Pagpag: Siyam na buhay

Jump scare bullshit, trying to remake the success of Feng Shui and Sukob which are for me, the best Filipino horror films of this generation. They don't care about how the film was made. What they only care about is to grab money from the audience. Horrible use of CGI, they should stuck up using practical effects like Feng Shui, bad acting is bad, mainstream type of stupid characters, conclusion, this is one of the worst Filipino film of all time.. Pagpag, don't watch it, Katniel should only do romantic movies, don't go to horror film, it's an insult for us horror fanatics. . I'm a Kapamilya but I want a change from Star Cinema, just support movies of Erik Mati (like On the Job and Honor Thy Father) and Jerrold Tarog most recently Heneral Luna.

As I watched this movie yesterday(Dec.25th,2013) with some of my friends, I can say that it is really worth watching! The story is simply amazing having this different Filipino superstitious beliefs! The actors are all good with their acting. Also the twists and turn of events were absolutely well done! And I can say that, the ending really also took me at the edge of my seat! I enjoyed how the story become connected with the different aspects in the movie. Scenes are beautifully captivating. Although, it has its comedy parts which I also liked in the movie. Pagpag (siyam na buhay) has its own uniqueness that I think made it more different to other type of same genre. The killing scenes were actually well done and directed! I can say that this Philippine horror movie had evolved in becoming a Hollywood type of horror movie! It is rated PG so to those fan of horror movies, this is one horror movie I recommend you to watch!! It is a great film I can say!

Sure, I had never heard about this 2013 Filipino horror movie titled "Pagpag: Siyam Na Buhay" (aka "Pagpag: Nine Lives") prior to stumbling upon it by random luck whilst perusing the Netflix catalogue of Asian movies. And given my fascination and love for both horror and Asian cinema, then of course I opted to sit down and watch what director Frasco Mortiz had to offer.

Which turned out wasn't exactly a whole lot, truth be told. Yeah, writers Joel Mercado and Kren V. Yap didn't exactly churn out a stellar script for director Frasco Mortiz to bring to the screen. The storyline in "Pagpag: Siyam Na Buhay" was, in fact, a laughable one.

If you manage to remain awake during the slow the narrative that persists for 105 minutes, admits equally boring characters and mundane acting performances, then you deserve applause.

There was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, scary about "Pagpag: Siyam Na Buhay". Well, aside from the slow pacing of the narrative.

It felt like you had to be native Filipino to properly enjoy this 2013 movie from director Frasco Mortiz.

My rating of "Pagpag: Siyam Na Buhay" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Bad acting ruined what should have been an interesting story. It was not even scary.

"Pagpag" is the horror movie offering in the 2013 Metro Manila Filmfest. Being the Pinoy horror film fan that I am, even if it is already the second week, I still had to catch this one.

"Pagpag" is the Filipino custom of dropping by another place first before going home after visiting a wake. This was done so that you will not bring the spirit of the dead home.

Leni (Kathryn Bernardo) manages the Heavenly Touch Funeral Parlor which she had inherited from her parents. One day, she was asked by Lucy (Shaina Magdayao) to arrange the wake of her recently-departed husband Roman (Paulo Avelino).

Cedric (Daniel Padilla) is a spoiled rich kid who was out on a drive with his friends, who almost runs Leni down when he lost control of his car. While waiting for the tow truck, they all wait inside the room where Roman's wake was.

Of course, these young people do not make "pagpag" before they went home, so one by one, people begin to die. As the death count reaches seven, Daniel and Leni have to figure out how to stop the curse before it reaches them as the last two souls required to enable to raise a person from the dead back to life.

Admittedly the way this film was told, it reminded me too much of "Feng Shui." At the wake, each one violates some superstition about behavior in a wake (no crying over the coffin, no wiping the coffin, no taking out food from the wake, no looking at mirrors, etc...). Then they would die in a most bizarre manner related to the faux pas they committed.

Since the leads of this film are the leading young teen stars in local show business, the target audience will be teenagers, hence the terror factor is not too high. In fact this film was even quite funny at times. However, it does not mean that it does not deliver the creeps and the jumps. It surely did!

Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo were charming together, and knew how to play for their fan base with their "kilig" scenes. Matet de Leon (as Ate Eva who knew the secret of Roman and Lucy) and Janus del Prado (as Leni's drunkard Tiyo Dencio) stand out in their supporting roles. Clarence Delgado was very cute as Leni's adopted brother Macmac.

Of course, there were some noted lapses in small details or annoying advertising for Kakao Talk, but these can be ignored. Overall, I thought this was a very well-made horror flick, with above-average (by Philippine standards) special effects when it came to the gruesome death scenes and ghostly apparitions. Director Frasco Mortiz does well to balance the horror and the comedy elements into one entertaining film.