With Halloween in the air these days, PEP's Top List takes on the most unforgettable horror scenes in local scream flicks.
A lot of moviegoers enjoy a good fright, and that is exactly what some film producers do best when it comes to frightening, though sometimes clichéd, horror films.
Take Shake, Rattle and Roll, for example, even if the title is far from sounding horrific, it became the most successful horror film franchise in the industry, spanning more than two decades of giving people fright delights.
The movies below are listed in no particular order. Read on and see if your memorable horror flick scene is here!
SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL "PRIDYIDER" (1984) This Regal Films-produced movie gave viewers a unique perspective on the horror genre as the first of several sequels over the years.
It was a nifty way of spooking the audience by portraying three different stories—"Manananggal," "Baso," and "Pridyider"—all in one sitting.
"Baso" focused on a séance during which a drinking glass used by the characters brought out mysterious spirits. The second story, "Manananggal," used a tried and true formula from Philippine folklore: a manananggal or female monster that wreaks havoc on a barrio and, predictably, dies in the hands of the righteous village folk.
"Pridyider" was already worth remembering for its intriguing title. The story turned out to be about a murderous, lustful spirit haunting, of all things, a refrigerator!
The film featured Charito Solis as the strict mother, William Martinez, and Janice de Belen as their teenage daughter.
At first, the spirit makes its presence known to the household by opening its doors (it's in the ref, remember?) without physical contact. Then, it ups the horror notch a little by giving Charito some body parts like fingers instead of the usual longganisa.
But the most unforgettable and probably the funniest scene in the entire movie had to do with Janice and her final encounter with the ref.
The scene started out with Janice's character being seduced and lured into the cold embrace of the ref, and then "sexually" abused and, finally, devoured. As this scene progressed, people in the audience may have been ducking for cover as blood spurted from Janice's flailing body.
A rape scene with a refrigerator? Yes, it happened!
HALIMAW SA BANGA (1986). This movie starred Nora Aunor and her children Ian de Leon, Lotlot de Leon, and Matet de Leon.
Matet, who uttered the lines that made her well-known ("Takot ako!") gave horror fans a good reason to get scared of their clay jug and other vases at home.
As the title suggests, the best scene in this film is where the camera looms over the banga to get a glimpse of the monster lurking within. Matet is looking inside the banga when the monster, played by actress Marites Gutierrez, pops out! The monster is white all over, with long fingernails and an icy stare. One may compare this monster to the Japanese ghost Sadako in The Ring film series.
FENG SHUI (2004). Kris Aquino starred in this horror movie about a Chinese bagua mirror that could spook the living daylights out of anyone, even Feng Shui enthusiasts.
Joy (Kris Aquino) picks up a bagua mirror left behind by a mysterious man in a bus. From then on, her life changes as every bit of good luck comes her way.
But Joy's charmed life comes with a price—anyone who happens to look at the cursed mirror would die according to his or her birth year. So, if you happen to be born in the year of the Rat, then you'll suffer a harrowing death involving rats. There's also a twist involving deaths with rather odd causes.
For instance, Lotlot de Leon's character dies by falling into several cases of beer. Connection? She was born a Horse and the cases of beer she fell into were the Red Horse beer brand.
Setting the funnies aside, Feng Shui is undoubtedly filled with the usual scares and ghostly frights, but the most memorable scene would be at the end when Joy finally breaks the bagua, freeing herself of the curse. As Joy's kids, together with her kumare arrive from school, a happy Joy hugs and ushers them inside the house. This happy ending is cut short when Joy finds out that her close friend and kids are all dead. She screams and the credits roll!
This last, most unforgettable scene made the audience wonder what happened to Joy after that terrifying revelation. "Did Joy die?" And a lot of other questions.
PATAYIN SA SINDAK SI BARBARA (1974 and 1995). Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara was so scary that it spawned a remake two decades later and a TV series (2008).
The original 1974 film starring Susan Roces and Rosanna Ortiz gave viewers a fright by depicting how powerful a vengeful spirit can be. The 1995 remake was just as scary, with Lorna Tolentino as Barbara and Dawn Zulueta as her younger sister Ruth.
In both films, Barbara gives in to every demand of Ruth, even to the point of giving up the love of her life and letting him marry Ruth. When Ruth finds out that the guy still loves Barbara, she kills herself. Hell breaks loose for Barbara as she and those close to her become victims to Ruth's haunting. The tormented spirit channels itself through a doll. Ghosts, zombies, and every imaginable scare assault the viewers too, of course.
The best scene in the 1995 remake would probably the one where Barbara and her daughter sit around a table in an attempt to contact the spirit. Things get wild from then on as wind rushes in and the lights go out. Gargoyles come to life and they fly around the room, harassing all.
OUIJA (2007). Ouija starred Judy Ann Santos and Jolina Magdangal, who were new then to the horror film genre. The film tells about half-sisters reuniting in the province to bury their grandmother.
There, they take up a dare to call in spirits by using a Ouija board. Unfortunately, the board catches fire before they're able to finish the ritual, thus trapping a spirit inside.
The trapped spirit is no Casper the Friendly Ghost. It proceeds to make the girls' life hell by terrorizing them with enough haunting to drive them half-crazy.
The most memorable scene in Ouija is when Judy Ann wraps up a stressful meeting with office mates and is about to call it a night. Suddenly she notices the television set in the meeting-room suddenly turning itself on.
What happens next is a feeling of being alone and Judy Ann decides to split for home. She heads for the elevator, where an entity scares her enough to take the stairs. Bad choice. Running down a flight of stairs while looking back and being scared at the same time really isn't healthy.
On one floor, Juday gets one final fright from the spirit as it moves over to contort itself into one nasty pretzel-like shape. Illogical, but scary nonetheless.
People just don't want a good scare, they want good long one. And the scene where Judy Ann gets chased around by the ghost in that office building proved that some spooks don't go away by just closing your eyes. It's there, and it's as real as fear.
SIGAW (2004). Also known as The Echo, Sigaw won critical acclaim here and abroad for its engaging scary story.
Marvin (Richard Gutierrez) moves into on an old apartment building. He enjoys an independent life for the first time, with nothing to bother about, save for the occasional noise from one of his neighbors.
Marvin's girlfriend Pinky (Angel Locsin) visits him occasionally. Noise from his neighbor's apartment escalates and Marvin discovers that Anna (Iza Calzado) is getting beat up by her cop husband Bert (Jomari Yllana). Marvin decides to investigate, only to be shocked by what he finds out—a secret that haunts him and his girlfriend no end.
Horrific scenes like Marvin getting an up-close and personal look on Anna's bloodied face were scary as hell, but one memorable scene also comes to mind.
Pinky is taking a leak inside a toilet cubicle. Suddenly she sees bloodied hands gripping the top of the door. The peeping tom turns out to be a dead person peering into the cubicle.
TIYANAK (1998) "Oh my god, ang anak ni Janice!"
What else could the shocked moviegoers say as they watched a sweet baby turn into a rampaging tot out for blood?
In the film Tiyanak, Janice's character is carrying the baby on her shoulder when the camera suddenly changes the baby into the mythical monster.
Computer generated imagery (CGI) wasn't around yet and special effects were loosely based on heavy makeup and the like. The transformation of the baby turning into the tiyanak was spectacular and even credible for that time.
In folklore, the tiyanak is a creature that looks like a child. Appearing as a baby, it cries until it is heard by a traveler. Once picked up by the victim, the tiyanak changes back to its original form and attacks. When it's not biting and slashing its victims, the tiyanak fights boredom by leading travelers astray or by kidnapping children.
What was your favorite scary movie and monster? If you have your own list, share it here.