Scaring you for the 11th time

Having watched all — and I swear all — the Shake, Rattle & Roll movies, I have earned the authority and conviction to say which of the episodes in this series of horror films shook and rattled the viewers in their seats and those with concepts that should have been just allowed to roll out straight into boardroom trash bin during the production brainstorming.

Now on its 11th installment, the first in this trilogy is titled Diablo and tells the story of a young woman (Maja Salvador) whose family was murdered when she was still a kid. Since the devil claims to have saved her life, the evil creature possesses her now that she is an adult.

Directed by Rico Gutierrez, who cut his teeth directing television shows, it is an impressive directorial debut on the big screen. Diablo is the best episode in Shake, Rattle & Roll XI. While you may say that it is so derivative of the classic The Exorcist, it also has its own merits.

For a screenplay (by Elmer Gatchalian) that isn’t even meant for a full-length movie, it is rich with back stories that include the angle of Maja being the ex-girlfriend of the current parish priest (Mark Anthony Fernandez) before he embraced his vocation. In the scene where Maja is being possessed by the evil one and is being manipulative as always, Mark momentarily forgets that he is a priest and is tempted to return to his old flame and this scene is very effective as it humanizes the characters.

Of course, it also helps that the actors give their all, especially Maja, who had always impressed me as a fine actress. For an acting great like Gina Alajar who plays the pious aunt who raises Maja, it is a very light role. But apparently there are no small parts for her — she takes them all seriously and gives everything she has to offer. Her presence here, though a mere support, contributes to the success of the Diablo episode.

A lot of credit surely goes to Rico, who obviously is ready to take on full-length movies. As a director, he is very meticulous and the details in his work further enrich the material.

There is, for instance, the added attraction of Janice de Belen making a Shake, Rattle & Roll comeback — in a token role where she is shown cooling herself by opening the refrigerator door and taking in the cold air — a homage to Pridyider that topbilled her in the second episode of the very first Shake, Rattle and Roll in 1984. (She also did a guest stint in 1990 in the Joey Marquez-Daisy Romualdez Shake episode.) I have a feeling Janice agreed to do another brief Shake appearance this time because she can’t say no to Rico, who used to be her director in S-Files.

Rico actually also has a firm grip on his episode’s technical elements and it is clear that he oversaw and closely supervised the special effects that could be frightening for audiences. I also would like to give him a one-man standing ovation if only for the fact that none of his scare tactics are cheap.

Episode two — Ukay-Ukay — isn’t so far behind in terms of quality because it will also be savored not only by horror fans, but also by those who simply just like to be entertained. It is one absurd plot — about a wedding gown that kills — and yet works because the director, Don Michael Perez (who also started out on TV), handles the material (written by Gina Marissa Tagasa) with extreme care. Like Rico, Don Michael ties all his loose ends and that is a good trait of a filmmaker.

And yes, it helps greatly that it is Ruffa Gutierrez who stars in this episode, otherwise the whole story could have fallen flat on its face. Ukay-Ukay, in spite of its crazy seed of an idea (Pridyider is also like that but succeeds because it was Ishmael Bernal who handled it), works mainly because of Ruffa’s presence.

To begin with, physically the role fits her because it requires an actress to be able to carry a dress well — and that’s Ruffa. And with Ruffa giving her best in this episode, the concept of the story doesn’t come out so inane anymore. Ukay-Ukay becomes very interesting because she is so good at carrying it off and at bringing it to a higher level of entertainment. Ruffa wears her role in this episode like a dress that could win her yet another beauty title.

Giving her tremendous support is John Lapus, who as Ruffa’s fashion designer friend has the difficult task of looking scared and at the same time comical. Too bad, his part is clipped halfway through because it is truly a crowd-pleaser and he is good at it. Fortunately for him, he gets the most delicious line in the film, but I’m not telling you.

My only quarrel with this episode (aside from it being a bit too stretched) is the fact that when the flashback of the story happens — as in 60 years ago — I don’t think women of that era wore bridal outfits of the style that was used in Ukay-Ukay. They must have been ahead by at least two decades, fashion-wise. But outside of this, Ukay-Ukay — with Ruffa Gutierrez in it — makes for a memorable Shake, Rattle & Roll episode.

The weakest link, unfortunately, is the Lamang Lupa episode because nobody knows what to make of it. A group of young people goes out camping and in the process they disturb the dwellings of some earthly creatures and they all die (save for one) presumably. I say presumably because not everyone is shown dying. The episode just ends and nobody knows what happened to the rest of the group — and, frankly, nobody cares.

Shake, Rattle & Roll XI, however, still makes for enjoyable viewing this film festival season. The first two are definitely more than worth the price of admission and so I advise you to catch it. Two out of three episodes isn’t bad at all.