An indelible mark on Filipino horror

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Movie Review
Shake, Rattle, & Roll 1
Glorietta 3

THE importance of programs like Sine Singkwenta cannot be stressed enough. Done in partnership with SM Cinema, Robinsons Movieworld, and Ayala Malls Cinema, with tickets priced at just P50, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has brought back to theaters a plethora of restored films that had successful runs at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Though Sine Singkwenta has had many iterations, the latest one showing 50 films from past MMFFs, was a testament to just how easily good films can be lost to time. Anecdotally, BusinessWorld observed how the majority who went to the cinemas to watch these old films and who later posted about them online, were young audience members.

Screenings at Glorietta 3 of the first installment of the Shake, Rattle, & Roll (SRR) franchise, released in 1984, were attended by people in their 30s and younger. The only exception was an older woman, seemingly there because P50 for a film was an affordable treat for her and her granddaughter. (“Horror ba ito, lola? Astig!” exclaimed the girl, who looked 11 at most. Surprisingly, the first SRR was rated G!)

The format of these SRR films is that there are three shorts put together in an anthology. The first edition’s stories were Baso, Pridyider, and Manananggal. This writer, having only seen snippets of these online through YouTube, found that the atmosphere of a theater did wonders for the classic anthology.

Watched with other people, the distinct flavor of horror-comedy that the SRR franchise is now known for came to life despite a 40-year gap in film technology and moviegoers’ tastes. The audience often erupted in laughter (thanks to odd, dated dialogue that feels distinctly 1980s but entertained us nonetheless) and experienced little frights galore from the campiest, most unhinged moments.

Baso was the weak link in the set, its generations-long love story providing a lull from the ghostly ouija board encounter in the opening scene. Its conclusion, built up carefully from the drama of its three leads’ historical counterparts, comes to a head in a big way.

Pridyider is in a class of its own, usually included in lists of the best of the best horror shorts that SRR has produced. Directed by Ishmael Bernal, the brief moments of sexual overtones and body horror make it memorable and innovative, singlehandedly scaring a generation of Filipinos away from visiting the refrigerator at night. More psychosexual flares and gory flashes would have been freaky and fun; regardless, it is considered one of the most iconic segments in this franchise.

Manananggal by Peque Gallaga is the one that induces most terror. Its visual effects hold up, and the probinsya setting, with the small hut amid the lush jungle, makes an impact. The titular mythical creature and the religious combat that takes place to ward it off really reflect Philippine culture.

All in all, old films being brought back to theaters at an affordable price for young audiences to appreciate is a worthwhile initiative. It was fun to hear gasps during Pridyider when the beautiful, postwar modern bungalow they were living in was revealed to have been purchased for P1,500 (although it did contain a haunted refrigerator) and when one character used P50 to buy monay and a liter of Coca-Cola at the sari-sari store.

Sadly, the deterioration of the original film copies is evident in some of the segments. The ABS-CBN Film Archives, which handled the restoration, said in a post on Facebook that “heavy fungus in the print” in Baso led to one scene appearing warped, while “a portion at the end of Pridyider is no longer available in the surviving print.”

This is a loss for viewers, who now have to go to the Wikipedia page to find out what happened at the second segment’s ending. Its current condition has it abruptly end without ever finding out what happened to the family who move out of the haunted house.

With film archives now catching up with all the years that studios wasted, letting film reels and prints rot in subpar storage conditions, hopefully more of these classics that left a mark in Philippine film culture can be revived for newer audiences to discover. The good news is, the efforts are there, the clamor is there. Sine Singkwenta is proof of it.

The 50 MMFF films are now showing until Oct. 8 at select cinemas in Northern, Central, and Southern Luzon, and from Oct. 9 to 15 at select cinemas in the Visayas and Mindanao.