Vampariah (2017)

Starring: Aureen Almario, Kelly Lou Dennis, Arlene Joei Deleon, Alex Benjamin
Director: Matthew Abaya


Premise:
A member of an secret organization who hunts creatures to keep the world safe finds out she is part human and part monster. Now she must fight her former employer or die.

My Take:
I went in thinking this was a movie made in the Philippines but it's actual made in the US by Filipino Americans and uses one of the biggest mythical creatures of the country - the aswang. It ended up being better than I anticipated and a fun little movie.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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Sanib (2003)

AKA:

Starring: Aubrey Miles, Gina Alajar, Joel Torre, Ana Capri, Isabella De Leon, Raymond Bagatsing
Director: Celso Ad Castillo


Premise:
A girl believed she is haunted by the malevolent spirit of her dead sister but it turns out to be a much more wicked entity.

My Take:
The movie takes time building up, playing everything as a haunting, and the last act goes into full blown exorcism mode.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Wag Kang Lilingon (2006)

AKA: Dont Turn Around

Starring: Anne Curtis, Marvin Agustin, Kristine Hermosa, Chery Pie Picache, Celine lim
Director: Quark Henares, Jerry Lopez Sineneng


Premise:
A pair of stories dealing with a mirror that opens a portal for spirits.

My Take:
Two bizarre ghost tales that tie together in a rather interesting way.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD Rental

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Yanggaw (2008)

AKA: Afflicted

Starring: Ronnie Lazaro, Joel Torre, Tetchie Agbayani, Aleera Montalla
Director: Ricahrd Somes


Premise:
A young girl develops an infection which causes her to turn into an aswang.

My Take:
A version of the aswang lore which I have never heard before makes for an interesting movie.

Rating: In the middle




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Feng Shui (2004)

Starring: Kris Aquino, Jay Manalo, Lotlot de Leon, John Manalo,
Director: Chito S Rono


Premise:
A woman brings home a charm to her home that gives out good fortunes to other but it comes at a deadly price. So she must fight to save her family from its curse.

My Take:
A solid fright flick from the Philippines.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

The Debutanes (2017)

Starring: Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Michelle Vito, Jane De Leon, Chanel Morales
Director: Prime Cruz


Premise:
A weird teenager girl wants to be friends with a group popular kids. She gets a vicious prank pulled on her by them. The action causes each of the tormentors to die on their 18th birthday.

My Take:
A movie with decent scares, suspense, and supernatural reasoning. It has some faults, like zero adults throughout the movie, but overall enjoyable.


Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Bloody Crayons (2017)

Starring: Janella Salvador, Ronnie ALonte, Sofia Andres, Empoy Marquez, Jane Pineza, Elmo Magalona, Diego Loyzaga, Maris Racal
Director: Topel Lee


Premise:
A group of students go to a secluded island to make a movie. After playing a game called Bloody Crayons they start to get murdered one at a time.

My Take:
Not the typical horror movie that I have seen from the Philippines. The movie has many similar traits to American slasher genre. Solid acting and directing.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: The Filipino Channel On Demand

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Tinayak (1988)

Starring: Janice De Belen, Carmina Villarroel, Lotlot De Leon, Ramon Christopher
Director: Oeque Gallaga, Lore Reyes


Premise:
A woman finds a baby abandoned in the woods which may be a demon of local lore in disguise.

My Take:
I ended up laughing at a majority of the movie. The special effects for the demon baby were not good. But the lore is interesting.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Spirit of the Glass (2004)

AKA: Bulong

Starring: Dingding Dantes, Alessandra de Rossi, Jake Cuenca, Ciara Sotto,
Director: Jose Javier Reyes


Premise:
A group of friends find a Ouija board and decade to play the game. They conjure up a spirit from the past who seeks revenge.

My Take:
The story takes too long to unfold and the viewer doesn't really get invested enough in the characters to care about what happens to them.

Rating: Warning

Watched: Netflix DVD



Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Tragic Theater (2015)

Starring: Christopher De Leon, John Estrada, Andi Eigenmann, Roxanne Barcelo, Josh Padilla
Director: Tikoy Aguiluz


Premise:
A team of exorcists are sent to an old theater thought to be the site of a large tragedy that killed many construction workers when it was built.

My Take:
An little more brutal than most of the movies I watch from the Philippines, yet it remains a basic haunted building story.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Pa-siyam (2004)

Starring:
Director: Erik Matti


Premise:
After their mother dies, her children gather for a week of mourning. They original thought she died of natural causes but soon start to believe something else may have occurred.

My Take:
A solid ghost story from the Philippines.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Wakwak (1989)

Starring: Richard Gomez, Manilyn Reynes, Eduy Manzano, Janice de Belen
Director: Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes


Premise:
A cult leader rallies his followers against soldiers trying to protect civilians.

My Take:
I've watched a lot of Filippino horror flicks and this one is completely different than most. It's grounded in reality with the cult story and a second major story with one of the women in the cult. It's an older looking movie but in a way that helps the overall feel of the movie.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Pwera Usog (2017)

AKA: Evil Eye Hex

Starring: Sofia Andres, Jospeh Marco, Aiko Melendez, Eula Valdez, Devon Seron, Albie Casino
Director: Jason Paul Laxamana


Premise:
A spoiled rich girl likes to pulls pranks on people and post them to the internet. One of her pranks scare a homeless girl who jumps off a building. It turns out the homeless girl was possessed and seeks revenge.

My Take:
A decent tale that has to do with faith healers and possessions. Too bad one doesn't really care about the unlikable, self serving main character.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Haunted Mansion (2015)

Starring: Janella Salvador, Iza Calzado, Marlo Montel, Jerome Pounce, Sharlene San Pedro
Director: Jun Lana


Premise:
A group of kids go on a religious retreat to a secluded, historical mansion that has a dark secret

My Take:
A well balanced film that offers a few frights, a little drama, and couple of laughs. It's has a nice setting and a decent mystery.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Amazon Prime

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Sundo (2009)

Starring: Robin Padilla, Sunshine Dizon, Rhian Ramos, Mark Bautista
Director: Topel Lee


Premise:
A man saves his friends from death in a car accident. He ends up being able to see spirits, who actual bring upon death to the living and want those who should have died.

My Take:
The movie is sort of a Filipino Final Destination type with death wanting to retrieve its original victims. It keeps the viewer interested but is also rather forgettable.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Shake, Rattle, and Roll 12 (2010)

Starring: Shina Magadayao, Ricky Davao, John Lapus, Andi Eigenmann, Rayver Cruz, Carla Abellana, Odette Khan, Sid Lucero
Director: Topel Lee, Zoren Legaspi, Jerrold Tarog


Premise:
Three tales of horror: a demon doll enters a mourning families household, a women falls prey to mythical undersea creature, and a pack of shapeshifters try to survive undetected in the city.

My Take:
Another installment of this powerhouse Filipino horror franchise is met with the usual troubles of an anthology tale... some stories are better than others. While I find all the legends of an other country to be interesting and the movie is well executed, none of them particularly stand out.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Resurekshoyn (2015)

Starring: Jasmine Curtis, Isabelle Daza, Paul Avelino
Director: Borgy Torre


Premise:
A women's corpse is brought home after she dies overseas. However it turns out she really isn't dead and could be a vampire.

My Take:
My wife, who is Filipino, got this movie from a friend. Unfortunately it didn't have English subtitles and my Tagalog is fairly limited. Despite not being able to fuller under the dialog I can figure out what was occurring. The movie is entertaining and based off horror lore not usually seen in the Philippines.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: DVD

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Woman of Mud (2000)

Starring: Klaudia Koronel, Carlos Morales
Director: Rico Marie Ilardo


Premise:
A college student goes off to his uncle remote house in the jungle in attempts to write his first novel. He ends up finding a woman that emerges from a giant fruit who may not be as she appears either.

My Take:
A hot, naked woman covered in entrails spawns from a fruit and the first thing I would do is have sex with her. Why not... at least that's what the main characters does. Then it's all downhill from there as she's actually some sort of monster. My wife, who is Filipina, calls this a "sexy movie" as there are a couple of sex scenes and some boobs. Nothing too risque by American standards, but one doesn't see a lot of nudity in the Philippines cinema. It's worth a look if you are looking to round out your world view of horror movies.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Shudder




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

Siquijor: Mystic Island (2007)

Starring: Ian Vereracion, Yul Servo, Assunta de Rossi
Director: Mark Philpp Espina


Premise:
A horror re-enactment show gets a prime time slot and decides to do the episode on a island known for is mystic claims by the people living there. After the shoot it seems like something came back with one of the crew members.

My Take:
Like a lot Filipino horror there is drama, a little bit a comedy, and some sort of ghost or possession involved. This one seems to check off the boxes for this items and while not great is a watchable flick.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/

The White Lady (2006)

Starring: Angelica Panganiban, JC de Vera
Director: Jeff Tan


Premise:
A new girl at university is get tries to fit in but gets bullied by a group of peers. She discovers a dark past about another girl who was bullied and disappeared the year before. When those bullies start to die off she starts trying to find out why.

My Take:
What seems like a stand ghost story on the surface actually is not and provides a few good twists. It still full of standard characters and situations but there's enough here to keep the view watching to the end.

Rating: In the middle

Watched: Netflix DVD




Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
An affiliate of http://seankimmel.com/