Adolf Alix Jr.’s horror outing, Poon, establishes a premise rich in atmospheric dread.
Inside a secluded mansion, a fractured family gathers to mourn its late patriarch while contending with a haunting presence that permeates its halls.
Central to the narrative is a locked chamber housing 13 religious statues—12 representing the disciples, alongside a spare saint designated as an emergency replacement for processions.
This thirteenth figure serves as the vessel for a malevolent force, casting a heavy, colorless pall over the household where ordinary conversations stall and genuine joy survives only through malice, gossip, and illicit affairs.
Poon carries a heavy, unintended layer of sorrow behind the scenes, having been profoundly impacted by the passing of screen legends Ronaldo Valdez and Jaclyn Jose during production.
THE STORY
Losing two pillars of the cast midway through production naturally stalled the project and left its future uncertain.
Navigating such tragic, unforeseen production hurdles is an immense challenge for any crew, and the team deserves considerable credit for piecing the narrative puzzle back together, using creative workarounds, and honoring the material despite the difficult circumstances.
Penned by Jerry Gracio, Poon tells the story of family patriarch Peping (Ronaldo Valdez), whose untimely death forces the family to get together in a secluded mansion.
Their grief is quickly overshadowed by venomous infighting as the three granddaughters clash over the fate of the sprawling estate, divided between selling the property and holding on to it.
The Main Cast
Adele (Lotlot de Leon) fiercely wants the house for herself as compensation for years of domestic sacrifice, having shouldered the heavy burden of caring for the family, including the formidable grandmother Berta (Gina Pareño) and their mother Sol (Jaclyn Jose).
Meanwhile, Ria (Janice de Belen) is desperate to cash out because her cult-leader husband Daniel (Allen Dizon) has zealous creditors coming for his head.
Mae (Ara Mina) equally wants the property liquidated to distance herself from her own domestic nightmares as she deals with the infidelity of her husband Richard (JC de Leon).
As the siblings squabble and reopen old wounds, the house’s dark secrets close in on them, and the forbidden room housing the thirteenth Poon opens wide to claim their fractured spirits.
On paper, this set-up mines a fascinating well of religious terror, evoking the lingering chills of Undertone (2025) or local touchstones like Seklusyon (2016).
It becomes all the more frustrating, then, that Poon ultimately struggles to generate consistent scares.
Horror has historically proven a weak spot in Alix’s filmography, echoing the formulaic beats of Chain Mail (2015) and the sluggish pacing of Huwag Kang Lalabas (2021).
The missed opportunity stings because the film does occasionally land striking, fresh frights.
The creature design of the stalking Poon is genuinely unsettling, and isolated sequences achieve an effective, creeping dread.
Yet, the picture fails to reach the atmospheric heights demanded by its premise.
Narrative fragmentation also hobbles the final cut, leaving a talented young ensemble underutilized.
Althea Ablan portrays a young woman possessed by the entity, but her arc remains detached from the core cast rather than fully integrated into the family's generational curse.
Will Ashley flashes moments of brilliance, Joao Constancia navigates a handful of darkly funny and disturbing encounters with the entity that lack a satisfying payoff, and Kelvin Miranda shares a half-baked romantic subplot with Althea.
Even Iyah Mina, capable of injecting much-needed comic relief to fracture the heavy atmosphere, is largely sidelined.
Where the film truly finds its pulse is not in the supernatural, but in the domestic wreckage.
The powerhouse veteran cast elevates the material into compelling family drama.
Gina Pareño’s imposing presence as the aging matriarch anchors the entire estate, while Jaclyn Jose delivers a formidable performance as the protective mother who only wants to protect her children from true evil.
Romaldo Valdez carries a carefully guarded secret, and a surprise Martin del Rosario acts as the catalyst for past transgressions.
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These dramatic undercurrents culminate in a powerful climax where the family lays all long-buried secrets bare.
Poon opens in theaters nationwide on September 9, 2026
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