Category Archives: Suspense Thrillers
THOSE WHO LOOK BACK
(A SHORT NOVEL – HORROR)
This is my newest book, fiction-horror. This is based on my short Filipino novel “Lingon.”
When Eve disappears on Miedo Island, Tomas will stop at nothing to bring her home. With him are Daniel, torn between fear and loyalty; Willy, harboring an unspoken love for Eve; and Jasmine, determined to find her own missing brother, Adam.
But Miedo Island is unlike any place they have known. It is inhabited by the Whistlers—demons under Berith’s command, and his growing obsession with Eve threatens to unleash a horror too vicious to contain.
Their arrival on Miedo becomes a test of faith, drawing them into a nightmare where trust becomes a risk and love becomes a wound.
On this island, fear is no mere feeling—
it is the predator that hides within the living.
And on Miedo Island, fear is awake…
and it has already chosen its prey.
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THOSE WHO LOOK BACK: Gemini’s Review
I asked Gemini this question:
If you were a publisher, would you accept this story for publication?
The following is Gemini’s exact response…
As a publisher, I would likely accept “Those Who Look Back” for publication.
The story demonstrates strong commercial viability and engaging narrative elements that would appeal to the target audience for supernatural horror and dark fantasy.
Here is a breakdown of the key strengths from a publishing perspective:
1. Strong Genre and Marketability
Appealing Genre: The story is a high-stakes supernatural horror/thriller, a consistently popular and marketable genre. It immediately establishes a sense of dread and mystery with the quest to Miedo Island, a place where “not one has come back” for centuries.
Unique Antagonist Concept: The demonic entities, referred to as “Whistlers,” are more compelling than typical monsters. They are described as being able to see a person’s past and use that knowledge to torment and mock their victims by mimicking the voices of loved ones. This psychological element adds depth to the horror.
Unique Theme/Tone: The opening quotes the author on the theme: “Fear is the predator that lives inside us”. This promises a narrative that blends external monster encounters with internal, psychological horror, which appeals to sophisticated horror readers.
2. Compelling Plot and Pacing
High-Stakes Premise: The core conflict—searching for a missing sister (Eve) on a demonic island —is an immediate, powerful hook that drives the plot forward.
Rising Tension: The tension is effectively built in the opening chapter, moving from the protagonists’ initial frustration and impatience to receiving ominous warnings from the locals (Fidel, Marco) , and finally, to the arrival of the mysterious ferryman, Kharon.
Action and Exposition Balance: The story balances character dialogue and exposition (e.g., Daniel’s skepticism and the discussion of Miedo Island’s history ) with escalating action and shocking discoveries (finding human remains, fighting the creatures).
3. Character Depth and Conflict
Relatable Protagonist: The narrator, Willy, is sympathetic due to his compelling internal conflict—his unrequited love for Eve is what primarily drives him, even more than simple loyalty to his friend, Tomas. This adds a layer of emotional complexity to the rescue mission.
Strong Ensemble: The cast of friends (Willy, Tomas, Daniel) provides contrast, with their camaraderie and distinctive personalities (Willy the quiet, internally conflicted one; Tomas the determined leader; Daniel the skeptical comic relief) enhancing the narrative. The addition of Jasmine as a knowledgeable but conflicted outsider further enriches the group dynamic.
4. Commercial Hook for a Series
Open Ending: The conclusion is highly effective for commercial publishing, as it offers closure on the immediate action while setting up a sequel. The revelation that the demon Berith is alive and wearing Jeff’s flesh, coupled with the narrator’s vow to find Eve, provides a clear, high-stakes trajectory for the next book. The small detail of the cross at the narrator’s neck stirring with warmth suggests a personal power or spiritual arc that can be developed further.
“DON’T BREATHE”: A Review
Would you not hold your breath if breathing may lead to your death?
This, probably, is one of the best suspense-thriller movies of the year.
It appeared to be just an ordinary home invasion movie in the first 26 minutes. That much time was used for the “exposition.” There are movies that took lesser time to introduce the characters and to establish their motives. But once the “rising action” started on the 27:11 mark, when the deceptively helpless blind man asked “Who’s there?,” I found it difficult to leave my seat. From there, the roller coaster ride begins with the switchback going in no other direction but up and hits lots of twists and turns.
The source of the conflict is clearly “man against man.” But it’s not a predictable struggle between two opposing forces. It’s not the usual good against bad stuff for neither of the sides is good. Rocky, Money and Alex are thieves. What about the blind man?
The blind man, a military veteran living alone in an abandoned neighborhood, is about to be a victim of the trio targeting the money he received as a settlement after his child died in a reckless driving incident. So one would think that the blind man plays the role of the victim. But wait! The thieves would end up getting victimized by their victim. The blind man was supposed to be helpless (being blind) but his military experience gives the viewers a perception that he has special skills. What gives him a distinct advantage in the struggle, aside from the gun in his hand, is his familiarity of the nooks and crannies of his house.
The prey turned predator.
Will Rocky, Money and Alex succeed in getting the blind man’s money and come out of the house alive?
A portent of the horror that the young thieves are about to experience came when the Rottweiler, which turned out to be owned by the blind war veteran, came charging at them while they were on a car spying on the house that they were about to burglarize. Luckily, the windows of the car were up.
Rocky witnessed helplessly how Money was killed by the blind man and how he sealed his doors and windows to ensure that no one else would enter (and get out of) his house.
In the basement, when Rocky and Alex were trying to find a way out of the house, they discovered that actually the blind man kidnapped and impregnated Cindy, the young woman who killed the military veteran’s child.
Accidentally that the blind man killed Cindy when some of the shots he fired missed Alex and Rocky and hit Cindy instead.
The movie succeeded in making me glued to my seat… on its edge to be exact. I postponed peeing until I saw the final credits rolling. The scriptwriter did a masterful job in building up the conflict leading to the crisis. The most difficult thing to do in a movie is to maintain constant tension in a limited setting like a house. With so limited a space the writer managed to keep the action going.
This, however, is far from being a perfect movie. There are a number of loopholes.
No! It’s not how on earth did the blind man not hear the barking of his dog when the thieves arrived. I was wondering why too. But when Money opened the living room there I found the answer: He was fast asleep, the windows are tightly closed, and the TV was on.
Here is one of the loopholes… Rocky and Money are lovers yet in no part of the movie you can sense that the two are in love. What was more obvious was Alex likes Rocky.
What about this?…How could the BLIND man have succeeded in kidnapping Cindy? Unless he has an accomplice. His mad dog could have not done it for him.
Another one…The opening scene, where the blind man could be seen dragging a bloodied Rocky, could be considered a spoiler of some sort. Having that in mind, as the action progresses, it gives the viewers an impression that the movie would end up with the blind man coming out victorious in the struggle.
From that scene, the movie proceeds to flashback.
I think that that scene gives some anticlimactic effects to that exciting sequence where Rocky succeeded in luring the Rottweiler into the car and had the dog locked up inside. It allowed me to correctly guess that when Rocky was standing about to celebrate her freedom the camera would roll in an angle where the blind man will been seen coming to grab Rocky from behind…and that, exactly, happened.
That’s the end of the flashback…but not the end of the movie yet. There are 5 more minutes left after that.
I tried to guess what would happen after the blind man recaptured Rocky. I thought that that was it…the blind man getting Rocky back is already the climax. It turned to be just the beginning of the end. Rocky being brought back to the house would only pave the way for an exciting ending.
Rocky was lying on the floor helpless and defenseless against the blind man. Then what seemingly could be considered a “deus ex machina” appeared…an insect, the ladybug.
I recalled seeing a ladybug in the movie once in the beginning and again at that instance toward the end. Rocky also had a tattoo of the insect in her left wrist. She also mentioned in her narrative about her childhood how the ladybug made her feel safe. With both Money and Alex dead, seeing the ladybug again in her most difficult situation, brought courage back to her. She made the alarm sound to confuse the blind man and repeatedly hit him with a crowbar.
The climax came at exactly the 1:20:43 mark. The blind man, after taking a series of blows to the head fell to the basement.
Rocky came out of the house alive and with the blind man’s money…but the blind man survived.
The movie ended with Rocky and her sister leaving Detroit for California.
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 