A mix of Asian, American horror

Film review: Hide and Seek

Despite the Hundas weekend, when common wisdom would tell you that a great number of people will be out of town and thinking holiday, Mother Lily and Regal Entertainment welcome Halloween with a Rahyan Carlos-megged film release, the horror/suspense filled Hide and Seek. 

The Gina Marissa Tagasa story and screenplay is classic horror plotline. A mild-mannered schoolteacher (Eric Quizon) has been charged with the brutal rape and slay of one co-ed. His wife (Jean Garcia), and her children from a first marriage, bear the brunt of his being implicated despite his having been acquitted of the charge.

To escape censure from society, the family moves to the province. It puts a strain on the daughter’s (Jennica Garcia) budding romance with a fellow student (Mart Escudero).

The house they move to is as creepy and haunted as they come, thanks to a sordid affair that transpired among the former residents. The couple who worked as domestics (Ryan Eigenmann and Alessandra de Rossi) and their daughter, had disappeared under a cloud of mystery, and local gossip has it that the wife may have been pregnant with the child of the owner of the house, causing the husband to go berserk. It sets the tone for the film’s story, and while it may bring nothing brand new to the table, it’s the way direk Rahyan attacks the material, sets up the camera angles and POV’s (points of view) and keeps tightening the suspense factor, while maintaining release through thankful shafts of humor, that makes this a highly-enjoyable film.

There’s a curious blend of Asian Horror and American (or Western) Horror in the film, and it works. The members of the audience I observed were at the edge of their seats, reacted at the right times and were visibly jolted. You know how Filipino audiences are, loud and participatory, making jokes when made gulat, cursing and mumbling under their breath, or screaming in unison. This they all did, to Mother Lily’s and Rahyan’s delight.

The kilig teenage romance factor comes in the form of the Jennica Garcia/Mart Escudero strand of the story and Jennica deserves special mention for the manner in which she acquits herself in this first “starring” role. Her mother, Jean, has much to be proud about. And needless to say, Jean is spot on in the role of supportive wife. Eric is brilliantly cast as the mild mannered teacher/husband, and when it’s transformation/possession time, we truly appreciate this casting decision. I also commend new comedienne, RubiRubi, for providing  said “shafts of humor,” she’s like a hybrid Ai-Ai/Pokwang character, and I wish her success. Speaking of humor as relief/contrast to the horror, look out for the nurse, when Jean’s character is brought to the provincial hospital, she’s downright hilarious. As usual, Ryan is malevolence personified, and his scenes with Alessandra help set the mood for the terror that ensues.

After Pamahiin and Pitong Tagpo, it’s safe to say that Rahyan is one director who’s here to stay. He’s very visual, and yet, keeps a firm grip on the story. If you discount the fact that we’re all wondering why the family just doesn’t go and leave the house (if they did, we’d have no film), and recognize that audiences of horror films do surrender disbelief when they sit in the theater, then we can commend Rahyan for the work he has done in the film. The pacing is excellent, the foreshadowing allows us anticipation, and ultimately, the film delivers within its PG-13 rating. The film is one enjoyable “bump in the night.”