Clockwise: Nora Aunor and Chynna Ortaleza in ‘Dementia;’ Claudine Barretto and Kris Aquino in ‘Sukob;’ Dingdong Dantes in ‘Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles’ and Judy Ann Santos in ‘Ouija’
Pinoys love a good scare and horror films are staple entertainment fare. More often than not, however, the standard offers can get pretty thin.
This is the reason the very few that stand the test of technical and creative achievement prove memorable, especially this Halloween weekend wherein opportunities for themed movie marathons present itself. Consider these scary treats:
“Itim” (1976)
It’s been voted one of the Ten Outstanding Films of that decade. The movie was also the first-ever recipient of the Best Cinematography award at the Gawad Urian that year.
Mike de Leon marked his directorial debut with “Itim,” which won acclaim at the 1978 Asian Film Festival in Sydney Australia.
More than anything, “Itim” is a good yarn. At its most basic, it is about possession. It goes beyond that, however. It is a social commentary of sorts, touching on aspects of Filipino culture intersecting religion, family and folklore.
“Dementia” (2014)
Set in Batanes, this psychological-horror film was awarded Best Foreign Language Film at the St. Tropez International Film Festival. Director Perci Intalan also earned for “Dementia” the Gold Remi in the horror/fantasy section of the 48th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival in Texas last April.
The film, about a woman named Mara (Nora Aunor) who’s suffering from dementia amid strange occurrences in her home, also won Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and a Special Award for Best Language Usage at the 17th Gawad Pasado Awards.
Von De Guzman also won Indie Movie Musical Scorer of the Year for his work in the film at the 31st Star Awards for Movies.
Nora also emerged victorious in numerous festivals for this one. She took home the Best Actress awards at the St. Tropez International Film Festival, 13th Gawad Tanglaw, 17th Gawad Pasado and 31st Star Awards for Movies.
“Sukob” (2006)
This one won big at the first-ever Gawad Genio Awards (The Annual Critics’ Academy Film Desk) earning Blockbuster Film Producer for Star Cinema – ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc.; Blockbuster Film Director for Chito S. Roño and Blockbuster Film Sound Engineer for Albert Michael Idioma.
Kris Aquino and co-star Wendell Ramos won the Blockbuster Film Actress and Actor Awards, respectively.
The horror film based on the Filipino superstition that no marriage should take place within the year of death of an immediate kin, also made it to eight theaters in the U.S. earning more than $300,000.
“Ouija” (2007)
In this film by Topel Lee, half-sisters Aileen (Judy Ann Santos,) and Romina (Jolina Magdangal) accidentally burned their ouija board while trying to connect with their deceased grandma, and that’s when the terror begins. A murderous entity comes after them and it seems there’s nowhere to go.
“Ouija” was rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) of the Philippines. It won several awards including Best Musical Score and Best Sound at the 26th Film Academy of the Philippines’ LUNA Awards; Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound at the 10th PASADO Awards; and Movie Sound Engineer of the Year for Ditoy Aguila and Rudy Gonzales at the 24th PMPC Awards for Movies.
“Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles” (2012)
The film was the first full-length Filipino film entirely shot on green screen. The work was so good it won Best Visual/Special Effects award at the 10th Golden Screen Awards.
Coreen de San Jose and Ditoy Aguila also won Movie Sound Engineer of the Year at the 29th PMPC Star Awards for Movies.