This year’s Metro Manila Film Festival boasts of a lineup of films that—finally—have begun focusing on quality as much as commercial value. While it has received criticisms over the years for fielding in entries that cater to the moviegoing masses, critical acclaim be damned; the past few years have seen the festival slowly regaining its footing.
The films this year range from family dramas and your standard Filipino thrillers, to dramedies and musicals. Below, I write a few thoughts on Chito S. Roño’s supernatural horror film, Espantaho (lit. ’Scarecrow’).
More MMFF Coverage: ‘Uninvited’
A Complicated Mother-Daughter Dynamic and a Strange Painting
Espantaho introduces us to Monet (Judy Ann Santos), a woman who has just lost her father Pabling to an illness, and who occasionally suffers from random epileptic seizures. Monet’s mother Rosa (Lorna Tolentino), on the other hand, seems to micromanage the former. From the choice of food to cooks for the guests during the prayer vigil (‘pasiyam‘) to how Monet should parent her young son, Rosa’s overbearing tendencies always manifest, much to her daughter’s chagrin.
During the nine days of prayer vigil, dark secrets and a malevolent plot start to unravel. When Monet’s husband Jack (JC Santos) has to run an errand to a faraway place, he leaves behind a painting that Monet decides to simply take inside the house. That painting, one that features a scarecrow and a figure that looks like the personification of an evil force, begins to wreak havoc, threatening to destroy everyone in its path.
More MMFF Coverage: ‘Green Bones’ and ‘The Kingdom’
A Strong, Unsettling Philippine Horror Film—Were It Made in the ’90s
Depending on how the audience looks at it, Chito S. Roño’s film is either a showcase of the work of a filmmaker who, throughout his career, has carved a reputation as an influential figure in the Philippine supernatural horror genre, or an old head who hasn’t been able to elevate his stylistic storytelling to keep up with the times.
Frankly, it’s a little bit of both. The film feels like a companion piece to the mid-’90s to early 2000s horror films (Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara, Spirit Warriors, Feng Shui, Sukob) that made Roño a household name.
That’s not necessarily a compliment, especially considering how Espantaho plays out with utter predictability and an overall cheesy quality. And while Benjo Ferrer’s editing work is among the film’s strengths, the story itself doesn’t offer anything new. It also doesn’t help that Roño’s direction seemingly spoon-feeds the audience with the film’s emotional beats and jump scares, with the overbearing sound editing guiding the viewers on what to expect—and how to react accordingly.
Performances from the Cast Save an Otherwise Out-of-Time Supernatural Horror
Fortunately, Espantaho benefits from the performances of its stars. It’s no surprise that Judy Ann Santos won Best Actress for her portrayal of a grieving daughter, whom the local town has labeled as a crazy woman for seemingly having decades-long conversations with herself.
Even so, it’s Chanda Romero’s portrayal of a jilted legal wife, whose hatred for her husband (for shacking up with another woman, played by Lorna Tolentino) steals the show. Even when the movie borders on corny and unexpectedly campy comedic territory, Santos and Romero carry the film, making Espantaho a watchable experience.
So, returning to the premise: depending on how we see it, Espantaho might be a good supernatural horror film that captures the cultural milieu of what scary Philippine films look and feel like. On the other hand, it could also be a snapshot of a storytelling approach that has become outdated, with a filmmaker audacious enough to stand his ground and keep at it.
For what it’s worth, take the good with the bad: while it’s campy, corny, and overly cliched, it’s also well-acted, well-intentioned, and aptly paced.
If that isn’t the perfect way to succinctly describe Philippine cinema, then I don’t know what is.
A self-described cinephile who can’t stop talking—and writing—about films. Paul also moonlights as ghostwriter and editor for a few memoirs. He currently resides in the Philippines.
