Shake, Rattle & Roll 11

This year's issue of Shake Rattle & Roll features the stories "Ang Diablo", "Ukay-ukay" and "Lamang Lupa".

"Ang Diablo" is about a doctor named Claire who lost her faith when she saw police murder her family, when she was still a girl. She realizes that her doll inhabits demons who protect and eventually possess her.

The film works to scare people as it draws from that (almost) universal fear of demon possesion. The story does take-off from The Exorcist. I like how they also pitted the fear of the evil in living people, as seen in the people who killed her parents ( Mas matakot ka sa buhay, kesa sa patay) vs. the fear we get from Judeo-Christian mythology. There was also a scene where Janice De Belen, a nurse, stands in front of a refrigerator, which is a fun reference to the first Shake Rattle & Roll but seemed unrelated to the whole story. And boo for using a different voice to dub over Marc Anthony Fernandez's.

"Ukay-ukay" stays true to the horror comedy theme when bride-to-be Ruffa Gutierrez is haunted by a vintage dress that she bought from a thrift-shop. Great performance from Megan Young who plays the ghost who haunts the dress who becomes a zombie who becomes Sadako crawling down the stairs and into a burning well. I love how all three films show gore and horror in broad daylight. I love John Lapuz's line when he told the gown "Fashion designer ako. Gown ka lang!" Later in the movie, Ruffa Gutierrez screams , "Harold, nagbalik na yung gown!!!"

I liked "Lamang Lupa" for it's story telling. It starts with a girl that police officers find in the middle of a forest. They question her on how their camping trip ended up with all six of her friends dead. She then gives an account of how her friends get killed by evil dwarf like creatures for disturbing their punso or earth mounds which aren't their homes but incubation structures for their children. (Bit of retelling the whole nuno myth there.)

Boo for the lazy transitions. Yey for Rico Gutierrez's direction and some shots in the first film. I give the whole film a 7/10 which is way higher than I expected to give it. Haha.