Shake, Rattle & Roll

Three major forces in Philippine horror history create a segment on local or folkloric horror in unrelated tales.

The Good Stor(ies): Baso-Arriving at a friends' house, three friends decide to pass the time playing a game known as Spirit of the glass which puts them in contact with a trio of spirits. Realizing a doomed love triangle is repeating itself, they try to stop the actions that originally killed the group from harming each other. Overall, this was quite the enjoyable opener.The fact that it plays with familiar tropes here by featuring the localized version of the Ouija Board makes an identifiable connection to dive into the rest of the story. As the wild sequence displays all the usual attributes from the area around them being affected to the game being obviously manipulated by outside forces with the pieces shown moving about, this here is a fine start to the romantic payoff. The story isn't that interesting or impressive during the flashback moments showing the original characters before the possession of the Independence War-set scenes add no horror to the proceedings. However, it picks up again in the finale to offer some nice visuals through their brawl across the different time-zones. The replication of their events is quite a cliche but is not all too bad of a sequence the way it plays out which makes this a nice introduction piece, and while it's not necessarily the fastest-paced entry for an anthology opener this was enjoyable nonetheless.

Pridyider-Moving into a new house, a series of strange events and happenings around the central refrigerator causes a teen to believe the object is cursed. As the device starts haunting the family in increasingly deadly manners, they try to stop its evil influence from affecting the family. This was an absolutely spectacular entry. Although the premise might not really support it, there's some absolutely chilling atmosphere derived from the titular device which manages to include a host of shocking flash-jumps to the contents within. From bloodied appendages appearing on the shelves to raspy demonic growling emanating inside and even having the controls move around on their own, this segment generates a fine atmosphere that's all the more chilling once the events start picking up. Taking the time to establish the machines' use and importance to the family, that familiarity and prominence gives way to several chilling attacks that are quite frightening coming from an immobile refrigerator. Despite a languid pace through the investigation scenes that make this longer than it needs to be, this was a really enjoyable segment.

Manananggal-Traveling to his girlfriends' house, a young man hoping to win her over inadvertently stumbles onto the fact that she's a vicious, winged creature preying on the community. Getting back to the safety of his house, he and the rest of the family must fend off the creatures' attacks. Frankly, this was an enjoyable if slightly flawed finale. When this one works, it's due to the exploitation of the forest setting as there are some utterly chilling and creepy settings that really sell the isolation of their location. The forest around them is rife with thick, densely layered underbrush that's impossible to look deep, which means the scenes of the unearthly roaring and screeches throughout here are just utterly terrifying. Hearing those noises emanate from the deep recesses of the jungle is a truly terrifying setup and the reveal works nicely with that. The last half, which is a series of attacks by the deformed creature has some great moments as it's tearing into the house forcing them to defend themselves and there are some fine attacks here with that. The only real issue is the opening song he tries to sing to win her over, which is a real momentum-killer to start this off with a down-beat intro, but overall it ends this one on an incredibly high note.

The Bad Stor(ies): None.

Rated Unrated/PG-13: Brief Nudity, Violence and Language.

Shake, Rattle and Roll is a famous Filipino horror anthology movie series, and this is the first one. Thank God Regal Films uploaded it for free on Youtube, but I honestly think it needs a digital restoration because it's hard to watch it already because it's so dark.

Every SRR film is divided into 3 stories.

1. Baso (Glass) - the first story is about three teenagers who play with an Ouija board, and they accidentally contact three spirits who were entangled in a love triangle in the past. It's technically not scary, it's kinda more like a cliched tragic love story really.

2. Pridyider (Refrigerator) - a family moves into a new home, not knowing that it is cursed, specifically the house's refrigerator. It's an utterly ridiculous plot, but it is the most fun to watch.

3. Manananggal - Manananggal is a Filipino mythical creature with half a body (head to abdomen) and bat wings, they're often depicted as females. In this 3rd story, a manananggal wreaks havoc in a sleepy village. This is the scariest story of the movie, for me.

Overall, this classic must be treasured and digitally restored, hopefully in the future.

"Shake, Rattle & Roll" is a groundbreaking Philippine horror anthology film that debuted in 1984, showcasing three distinct stories filled with suspense and terror. Directed by acclaimed filmmakers, it effectively combines folklore and modern horror, making it a memorable experience for viewers. The film's innovative approach to storytelling, alongside strong performances from a talented cast, keeps audiences engaged throughout. Iconic segments, like the "Aswang" tale, have left a lasting impact on Philippine cinema and popular culture. Overall, "Shake, Rattle & Roll" is a must-see classic that paved the way for future horror films in the country.