Filipinos are known for the longest holiday celebration, which starts at the beginning of the “ber” months, but between the festivities and cheer, we make time for all things grim and spooky: Halloween and Undas. We remember our departed loved ones and get into all things frightening: from ghouls to Filipino folklore. If you’re more of a night-in person than a party-out person on Halloween night, we’ve got you covered. We watched a couple of horror and thriller Filipino films, which are worth adding to your Halloween binge list. Check them out: 

Kisapmata (1981) – 4/5

Where to watch: YouTube
Run time: 1hr 38 minutes 

Kisapmata features the story of the very patriarchal Carandang family, headed by a retired police officer, Sgt. Diosdado (Vic Silayan). He conceals his possessiveness toward his daughter, Milagros (Charo Santos), and his wife, Adelina (Charito Solis), as fatherly concern, but throughout the film you will realize his intentions are cruel. 

Sure, there’s that thrill and excitement of watching a horror movie, where you know there will be jump scares and sound effects that reel you in until you’re hooked and caught off guard. Kisapmata was the first old Filipino horror film that I saw, and the first couple of minutes required adjusting, since it’s entirely different. The psychological horror film is silent, which builds its storytelling. The more you watch, the more you get terrified of the story and how it grips you, the same way Sgt. Diosdado Carandang/Tatay (Silayan) controls his wife, daughter, and son-in-law. 

But you know the most terrifying thing of all? Kisapmata is based on a true story: National Artist Nick Joaquin’s 1961 reportage, “The House on Zapote Street.” You never really know true horror until you realize that this level of abuse is the norm in many households, and that the place you’re meant to feel the safest becomes a prison. 

Sa Aking Mga Kamay (1996) – 4/5

Where to watch: YouTube
Run time: 1hr 45mins 

Ask your parents about Sa Aking Mga Kamay and they probably remember it as one of the popular thriller films from the 90s. Starring Aga Muhlach, Christopher De Leon, and Chinchin Gutierrez, the 1996 film features the story of the Cattleya Killer. While it’s a running joke that serial killers can’t exist in the country, this film executes it so well. 

Joven dela Rosa (Christopher De Leon) is a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent who was assigned to hunt the notorious Cattleya Killer, Gene Rivera (Aga Muhlach). In the film, Gene targets the unfaithful women: he lures them in, brutally murders them, and leaves a trademark Cattleya flower on their bodies. It was later revealed that this MO is rooted from Gene’s childhood trauma: his mother was unfaithful and was killed by his father. 

As Joven gets busier solving the case, his wife, Camille (Chinchin Guiterrez), develops an affair with Gene, and it’s a gripping plot to follow. Joven thought Gene was just a friend, until he discovered his wife’s infidelity and realized that he was also the notorious killer. It makes you realize that sometimes the people closest to you are the ones most likely to betray and trouble you. 

Serafin Geronimo: Ang Kriminal ng Baryo Concepcion (1998) – 4/5

Where to Watch: YouTube
Run time: 2 hrs 

Serafin Geronimo: Ang Kriminal ng Baryo Concepcion is the type of film that will make you see the grim reality of where poverty will take you. You will take the oddest and most dangerous jobs for survival. The 1998 crime drama features the life of Serafin Geronimo (Raymond Bagatsing), a poor farmer who has a sickly wife. To make ends meet, he joins a syndicate that’s notorious for kidnapping high profile individuals for ransom. However, one operation goes out of control; Serafin couldn’t handle the guilt and approaches a journalist, Elvira (Angel Aquino), to tell his story. 

Smaller and Smaller Circles (2017) – 5/5

Where to watch: Netflix
Run time: 1hr 54mins 

Fun fact: Published in 2002, Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan is the first Filipino crime novel. A film of the same name was released in 2017 starring Nonie Buencamino and Sid Lucero, and it’ll make you ponder upon the harsh realities in poor neighborhoods in Metro Manila. The story features a serial killer case, where young, fatherless boys are being targeted. Two Jesuit priests, Father Augustus Saenz (Nonie Buencamino) and Father Jerome Lucero (Sid Lucero) are asked to hold an independent investigation due to their expertise in forensic science. As they try to figure out who the killer is and prevent his next killing, they discover something that is scarier: it’s the systematic bureaucracy in government agencies and even in the religious sector that downplay heinous crimes like the case and allow them to foster. 

Calvento Files: The Movie (1997) – 4/5

Where to watch: YouTube
Run time: 2hrs 9mins 

Across different centuries, one reality remains: it is harsh to be a woman. Hundreds of thousands of cases of killings and assault are a testament to that, and that’s the case you get in Calvento Files: The Movie. The 1997 film features two parts: one starring Claudine Baretto and Diether Ocampo, and the second one featuring Sharmaine Arnaiz and John Estrada. The first part tells the story of Valerie (Claudine Barretto), who is assaulted, gang-raped, and drowned by her teachers. Meanwhile, the second part of the film features Minda (Sharmaine Arnaiz), who is assaulted and threatened by her ex-lover Pinong (John Estrada). 

Both stories are based on real cases, and it will make you realize how scary and cruel men get, especially when they can’t control their deepest and darkest desires. 

Chop Chop Lady: The Elsa Castillo Story (1994) 

Where to watch: YouTube
Run time: 1hr 29mins 

Based on a true crime story, Chop Chop Lady: The Elsa Castillo Story captures the narrative of playing around and finding out so well. The film features Elsa Castillo (Kris Aquino) getting caught in a love triangle. She is an unsatisfied wife, married to Fred Castillo (Eric Quizon) who later develops an affair with her boss, Ted Boorman (Miguel Rodriguez). In an attempt to end the affair, Elsa Castillo ends up getting murdered by Ted. He then tries to conceal his crime by scattering Elsa’s remains around Laguna and Metro Manila, which eventually earns the moniker “Chop Chop Lady.” 

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