"Espantaho" [2024]

Film

Judy Ann Santos, Lorna Tolentino

Chanda Romero, Janice De Belen

Written by: Chris Martinez

Directed by: Chito S Roño

Quantum Films, Cineko Productions

Purple Bunny Productions

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RATING: ⭐⭐⭐/ 5

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WARNING: SPOILERS!

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SYNOPSIS:

The story of Monet and her mother Rosa, who are mourning over the death of the family patriarch Pabling. During the nine days of pasiyam, dark secrets and a malevolent plot start to unravel. [Source: IMDB]

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Apart from the ensemble of great actors, this film's storytelling and how it was presented to its audience could also be something to be proud of. How the movie really ties in between the story of its characters and the story of the entity is really great. At first, I'm really hesitant how a vengeful spirit, which in this case, a scarecrow, could be relatable since I'm not sure if scarecrows are widely used in the Philippines. But after watching the film, I’m satisfied with how they were able to execute it.

Acting wise, just as what you probably expect, Judy Ann Santos' performance was superb, but the supporting characters are not left behind. All characters were able to execute their roles convincingly, which is a result of the number of years they have been with the industry. Donna Carriaga is slowly becoming a serious and reliable actress. Given the fact that she has a theater background, you can expect her to deliver. Lorna Tolentino was able to balance the emotions and the nature of the character that she is portraying. Janice de Belen never misses being a believable character in whatever movie or series she is a part of. Mon Confiado, JC Santos, and other cast members gave just the right amount of acting necessary.

Besides that, I love how the camera works and also how the cinematography was done. You’ll notice that it was meticulously planned, and a highlight for me would be its angles, wide shots, and overhead shots. If you’re someone who’s watching local horror movies, you could tell that it is indeed a Chito Roño film. I also admire the different props that they’ve used in the film.

As much as I applauded the performance, it cannot be said to be some of the major letdown for me in the film, and that would be the CGI. But before some avid fans throw stones at me for this, I would like to preface by saying that I know it will be unfair if I compare the CGI that was locally produced to those in Hollywood, but the fact of the matter is that the execution of the visual effects in the film really took me out of the story. I’m not saying that it didn’t deliver; actually, it did, but for me, it wasn’t convincing enough for me to be "scared.”.

I already mentioned Janice de Belen and Mon Confiado skills were apparent in the film; no questions for that, but it just saddens me that they were underutilized, like they were just there to serve as a headcount for the entity. On the other hand, the “twist” of the movie was expected and didn’t have the impact that it was supposed to have.

In conclusion, for me, Espantaho is just your typical Pinoy horror movie that we all used to know, but in a new upgraded suit. While the cast performed their best, the movie wasn’t able to create its own identity in the genre. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable movie.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ84Aug0pok