Filipino Urban Legends Fuel the Haunted-Mirror Horror of ‘Knock Three Times’

A cursed antique mirror is at the heart of the upcoming Filipino horror film Knock Three Times, with Variety confirming that director Jerrold Tarog (Quezon) is set to bring the nightmare to life.

Billed as a psychological horror story rooted in Filipino folklore, Knock Three Times follows a young woman fresh out of rehab who returns home only to discover that her mother has fallen under the spell of a malevolent antique mirror.

According to Variety, the film draws directly from Filipino urban legends — specifically an eerie childhood ritual involving mirrors, candles, and three ominous knocks. That ritual becomes the foundation for the movie’s descent into folklore-fueled terror.

“What excited me about Knock Three Times is its emotional core,” Tarog said. “Horror is most powerful when grounded in human vulnerability, and this film explores how trauma opens doors — sometimes literally — to forces we can’t control.”

Tarog also notes that the film aims to blend traditional Filipino lore with psychological tension that resonates globally. “It’s intimate, atmospheric, and built around a universal fear: what we might summon when we confront the things we’re not ready to face.”

Knock three times… and something might knock back.