‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ makes decent return with ‘Extreme’

CEBU, Philippines — After nine years, Regal Entertainment’s iconic horror franchise “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (SRR) returns to the big screen with its 16th installment subtitled “Extreme.”

SRR films are usually a staple at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) so it was a surprise that it didn’t make the cut this year. But the strong nostalgia that Filipino horror fans have over the anthology series should be enough to drive them to cinemas, MMFF entry or not.

“Extreme” features three unconnected stories, each with a different director and cast. Each one lasts around 50 minutes totaling to two hours and 28 minutes, making it the longest film in the franchise to date.

- Shake: ‘Glitch’ -

The first episode focuses on a child named Lyka (Jewel Milag) who becomes obsessed with “Gary the Goat”, an obscure children’s show once thought to be lost media. But Lyka’s new friend has sinister intentions as the ominous goat haunts her family headed by her single mother Ingrid (Iza Calzado).

Also starring are Donna Cariaga as the superstitious nanny Hasmin, Miggs Cuaderno as the rebellious son Patrick, and Angel Guardian as his girlfriend Margot.

“Extreme” has quite a rough start with “Glitch” as the ideas it wants to explore feel unsatisfactory in its execution. Lost media as a horror concept holds much promise yet it’s suddenly abandoned as soon as Gary appears in Lyka’s imaginative mind.

It also suffers from shallow characterization that makes it hard for viewers to feel invested. Ingrid’s backstory of how she feels connected to her childhood home that she still lives in with her family feels like pure exposition that has nothing to do with the overall narrative.

“Glitch” has all of the ideas to make it compelling, yet it’s all over the place and only wastes Calzado’s terrific performance. Two stars out of five.

- Rattle: ‘Mukbang’ -

Jerrold Tarog returns to the director’s chair after five years with his fourth “SRR” story.

“Mukbang” follows a group of influencers (AC Bonifacio, Esnyr Ranollo, Ninong Ry) who are invited for a weekend at a huge house to collaborate with fellow content creators (Paul Salas, Elle Villanueva). It also features a subplot about an influencer couple (Jane Oineza, RK Bagatsing).

Things take a dark turn when the influencers’ assistants (Phi Palmos, Jana Taladro, Ian Gimena) start behaving weirdly during their mukbang and drinking live-stream, forcing the influencers to fight for their lives as soon as they find out the threat is waiting to devour them.

The first half starts like any horror film would. Characters go about their routine while the threat slowly builds around them, yet they are oblivious to it. It veered into horror-comedy territory in the latter half, with characters hilariously reacting to their circumstances.

It’s not unusual for an “SRR” episode to have humorous elements. When you have a ridiculous concept with a cast that mostly consists of larger-than-life personas, the only right way to do it is to be campy, self-aware, and to double-down on the absurdity.

The characters, which are reflections of their real-life online personas, are quite likable. They have their own time to shine, which is not easy to pull off with an ensemble cast in a 50-minute story. Influencer Chef Ninong Ry has some of the most memorable scenes that will surely please those who watch his videos. He may, in fact, gain some new fans with SRR.

“Mukbang” will surely go down as one of the best “SRR” episodes to date, all thanks to Tarog’s satire commentary on influencer culture. Four and a half stars out of five.

- Roll: ‘Rage’ -

“Extreme” ends with a story on Trina (Jane de Leon) as she goes a trip with friends (Paolo Gumabao, Rob Gomez, Bryce Eusebio, Dustin Yu, Mika Reins) to her hometown where her mother awaits. She reluctantly agrees to her friends’ idea of taking a detour to witness a meteor shower.

When one of the friends touches a meteor rock, he starts turning aggressive and kills one of them. The rest later find out that the showers have infested the world with parasites that turn people into raging zombies who infect their victims when they die. They attempt to survive as they drive to Trina’s hometown in what might be the start of a post-apocalyptic world.

If you’re a horror fan, you might see many influences such as the “Evil Dead” series, “The Walking Dead”, “The Last of Us”, and gory Taiwanese horror film “The Sadness”, the latter having a similar concept minus the lethal meteor shower.

The highlight here is Jane de Leon who has the most interesting character development. The other characters seem to exist to help serve the story driven by Trina’s decisions.

Some of the action-horror scenes are memorable, making this episode feel more action-oriented than scary. “Rage” isn’t terrible, yet it’s not one of the best. But it is a fitting and entertaining finish in the latest installment. Three stars out of five.

Despite the subtitle implying that this might be the goriest iteration to date, it underwhelms in its scares because of its R-13 rating. Making up for that were “Mukbang” and “Rage” which showed why SRR still has a lot to offer 39 years since its debut. — (FREEMAN)