Unveiling: The Horse Demon

I was not sure what to expect when watching the movie. The trailer suggests much, but the film gives more.

The mix of cultures is represented very well. Starting in the UK, moving to different parts of the Philippines, there is a need to adapt to different situations. I particularly liked the variety of locations and the filming of the scenery.

The story is fairly easy to follow and the main actors convincing, especially the leads. The horse demon is a mythical creature in the Philippines and there are very few films based on the subject, therefore the subject matter is original.

A good film with creative content to keep the viewer interested all the way through.

I was somewhat aware of the Filipino folklore behind the 'Tikbalang', aka the Horse Demon, and thus I opted to watch this movie as I happened to stumble upon it by random luck here in 2025. Well, my love of Asian cinema definitely also helped to make me sit down and check out what director Neal 'Buboy' Tan had to offer.

Writers Tony Galvez, Guy Lockwood and Neal 'Buboy' Tan didn't exactly put together a particularly phenomenal script. The storyline was rather cluttered in terms of directing the narrative, it felt like the writers perhaps had been writing independently of one another. Sure, it was a watchable movie, but it wasn't all that entertaining or scary, so it was somewhat of a disappointment.

Was it a movie that did the mystical folklore of the 'Tikbalang' justice? Hardly so.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast in the movie, as I have somewhat limited familiarity with the Filipino cinema. Some of the acting performances in the movie were adequate, but nothing overly outstanding, whereas others were rather amateurish.

The special effects in the movie were not memorable, but at least they weren't laughably bad.

While I did manage to sit through the movie, I can honestly say that I am not returning to watch it a second time.

My rating of "Unveiling: The Horse Demon" lands on a rather generous three out of ten stars.