A number of mysterious deaths leads Pat, a guidance councilor of the school, to investigate the sinister evil that's slowly devouring the academe.
If there is one thing that makes this film brilliant as it intended to be, it is probably Mikhail Red's very calculated and precise directorial style. From his award-winning feats such as Rekorder and Birdshot, Red's hunger to tell a story in his own idiosyncratic way gives him a towering leverage amongst other directors in both audio-visual and storytelling department.
Red's films doesn't exploit the typical actors' and actresses' face value to rake in the interest from moviegoers, catapulting his picture into the commercial and critical realm of success. Rather, he prioritizes quality first, making sure that the audience will watch the film not because of who's in it, but for the narrative itself.
True Horror
In Eerie, a series of strange murders occur in the veritable Sta. Lucia Catholic School for girls. Driven by childhood guilt, in connection to the untimely passing of his brother, Pat Consolacion (Bea Alonzo), the guidance councilor of the academy who voluntarily associates herself with the problems of the students, motivating them to outgrow their inner woes while strictly abiding by the rules of the campus.
Also a part of the mystery is the intimidating head of the school, Sor Alice (Charo Santos-Concio) who strictly oversees the students and keeps the sanctity of the school intact.
Looking at the bigger picture, the story itself isn't something that we haven't seen before, operating on the every-horror-plot trope to ever exist in the horror genre. And to be honest, this film is very predictable and easy to mess up. Its premise alone will already give you a ton of idea on what will happen and how will it conclude.
Added to the glaring uncertainty is the fact that this is Red's first venture into a major Filipino studio with ABS-CBN Star Cinema.
What's wrong with that you might ask?
Usually, when indie directors work with a bigger company, their artistic freedom is drowned and becomes heavily limited by all the rules and demands of the studio that the filmmaker should include in his work, such as incorporating product placements and making it more marketable, hampering the ability of the director to showcase the film's true quality.
Thankfully, this doesn't happen at all with this film.
It also helps that the film stars the very revered actresses of their respective generations, Bea Alonzo and Charo Santos-Concio.
Pat represents the radicals, ready to combat the norms with logic and reason, involving herself in the situation regardless of the danger in order to uncover the truth. Sor Alice, on the other hand, represents convention. She has the by-the-book attitude who's willing to turn a blind-eye in order to keep her actions controlled and in line with the tradition.
This creates a very interesting dynamic and their top-notch acting performances elevates the quality of the film even further. Their way of delivering their lines were very bold and has a distinct tone to it, giving them the ability to convey clear conversations across.
Mikhail Red really explored a different approach with this movie and his talented imprints are clearly present throughout the entire run of the film. From the very pronounced use of red hues to the overall ominous atmosphere that it evokes, the film is truly a cinematic achievement — a top-tier quality on its own.
I also thought that the camera shots were commendable as well, moving in a closed up perspective switched simultaneously with medium shots, creating the perfect balance of drama and suspense.
The sound design is perfect too, giving the right amount of tension to the scenes, placing the audience into the moment as if we are part of the act ourselves. Favorite moment is when the score transitions from engaging sounds to complete silence which helps create the thrill as we painstakingly await the inevitable jump scare.
Thematically,
Eerie exercises true horror. However, there were some things that I would personally like to be revised. For one, I wish Red gave us more disturbing scenes to take advantage of the already ghoulish nature of the film.
While Santos-Concio gave us a strong execution of the role, I thought that her character demands to be fleshed out a bit more. Maxene Magalona and Jake Cuenca had very little to do and only exists to serve as a plot device for Alonzo's character and while it's true that the focus is not on them, I just thought that Red could have gave them more stuff to accomplish and contribute to the otherwise great film.
Let's Be Reel
Eerie's scare factor, as with any horror movies, is subjective to one's opinions. Mikhail Red had a clear grasp of what he wants to do for the film and his technical filmmaking approach is an achievement in Philippine cinematography.
The film might not be the most original out there, but Red's execution makes up for it.
7.5/10
Reel Points
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