"Shake, Rattle & Roll XV" acquits itself fairly enough

The omnibus horror film "Shake, Rattle & Roll" has become a yearly staple of the Metro Manila Film Festival during the Christmas season that its reputation already veers towards being notorious and laughable. It's like an overstaying house-guest that you can't entirely get rid of. Well, the accorded reputation may be somewhat unfair, because there are some editions of the franchise (whether in entirety or just a particular episode) that aren't entirely awful. There are some that are decent enough or simply stood out. For instance, the last edition of SRR, back in 2012 and directed entirely by Chito Roño, was particularly good enough entertainment. For this year, the 15th edition of the film franchise - "Shake, Rattle & Roll XV" - with each episode once again handled by different directors, may just prove to move towards the direction of enhancing the image of this much-maligned horror trilogy, much to the satisfaction and enjoyment of the viewers. Let's check out why with each episode.

• Episode 1: "Ahas", directed by Dondon Santos, written by Santos and Rody Vera

The first episode is about a half-human, half-snake creature (played by Erich Gonzales) that inhabits the basement of a metropolitan shopping mall and terrorizes its customers who had the misfortune of using a fitting room that secretly leads to the basement. I find this episode daring enough for the fact that it mines on a famous Pinoy urban legend back in the '80s about an urban shopping mall and the snake creature that dwells in the basement and victimizes on beautiful female customers whom it happens to set its eyes upon. The creature is purported to be the "twin" sibling of the daughter of the business magnate who owns the mall and is being kept there as it's the one who brings great fortune to the family. "Ahas" is more sly than subtle in referencing the urban legend to tell its story: the name of the mall is "Alegria" which is a jumble of "Galleria";the creature is shown to be the twin sister of the mall owner's daughter;the sisters' mother is played by no less than Alice Dixson, who became the subject of a sensational rumor back then as it was purported that she almost became the next "victim" of the mall snake and that she was paid a hefty sum by the owners just to keep her mouth shut (there was another rumor involving another beautiful actress which was even more bizarre and goosebump-inducing). Such a sly reference may be lost on today's young generation of moviegoers, but I believe that they'd still enjoy the episode as it's briskly-paced and provides just enough chills and shrills. But those of us who grew up during the '80s will likely have a field day in drawing parallelism between the film story and the urban legend. 

The success of "Ahas" may actually prompt Regal Films (in case they'd still plan on producing more installments of SRR in the years to come, which isn't highly unlikely) to dig into some more famously - or notoriously - chilling Pinoy urban legends to utilize in one of the film franchise's episodes, like the lady-in-black that appeared during a live stage-play in the now-defunct Metropolitan Theater or the blood writings on the wall inside a university dorm after a murder has been committed. Story pitch, anyone?

Erich Gonzales as the other half of a deadly twin in SRR XV Episode 1, "Ahas".

• Episode 2: "Ulam", directed by Jerrold Tarog, written by Tarog and Zig Marasigan

Frankly speaking, the main reason that drew me into watching SRR XV was no other than Jerrold Tarog. It can't be doubted that he's one of the consistently exciting young filmmakers we have around. After seeing his "Camera" trilogy - "Confessional", "Mangatyanan" and "Sana Dati" - I became a certified fan of his. He has this distinct vision and skill that make his stories fresh and edgy, in such a way that turns something that's initially conventional on the top of its head: the mockumentary in "Confessional", the family secret in "Mangatyanan" and the romantic drama in "Sana Dati". As it were, Tarog doesn't disappoint with SRR XV's second episode (his third stint in the franchise, after the similarly-acclaimed "Parola" and "Punerarya" episodes in the past editions) that concerns a family that decides to return to an old ancestral home and the strange things that start to happen to them (particularly to the husband and wife, played by Dennis Trillo and Carla Abellana) after being served delicious meals by the house servant (played with understated creepiness by Chanda Romero). There's the all-too-familiar element of revenge involved in this, but how the filmmaker plays it out results in something that's truly macabre, shocking and surprising. Tarog could've chosen instead to make use of the "haunted house" element and to rely heavily on CGI and VFX in telling his story (as did the first and third episodes), but by opting to dwell on something that's decidedly less supernatural and to judiciously use practical effects the filmmaker was able to lend a certain level of visceral immediacy to the episode. That the villain is someone who could be close and familiar to us (shades of the nosy neighbor in Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby") adds to the over-all diabolical bluntness of "Ulam". 

The remarkable craft and artistry involved in this particular episode (the direction, the screenplay, the cinematography, the set design, even the game performances turned in by the actors) is a real delight that it could very well stand apart from the film itself being an omnibus viewing fare. Tarog may just be the one thing that SRR needs for it to elevate itself above being a mere run-of-the-mill staple of the annual holiday film event. 

Dennis Trillo turns to something that he isn't when hungry in SRR XV Episode 2, "Ulam".

• Episode 3: "Flight 666", directed by Perci Intalan, written by Intalan

From the title of the third episode alone, it could already be said that one is in big trouble as one begins to watch it. True enough, "Flight 666" is unabashedly silly, one that's as bad as it gets. Everything in this episode has the logic and sense thrown freely into the air from the window of the passenger plane in which it's solely set. The plot itself simply invites ridicule: a young mother gives birth to a tiyanak (it turns out that she was molested by a devilish supernatural being) which then terrorizes and kills the plane passengers. The episode could very well have been titled "Tiyanak on a Plane", a lift-off from "Snakes on a Plane", another shamelessly bad B-movie romp. Yet, surprisingly enough, the episode's silliness turns out to be its fine attribute. "Flight 666" simply becomes an immensely enjoyable, campy thrill ride, simply because the director is well aware of the silliness and decides to play on it good enough, along with an ensemble cast (forefronted by Lovi Poe as a stewardess and Matteo Guidicelli as a doctor-passenger) who's game enough to ride along the foolishness. The episode is a shining example of something that could've been bad (or is in fact already bad) which becomes a highly-entertaining fare instead. Another plus factor of the episode, I think, is the decision to use a real passenger plane as a single setting, instead of opting for a make-shift one set inside a studio. In effect, this adds excitement to the proceedings and somehow makes the vehicle a character in itself (Intalan must've seen the Jodie Foster-starrer "Flightplan", too). 

These flight passengers are being held up by someone - or something - in SRR XV Episode 3, "Flight 666".

I wasn't really expecting something from SRR XV as I entered the cold and dark theater to watch it. When the end credits finally rolled, I was pleasantly surprised to discover for myself how I fully enjoyed watching the horror anthology. It isn't something that aspires to be a specimen of high-art cinema, but it has the decency enough to be an entertaining romp. It's definitely superior to Chito Roño's messy and disappointing "Feng Shui 2", even if it doesn't come close enough to the fantastical quality of Erik Matti's "Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2".