverage of the incident, captured with the help of her cameraman Benjie (Joem Bascon), catapulted her to stardom. However, the veracity of her reporting is questionable, as it becomes evident that she manipulated facts to serve her ambition.

Years later, Vivian is assigned to interview Ernesto Malugag (Francis Mata), the security chief implicated in the massacre, who has been released from prison due to lack of evidence. As she delves into this assignment, Vivian begins experiencing disturbing hallucinations and encounters with apparitions of the massacre victims, appearing disfigured and half-buried in concrete.

The supernatural occurrences intensify when a mysterious woman named Diana (Angel Raymundo) confronts Vivian, accusing her of burying the truth and presenting her with a cursed bracelet. This encounter triggers a series of events where individuals connected to Vivian's past, including Benjie and Ernesto, meet gruesome deaths, seemingly at the hands of vengeful spirits.

Vivian's grip on reality begins to falter as she experiences time lapses, memory gaps, and increasingly violent visions. Her interactions with colleagues, such as the ambitious junior reporter Louise Amador (Kaori Oinuma), become strained as Louise investigates the inconsistencies in Vivian's past reports. Vivian's mother, Monica Vera (Gloria Diaz), observes her daughter's deteriorating mental state with growing concern.

In a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that Vivian's unethical practices extend beyond the Cement Massacre. In a bid to outshine her rival Elaine Arnaiz (Sarah Edwards), Vivian fabricated a story about a restaurant serving cat meat, going so far as to kill her own pet cat, Kitty Marie, to produce convincing footage.

As the haunting intensifies, Vivian becomes convinced that she is cursed by the victims' families and that her only escape is to confess her "untold" crimes. The film culminates in a harrowing confrontation where Vivian must choose between revealing the truth, thereby destroying her career, or succumbing to the wrath of the vengeful spirits.

Cast

Production

During the Regal legacy launch in Quezon City, Kaori Oinuma and Lianne Valentin announced to be part of the film Untold. [5]

Release

The film premiered in Cebu on March 29, 2025, [9] and is scheduled for release on April 30, 2025, under Regal Films.

References

  1. "Untold (15)". British Board of Film Classification . July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  2. Escuadro, Kiko (March 8, 2025). "Jodi Sta. Maria explores psychological horror in 'Untold'". Daily Tribune . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  3. Tabares, Nazamel (September 26, 2024). "Jodi Sta. Maria reveals 'Untold' is a dream come true to work with Regal Films". Pelikula Mania. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  4. Escuadro, Kiko (September 21, 2024). "Jodi Sta. Maria to unleash inner demon in upcoming horror film 'Untold'". ABS-CBN . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Mallorca, Hannah (October 2, 2024). "Jodi Sta. Maria gets extra help from Kaori Oinuma, Lianne Valentin in 'Untold'". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  6. Evangelista, Jessica Ann (September 19, 2024). "Jodi Sta. Maria to headline new horror movie 'Untold'". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  7. "Jodi Sta. Maria stars in upcoming horror movie". ABS-CBN . September 17, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  8. Basina, Carby (September 21, 2024). "Lianne Valentin joins cast of upcoming film 'Untold' with Jodi Sta. Maria". GMA News. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  9. Lopez, Herty B. (March 31, 2025). "'Untold' movie ni Jodi unang mi-premiere sa Sugbo" ['Untold' movie of Jodi is first to premier in Cebu]. SunStar Cebu . Retrieved April 1, 2025.