Through the shadows evoked by moonlight, the night unveils what the light hides. Normalcy slips and drifts away, and somehow, in the midst of it all, they metamorphose into characters that lurk in between spaces, that seek vulnerable moments, and spook souls with a gasp.
At The New Nocturnals 2026, every single thing that scrambles away from the sun has been revealed under artificial lightning and red carpet, possibly, though unlikely, dyed with crimson blood. Guests and a star-studded line-up of artists mystified the grounds with outfits stripped of their ordinary get-ups at The Peninsula Manila, Makati City, last Thursday.
All eras of cinema present
Film has always been a part of the world of excellence as it transcends human experience into a kind of art that marks generations of people and different vantage points of history. As such, although it is well known that Halloween permits the existence of every single creature with no questions asked, the event became a coalescence of characters from varied movies.
While waiting for the next artist to glamour the red carpet, there was one waiting with a shell of a golden human mask up against her face. Her clothes, or rather armour, were ever golden at every hit of yellowed ray from bulb lights. As she took center stage and revealed her face, there goes Kyline Alcantara as Robot Maria of the silent film, ‘Metropolis,’ from 1927.
Jason Dy, on the other hand, transformed himself to become a member of the world where everyone is connected to Eywa, ‘Avatar,’ with his skin painted blue speckled with white paint, a spear taller than his head, pointed ears, and tribal clothes and accessories that are perfect for exploring forests and mountains.
Beyond the cool shades of green leaves and thick, large trunks, some thrive within spaces where winds constantly mold sand into their own rhythm and pattern, like Joaquin Arce, Lella Ford, and Iñigo Pascual as part of the live-action film ‘Dune: Part Three,’ with clothes that felt worn out by the sun in brown and black shades.
Sparkles and galore, Ruffa Mae Gutierrez, wore a headpiece that is of pink feathers that fan out as if a train of a peacock and a gown that has a waterfall of beadworks down her skirt with some forming hearts of black and purple-fully personifying a dancer from ‘Moulin Rouge.’ Part of the same universe, of the crisp bright red lips and corset of gems, Belle Mariano became Nicole Kidman’s ‘Satine.’
The combination of all these eras calls back to how dressing up as a character goes further than transforming, but rather lands on the fact that it celebrates identity and culture formed by cinema.
Beyond real-life personas
What is Halloween without the presence of characters from animated movies?
That night, ‘Jessica Rabbit’ from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ became a staple. It was as if in every batch of the lineup, there would be one that adorned their bodies with voluminous red hair-curled at the right angles, red dress sparkling at the slightest movement, purple gloves covering most of their arms, and a microphone for a clutch bag.
Yet, Ina Raymundo, though dressed with similar props, had her natural black hair styled instead-making her shine among all others.
Michelle Dee proved last night that colors aren’t the only way to be the center of attention. Even in an outfit that derives from the simple contrast of black and white as ‘Cruella de Vil’ from ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians,’ her presence is enough to get cameras flashing from left to right.