As a Filipino, I was so excited to hear a movie from the Philippines getting a worldwide audience and being screened at North America. Seeing the trailer, my expectations are mixed. That's what most Filipino movies are most of the time. They tend to show stylish trailers which tend to leave audience curious, "Wow!", "Uh-ah..", " Will the whole film be as good as that?"
I decided to watched it not because of all the hype but because I like Yam Laranas' previous work, "Sigaw" . Sad to say, it did not lived up to my expectations.
The acting was horrible. All the shouting is pointless. Very typical on a Filipino horror film when teenage actors/actress are being cast. I could say that the acting of Barbie Forteza as Ella, is the most horrible.
The ending, though presented with a twist is not commendable. Spoiler Alert!! How could Luis (played by Renz Valerio) suddenly become a policeman (played by TJ Trinidad)after 10 years? This was not properly established in the film. On the 1988 story arc, it was shown that his parents both died. It was not mentioned whether he was adopted or raised by a relative.In the 1998 story arc, Luis is depicted as a lonesome teenager who massacred Lara (played by Rhian Ramos) and Joy (played by Louise delos Reyes). In this story arc, the house became older and disorganized. It is implied that no one lives there except for Luis. This goes to show that Luis might not have gone to college to pursue a career as a policeman. And what's with the driving skills?
The 3 story arcs are meant to be joined as branches. This is where the movie failed. Being a suspense movie, you should leave the audience guessing until the end. But there's no real suspense here. The burnt car where Lara was, is obvious in the 2008 story arc along with the founding of the heart pendant of Lara by the policeman Luis. It's obvious that it came from 1998 story arc. It is very visible being worn by Lara during her captivity. I don't know. Maybe Yam liked it that way. Maybe the 3 story arcs are not meant to surprise the audience in the end.
So many holes to mention here one by one but if you are a big fan of visual delight, this movie is for you. The environment is very stylish. The view of the road is shot magnificently. The inclusion of butterflies as a background thing is also commendable. How many films do that?
But if you are looking for a deeper storyline, this movie is not for your. If you want to get scared, this is not for you. I know when a movie gets scary. When I watch it with my nephew and he closes his eyes, I know it is scary. But this one, nah.. not a hand in his eyes this time...
I decided to watched it not because of all the hype but because I like Yam Laranas' previous work, "Sigaw" . Sad to say, it did not lived up to my expectations.
The acting was horrible. All the shouting is pointless. Very typical on a Filipino horror film when teenage actors/actress are being cast. I could say that the acting of Barbie Forteza as Ella, is the most horrible.
The ending, though presented with a twist is not commendable. Spoiler Alert!! How could Luis (played by Renz Valerio) suddenly become a policeman (played by TJ Trinidad)after 10 years? This was not properly established in the film. On the 1988 story arc, it was shown that his parents both died. It was not mentioned whether he was adopted or raised by a relative.In the 1998 story arc, Luis is depicted as a lonesome teenager who massacred Lara (played by Rhian Ramos) and Joy (played by Louise delos Reyes). In this story arc, the house became older and disorganized. It is implied that no one lives there except for Luis. This goes to show that Luis might not have gone to college to pursue a career as a policeman. And what's with the driving skills?
The 3 story arcs are meant to be joined as branches. This is where the movie failed. Being a suspense movie, you should leave the audience guessing until the end. But there's no real suspense here. The burnt car where Lara was, is obvious in the 2008 story arc along with the founding of the heart pendant of Lara by the policeman Luis. It's obvious that it came from 1998 story arc. It is very visible being worn by Lara during her captivity. I don't know. Maybe Yam liked it that way. Maybe the 3 story arcs are not meant to surprise the audience in the end.
So many holes to mention here one by one but if you are a big fan of visual delight, this movie is for you. The environment is very stylish. The view of the road is shot magnificently. The inclusion of butterflies as a background thing is also commendable. How many films do that?
But if you are looking for a deeper storyline, this movie is not for your. If you want to get scared, this is not for you. I know when a movie gets scary. When I watch it with my nephew and he closes his eyes, I know it is scary. But this one, nah.. not a hand in his eyes this time...