Shake, Rattle & Roll (film)

Shake, Rattle & Roll (stylized as Shake Rattle & Roll!) is a 1984 Philippine horror anthology film[1] directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza, Ishmael Bernal, and Peque Gallaga. It is the first installment in the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series.[2] This was the only film in the series to be produced by Athena Productions, with the rest of the installments produced and distributed by Regal Films. The film's title is based on the song of the same name.

Shake, Rattle & Roll
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Jose Carreon (segment "Baso")
  • Amado Lacuesta Jr. (segment "Pridyider")
  • Rosauro de la Cruz (segment "Manananggal")
Produced by
  • Douglas C. Quijano
  • Ivo C.Quijano
  • Mark C. Quijano
Starring
CinematographyEly R. Cruz
Edited byJess Navarro
Music byJaime Fabregas
Production
company
Athena Productions
Distributed byRegal Films
Release date
  • December 25, 1984 (1984-12-25)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

The film consists of three short stories: "Baso", which is about teenagers who unwittingly unleash spirits by using a spirit board; "Pridyider", about a malevolent refrigerator; and "Manananggal", about a vampire-like creature from Philippine mythology. Shake, Rattle & Roll was an entry of the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival, with Herbert Bautista winning Best Actor for his role in the "Manananggal" segment.

The second installment, Shake, Rattle & Roll II, was released in 1990 under Regal Films.

Plot edit

"Baso" edit

Paolo, Girlie and Johnny perform spirit of the glass in an abandoned house. When they contact the spirits; namely Isabel, Ibarra and Juanito, the spirits break free from the glass and possess the teens.

In the Spanish era, Isabel is the daughter of Soledad and Antonio. She loves Juanito, a soldier who is battling against the Spaniards, but has to love her suitor Ibarra, a handsome and wealthy man and Juanito's companion. The next day after Juanito leaves for battle, one of his companions report to Isabel that Juanito was allegedly killed in action. Devastated by his loss, Isabel continues her engagement to Ibarra. After Isabel and Ibarra celebrate their marriage, they are attacked by an enraged Juanito who is revealed to be alive. Ibarra kills him as Juanito vowed vengeance against Ibarra and Isabel for their betrayal. Moments after his death, Ibarra commits suicide from the guilt of Juanito's death and Isabel dies from her sickness due to excessive depression. Their spirits haunt the abandoned house and begin to reenact their past.

Back at the present, Paolo and Johnny, who are still possessed by Ibarra and Juanito, begin to fight each other but the caretaker, Mang Castor saves them and Girlie by warding off the spirits from their bodies. The teens seem to go back to normal but Juanito repossesses Johnny and stabs Paolo with an axe. In retaliation, the latter grabs the gun and shoots Johnny as Juanito's spirit is expelled from Johnny. The boys die from their wounds, in front of the traumatized Girlie.

"Pridyider" edit

The Delfin family move to a new house after the husband migrated to Saudi Arabia for work. The family consists of Lorna, her daughter Virgie, their housekeeper Nelia and the husband's lecherous nephew Dodong. Their home includes an old refrigerator from the kitchen.

The next day, Lorna becomes suspicious of their refrigerator after she saw visions of body parts around her when she gathers food. Later, when Nelia takes a snack, the refrigerator attacks her. The fridge drags Nelia and slams her repeatedly before she collapses to the floor dead. In Detective Caloy Torres' investigations on Nelia's death, the detective believes that Dodong is but Lorna defends him. He tries to clarify about the incident and his suspicions on Dodong to Lorna and advises her to protect her daughter. The next day, Virgie's boyfriend Max is found dead when Lorna discovers his severed arm. Lorna calls back the detective to take Dodong into custody but he is killed as well after Torres finds his severed head in the fridge.

Torres becomes suspicious of how the incident is related to previous crimes that happened in 1975. In his research, he finds out from a newspaper that a serial rapist murdered his victims and hide their chopped body parts in the refrigerator. Concerned about the danger that threatens Lorna and her daughter, Torres races to the house to save them. Meanwhile, the refrigerator begins to consume Virgie. Torres and Lorna arrive to save her but the fridge consumes Virgie further. Lorna manages to pull the plug off the fridge from the socket, neutralizing the refrigerator's power and saving her daughter. Afterwards, Torres shows the family the newspapers about the crime that happened in the house.

"Manananggal" edit

Douglas, a young Visayan teenager, stays with his grandmother to take responsibility with his young brothers Gio and Zia when their parents are working in Davao.

The next day, after Douglas tries to serenade a mysterious young woman at her hut, he discovers his friend Kadyo was murdered in the forest. An unknown creature lurks throughout the surroundings as he and Gio, who was looking for their pet dog, to hide. The brothers return to the hut and inform the incident to their grandmother. She reveals that an airborne vampire-like creature: the manananggal is responsible behind the murders in the town at night during Holy Week and that Anita, the lady whom Douglas had serenaded earlier, is the creature.

On Good Friday, Douglas is pursued by Anita through the forest but is left alone after he remains at a small shrine. At night after being given some faithful encouragement from a penitent, Douglas witnesses Anita transformed into a manananggal and flies off. While she is away, Douglas dismantles her lower body half with salt and holy water to prevent the creature from rejoining with her upper body half before sunrise. The manananggal reappears and begins to pursue Douglas and Gio. The brothers manage to reach the hut and Douglas fights the creature off with a palaspas while Gio and his grandmother barricade their home. As morning comes, the manananggal escapes but upon realizing that Douglas had destroyed her lower body, attacks the brothers and their grandmother. She breaks into the hut and pins Douglas but with the aid of Gio and his grandmother, he manages to shove the creature into exposed sunlight as she disintegrates in the process.

At Black Saturday while the family burn its remains, they are visited by two young boys who deliver medicine for the brothers and return their dog before departing, after they question Douglas about the incident.

Cast edit

Reception edit

Legacy edit

In 2018, Jio de Leon of Spot.ph ranked the refrigerator from the film's "Pridyider" segment eighth on his list of the "Top 10 Scariest Pinoy Horror Movie Monsters".[3]

Accolades edit

Year Award-Giving Body Category Recipient Result
1984 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actor Herbert Bautista (segment "Manananggal") Won

Sequels edit

Shake, Rattle & Roll is followed by fifteen sequels, spawning a franchise. Each sequel brings returning actors from each film to reprise different characters.

Remake edit

In 2012, the segment titled "Pridyider" was remade as a film titled Pridyider.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Yeatter, Bryan L. (2007). Cinema of the Philippines: A History and Filmography, 1897–2005. McFarland & Company. p. 364. ISBN 978-0-7864-3047-5.
  2. ^ Cruz, Edgar (November 20, 2017). "Dreaming of a gothic Christmas". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. ^ de Leon, Jio (October 9, 2018). "Top 10 Scariest Pinoy Horror Movie Monsters". Spot.ph. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.

External links edit