By Samantha Orprecio

BOO! Today marks a truly ghastly and terrifying holiday: Halloween! Thus, to extend a warm (or not) greeting: Happy Halloween, Ateneans! Whether you are still in the stages of grief over a certain entrance exam (ahem — quite relatable, really) or possibly still in a frenzy of panic over an upcoming one, there is still one undeniable truth that you need to hear: you probably need to slow down. Remember, working yourself into exhaustion isn’t going to help you pass those CETs! So whether you are a horror fiend or not, take this day for yourself and perhaps indulge yourself in a good scare or two. Just to get over the more tangible scare you just tackled. You deserve a reward, right?

So here are our top ten movies to watch this Halloween, five made by Filipino directors and five made by international. Sit back, relax, grab a bucket of popcorn (or Boy Bawang, whichever you prefer), and enjoy the show!

NOTE: Trigger warnings (violence/gore, sexual content, alcohol/drugs, etc) are listed. Make sure to read through them before deciding to watch!

10) Eerie (2018)

Starting with something relatively mild, Eerie stars Bea Alonzo as Pat Consolacion, a clairvoyant school guidance counselor attempting to uncover the mysterious and gruesome death of a student in a Catholic school for girls. Also leading the movie are stars such as Charo Santos-Concio, Jake Cuenca, and Maxene Magalona who play integral roles in nurturing and revealing the monsters of the school and the many secrets it hides. The cinematography, audio quality, and overall technical aspects of the movie have been highly praised, straight-shooting it into viral stardom when it was first released in the Philippines in 2018.

Director: Mikhail Red

Rating: 3.5/5 (Google users)

Age Rating: R-13

Trigger Warnings: A student is seen being hanged, blood is seen coming out of eyes and statues, themes and mentions of suicide and self-harm (from IMDB)

9) The Road (2011)

An older yet still terrific Filipino horror movie is The Road, a psychological horror crime drama film that  focuses on the reopening of a 12-year-old case gone cold after three teenagers go missing in an old abandoned road where a horrifying murder has taken place three decades prior. It intertwines three separate stories into the present, all centered around the infamous dirt road and the movie’s main antagonist. The Road was even released internationally in the United States, where it made an estimated $61,200 in North America, ranking 27th in the box office, even earning high praises from critics from big league publications such as The New York Times, New York Post, and The A.V. Club, calling the film “a powerfully atmospheric blend of ghostly encounters, horrific situations, and missing-persons mysteries”.

Director: Yam Laranas

Rating: 65% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: R-13

Parents’ Guide and Trigger Warnings: Scenes of murder and suicide, a corpse is shown (from IMDB)

8) Clarita (2019)

Based on true events, Clarita tackles the country’s most famous paranormal incident: the possession and incarceration of a young woman named Clarita Villanueva after she is suspected of being possessed by a demon and killing a group of doctors. Jodi Sta. Maria stars as the movie protagonist, testing the faith of the priests and investigators around her as demonic obstacles keep threatening them and the continuation of her exorcism. Whether she is just a sick murderer or a woman truly under the spell of evil, Sta. Maria’s convincing performance will send chills up your spine.

Director: Roderick Cabrido

Rating: 70% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: R-13

Trigger Warnings: Intense scenes of demon possession and exorcism (may disturb especially religious viewers), blood, themes of religion (both God and the Devil) 

7) The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage is a Spanish film, pivoting around a woman named Laura who reopens her childhood orphanage, converting it into a home for sick and disabled children. However, not long after, her adopted son Simón who is critically ill begins to befriend an invisible friend and disappears after an argument. Grief-stricken, Laura is sent into a mad spiral, believing spirits in the orphanage are talking to her and helping her find her boy. Produced by famous Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, The Orphanage captures the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema whilst taking on the gothic supernatural genre, making for an impeccably memorable horror film.

Director: J.A. Bayona

Rating: 87% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: R (United States)

Trigger Warnings: Slight (not graphic) body horror, theme of children abuse (from IMDB)

6) Pa-Siyam (2004)

Another older Filipino horror film is Pa-Siyam, underrated in all of its lack of cheap scares, brevity, originality, chilling soundtrack, and underlying emotional tone that leaves a message beyond just horror in the audience’s minds. The movie revolves around a group of siblings coming to their childhood home together after their mother’s passing to conduct the pasiyam, a funeral rite or nine-day prayer for the dead. However, as horrors begin to occur in the home, they soon discover their mother did not die of natural causes as they originally thought — but rather, something more sinister.

Director: Erik Matti

Rating: 88% (Google users)

Age Rating: R-13

Trigger Warnings: Little to no gore, bodily waste is seen twice (from GraveReviews, ScreenAnarchy)

5) Ready or Not (2019)

A horror movie lot less creepy and a lot more thrilling is Ready or Not, which focuses on the excited newlywed Grace as she is forced to play a deadly game of hide-and-seek to earn her incredibly wealthy in-laws’ approval. She must run around their antique, luxurious estate and hide from midnight until dawn whilst she is hunted down with crossbows, guns, and other weapons. However, the tables soon turn for Grace as she finds a way to gain the upper hand on her less-than-loving in-laws. Humorous and exciting this movie may be, keep in mind that it certainly contains a lot of violence so keep caution! If you’re easily freaked out by blood, best to stay away and choose another movie.

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Rating: 88% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: R-16

Trigger Warnings: Several scenes of graphic violence, a lot of profanity, characters are seen intaking drugs and alcohol at some point, overall very gory but done in a dark, comedic way (from IMDB)

4) Seklusyon (2016)

 Featuring the girl you’ve probably seen in that one meme video where she stomps and throws a tantrum while on a sofa, Seklusyon is a complete turn-around from that and is arguably one of the Philippines’ spookiest as it centers on a group of seminarians who are sent to a remote convent to spend the last of their training in isolation. They soon acquire a mysterious, young visitor who was either sent by God or the Devil himself. Supernatural and fearfully eerie, Seklusyon easily rose among its competitors in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival, earning nine awards and a stellar review from Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “Seclusion drips with a ferocity about how false messiahs manipulate meek minds who, as the film’s finale suggests, then propel even more malicious pretenders onto the pedestals of power. The film is Matti’s call for an awakening, and it certainly stirs with spine-tingling moments aplenty.”

Director: Erik Matti

Rating: 82% (Google users)

Age Rating: R-13 / R-16 (director’s cut)

Trigger Warnings: Heavily focused on religion, also mentioning God and the Devil, brief mention of sexual assault, scenes about the seven deadly sins (gluttony, lust, wrath), abuse towards women, a character is revealed to be a pedophile

3) Incantation (2022)

Perhaps familiar to many of you due to the film going viral when it was released internationally this year, Incantation deserves the global attention it has received. Inspired by true events, this Taiwanese found-footage horror film is about Li Ronan, a woman who was cursed six years ago after breaking a religious taboo. Now set on protecting her daughter from the consequences of her actions, Li soon shocks and effectively petrifies the audience with a secret that was hidden all along. Now, do take note that this may be the most disturbing and unsettling movie on the list due to its violence and imagery; so again, take caution! Only watch if you are truly sure you can handle it.

Director: Kevin Ko

Rating: 63% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: 18+

Trigger Warnings: Severe violence and gore, trypophobia alert!, overall unease and gloom (from IMDB)

2) Nope (2022)

Directed by the one and only Jordan Peele (also known for directing the horror films Get Out and Us), Nope adds a twist of neo-Western science fiction into the classic scares, starring Daniel Kaluuya (also in Get Out) and Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP, anyone?) as siblings who live in a gulch in inland California who soon discover a sinister, otherworldly phenomenon in the skies above them. Praised for its ambition, performances, themes, cinematography, and direction, the film has gained several superb reviews and is considered Peele’s most enjoyable film. So for all of you scaredy-cats reading this: this is probably the best movie for you if you want to laugh and still be scared. It’s more lighthearted than the rest.

Director: Jordan Peele

Rating: 82% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: R-13

Trigger Warnings: Moderate violence (some blood is shown), may frighten claustrophobic viewers (from IMDB)

1. The Wailing (2016)

Earning the number one spot is South-Korean film The Wailing, which takes place in a remote Korean village where a series of brutal killings and mysterious illnesses have been linked to the sudden appearance of a strange foreigner. Suspicion soon leads to hysteria as death and sickness remain rancid in the air, pushing the protagonist to save and protect his daughter. Though some may turn away due to the movie’s runtime (2 hours and 36 minutes), The Wailing is undeniably one of the best horror films of all time. A story rich with mystery, great characters, and a well-crafted slow burn that will make your blood run cold; described as a “cult horror masterpiece with [an] unbeatable storyline” with great raw acting and cinematography, this movie has it all. However, here’s another reminder: do check the parents’ guide for trigger warnings as this film contains heavy gore and violence. Tread with caution and know what you’re getting into!

Director: Na Hong-Jin

Rating: 99% (Rotten Tomatoes)

Age Rating: 16+

Trigger Warnings: Several and severe violent scenes (some of which may upset animal lovers), brief mentions of sexual harassment, non-explicit and brief sexual scenes, definitely not for the faint of heart (from IMDB)

Remember not to push yourself past your scare limits; surely wouldn’t want you to get any nightmares! If you find a movie too much for you, turn it off — no one is judging you, promise. Because despite all these critically-acclaimed movies, they will never compare to the biggest jumpscare of them all: CETs. 

Happy Halloween, Ateneans!