Yokai and Other Monsters: From Asian Folklore to Cinema | Out of Competition
Philippines, 1984, 126’, Japanese, Filipino
Directed by: Emmanuel Borlaza (Baso), Ishmael Bernal (Pridyider), and Peque Gallaga (Manananggal)
Screenplay: Jose Carreon (Baso), Amado Lacuesta Jr. (Pridyider), and Rosauro Q. Dela Cruz (Manananggal)
Cinematography (color): Ely R. Cruz
Editing: Jess Navaro
Production Design: Ben Payumo (Baso), Elmer Manapul (Pridyider), and Don Escudero (Manananggal)
Music: Jaime Fabregas
Sound: Rudy Baldovino, Tony Gosalvez
Producers: Ivo C. Quijano,
Mark C. Quijano, Dante G. Virata
Executive Producer: Douglas C. Quijano
Cast: Charito Solis, William Martinez, Janice De Belen, PJ Abellana, Joel Torre, Irma Alegre, Emily Loren, Arlene Mulach, Mon Alvir, Peewee Quijano, Lito Gruet, Herbert Bautista
Date of First Release in Territory: December 25th, 1984
One of the pillars of modern Filipino horror, Shake, Rattle & Roll, ushered in a new generation of horror anthology films, lasting up to 16 years and counting (most of the films are available on Regal Films’ YouTube channel). The film, now re-scanned and enhanced – not entirely “restored” – for its 40th anniversary, is divided into three episodes: Baso (“Glass”), about a trio who visit a decaying ancestral house to perform Spirit of the Glass; Pridyider (“Refrigerator”), about a family’s battle with their man-eating refrigerator; and Manananggal, about a guy fascinated by the titular self-segmenting mythical creature. The episodic structure allows filmmakers to toy with horror tropes and filmmaking conventions, enabling them to deliver speedy thrills and relatable family lessons for a fun time at the movies.
Emmanuel Borlaza’s Baso uses the ghosts unleashed in the spirit of the glass to transport us to Spanish colonial period and tells the time-traveling story of a trio of lovers and their phantasmic counterparts: a young rebel, a young maiden born to wealth, and an illustrado (a term for the educated class during the period who usually went to study abroad in Europe, especially in Spain). Borlaza’s episode isn’t here to draw scares – though the horrors of Spanish colonization hang by its fringes. Baso depicts the frightening parallels between the conflicts of the love story in the present and the star-crossed lovers from the past who have taken over their bodies. The story may be a little cheesy, especially when uneven practical effects join in the fray, but Baso proves to be an interesting combination of an affair, a curse, and a dalliance with Philippine history.
In Ishmael Bernal’s Pridyider (the Filipinized term of “refrigerator,” coming from the pronunciation of the popular brand Frigidaire), the sticky heat is palpable. The wildly erotic episode presents a wacky case: What if the refrigerator sitting in your kitchen is actually a possessed killer that murders people, especially sexually attractive ones? A new family moves into a suspiciously long-vacant house and finds a refrigerator, which is sometimes heard grunting and breathing. All the while, their equally suspicious houseboy has a sexual affair with the house help and lusts after his own distant cousin, who has her horny boyfriend to deal with. The first kill is terrifying. It’s hard to witness a woman being violated by a refrigerator door. But somehow, it makes sense. Pridyider plays hard on the lines of the familiar and the monstrous, making quite a statement by saying the monster can be as familiar as a household product.
Finally, Peque Gallaga’s folk horror Manananggal gives a straightforward depiction of the manananggal myth. Lost in serenade, young Douglas is enamored by the town beauty Anita, who is notorious in town as the manananggal hiding in the woods. The manananggal (literally “to remove,” since she segments the upper and lower half of her body) myth comes with the baggage of the monstrous feminine, though the creature has been cited in Spanish colonial-era documents by explorers and friars who documented the beliefs of Filipinos during the era. Gallaga’s tale – which he intersects with Catholic beliefs here – would preface his fixation with pre-colonial lore and mythology, further elaborating them in his later films such as Aswang, Tiyanak, and his later contributions to Shake, Rattle & Roll installments.
Ishmael Bernal
One of the giants of Philippine cinema, Ishmael Bernal’s films span genres and techniques. His most acclaimed film is Himala (Miracle, 1982) which was chosen as one of the Top 5 Filipino Films of All Time by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers. He was awarded National Artist for Film in 2001.
Emmanuel Borlaza
Emmanuel Borlaza had a long and storied career in Philippine film and TV as a screenwriter and director, with over 100 films under his directing credits. Some of his most famous films are with Vilma Santos and Sharon Cuneta.
Peque Gallaga
Peque Gallaga burst into the scene with the family and historical epic
Oro, Plata, Mata in 1982, which won six awards at the 1982 Urian Awards. His succeeding films plunge into the conventions of either horror, fantasy, or melodrama, many of which were made with frequent collaborator Lore Reyes.