CRITICALLY acclaimed director of horror films Topel Lee says he wants to take a break from making scary movies.

His latest, GMA Films? ?Sundo,? features action star Robin Padilla and opens March 18.

?I?m forced to watch all the horror films I can find. As much as possible, I try not to copy them. Nahihirapan na rin talaga ako. They?ve done almost everything. It?s hard to think where else I could go for fresh ideas,? Topel tells Inquirer Entertainment.

There is also the pressure to outdo his previous works, adds Topel. His film ?Ouija,? (2007) about four women haunted by a spirit they accidentally trapped while playing the Ouija board, was a box-office hit.

Topel is set to work with actresses Judy Ann Santos, Iza Calzado, Jolina Magdangal, and Rhian Ramos on a sequel late this year.

?I get a lot of offers from producers to do horror these days. I want to work on something different ? a film that?s heartwarming. Maybe I will produce it myself,? the director says.

Topel first began scaring people via the ABS-CBN show, ?Nginiiig,? where he worked as second unit director. The opportunity to make horror films first came in 2005, after he made ?Dilim? for CinemaOne Originals. It was about an enigmatic creature that roams the streets at night, saving innocent victims by devouring villains.

A year later, Regal Entertainment commissioned him to direct ?Yaya,? one of three episodes in ?Shake Rattle and Roll 8,? a Metro Manila Film Festival entry. He then worked on the ?Engkanto? episode for ?Shake 9? in 2007 and ?Class Picture? for ?Shake X? in 2008.

?I?ve asked Mother Lily (Monteverde, Regal executive) not to include me in the production of ?Shake XI? this year. Gusto ko munang kumalas sa horror,? says Topel.

After ?Ouija?

But for now, ?Sundo? keeps Topel in the loop. ?I hope it does well in the box-office, just like ?Ouija.??

He believes Robin?s performance is worthy of an award.

In ?Sundo,? Romano (Padilla), a retired military operative who lives in seclusion, discovers that he has an uncanny ability to see spirits around people who are about to die.

On a road trip to Manila, Romano, his blind sister Isabel (Ramos), childhood best friend Louella (Sunshine Dizon) and a group of friends manage to avoid a fatal accident. With Romano?s help, the group cheats death by running away from their ?sundo.?

Topel relates that early on, Robin didn?t want to let go of his macho acting habits. ?But I told him that in this film, it?s important that people see a scared Robin.?

So how exactly did he manage to make Robin obey him? ?Niyaya ko makipag-inuman,? Topel quips.

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph