Shake, Rattle and Roll 13: Movie Review

"Shake, Rattle and Roll 13" is one of the many movies in the Metro Manila Film Festival that shows how much it needs serious revamp and rethinking. More than half of the entries are sequels (or at least have connections to film franchises of past) and most if not all have the same budget and polish of films we see all throughout the calendar year. We really had high hopes for "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13" (it's the "13th" iteration no less) but it made a us look like idiots by doing so. While it had great imagination with its plot for a majority of the mini stories, it completely forgot what people actually look for in a horror film - scaring the pants off the audience.

In "Tamawo", a family transfers to a town to start a new life. The father's (Zanjoe Marudo) decided to replace his uncle who was recently brutally killed. His illegitimate son (Bugoy Carino) one day discovers that their are mysterious creatures called "Tamawos" lurking and stalking them. The creatures claim that they have stolen something from them and that if they do not return it within three nights, they will get something in return. In "Parola", best friends Lucy (Kathryn Bernardo) and Shane (Louise delos Reyes) are on a field trip. The two decide to go to an off-limits lighthouse. When they get to the top, both see two ghosts which causes them to fall down. Miraculously, both survive with neither broken bones or scratches but soon, the same two ghosts starts to possess and take over their friendship. In "Rain, Rain, Go Away", husband and wife Mar (Jay Manalo) and Cynthia (Eugene Domingo), almost lost everything when Ondoy hit three years ago. Their old factory and house got flooded while Cynthia had a miscarriage all at the same night. Now, as the couple is moving on from the tragedy with a new house and a new factory, her brother-in-law's mysterious death causes Cynthia to think that the ghosts of past are back to hurt them.

If we could choose the best asset of "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13" then definitely it would be the overall stories of "Parola" and "Rain, Rain, Go Away" as both were creative and had some surprises up their sleeves. While still predictable towards the end, their stories were not the usual idiotic plots we get from local horror films. In fact, these plots alone could make standalone films already. Now, that's the really the only good thing about the "SRR13" as everything else just sucks. The acting was a roller coaster ride as some had great performances like Kathryn Bernardo while most did not show any acting versatility at all. The effects were great sometimes but it also lacked polish or effort on some. The scare factor was completely non-existent. It's either the film deliberately leads the audiences to the ghosts/monsters or there are just no surprises at all. It also liked to use old and tired horror techniques that we are all used to by now. As for the rankings of the three mini films, "Tamawo" was the worst of the bunch as it lacked any depth, a good premise and it was actually the weakest when it comes to the scare factor. "Parola" and "Rain, Rain, Go Away" had a close fight but we choose the latter eventually as it had better acting overall. Sadly, it's also the mini-film that will put off a lot of people considering Sendong just happened. "Shake, Rattle and Roll 13" could have been way better if they just tried to be more inventive in bringing the scare to the audience. As-is, people should just avoid it at all costs as it is an inconsistent, long and boring movie.

Rating: 1 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- the second and third stories had good plots

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- it forgot that horror movies are meant to scare people off
- it lacked polish and consistency in acting and everything else
- "Rain, Rain, Go Away" was foul considering Sendong just happened