A welcome scare from Star Cinema

MANILA, Philippines - Providing a much-needed good scare amidst the heady holiday frenzy is The Strangers, one of the three official Star Cinema entries in the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The two others are One More Try, directed by Ruel Bayani and starring Angel Locsin, Dingdong Dantes, Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo; and Sisterakas, directed by Wenn Deramas and topbilled by Kris Aquino, Vice Ganda and Ai-Ai delas Alas. The former is a romance-drama spiced up with witty dialogues and engrossing confrontation scenes, and the latter is a hilarious comedy about three strong-willed ladies locked in stiff competition of all sorts.

Directed by Lawrence Fajardo from a screenplay by John Bedia, The Strangers is a mystery-thriller designed to put the audience at the edge of their seats. It stars Julia Montes, Enrique Gil, Janice de Belen, Cherry Pie Picache, Nico Antonio, Jaime Fabregas and Johnny Revilla.

“Everybody needs a good scare every now and then,” said direk Lawrence. “It can pump new energy into one’s system.”

Fans of Julia Montes and Enrique Gil will see their idols in a light entirely different from the Kapamilya soaps they’re well-loved in — Julia in the just-concluded Walang Hanggan in which she ended up the tragic wife of Coco Martin; and Enrique in Princess & I in which he plays a handsome prince.

So titled because the characters are haunted and hounded by strange creatures they neither know nor see, The Strangers also stars Enchong Dee in an off-beat role.

Julia and Enrique play twins who, on their 18th birthday, set out on an annual out-of-town trip to a far-flung town with their parents (Johnny and Cherry Pie), their grandfather and his temporary care-giver (Janice). The trip would have given the family members a chance to sort out differences among them but that’s not what happens.

Along the way, their van driven by the newly-hired family driver (Nico) hits the old lady who is nowhere to be found when they search for her body. From that point on, the family meets with one bad luck after another, with the driver being attacked by an unknown creature, the father and the grandfather go missing, and the rest stranded in the middle of nowhere. That’s when they realize that they are trapped in a barrio full of mysterious people and happenings. As the aswangs start to attack them, an enigmatic young man named Dolfo (Enchong) comes to their rescue.

With these three films — a searing drama, a tummy-aching comedy and a scare-out-of-your-wits thriller — Star Cinema offers moviegoers an unforgettable Christmas entertainment package.