• Davao boy film gets loud scream in Hollywood festival

  Filed under dchs88
  Oct 22

  DAVAOEÑO’S Yam Laranas creepy flick Sigaw got a loud scream from American viewers and critics as it made its Hollywood debut last Wednesday at the fifth annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival, the world’s biggest genre festival. The movie is one of the top contenders for the major award in tomorrow’s culmination night, facing entries from other countries.

  American film critics hailed Sigaw (international English title: Echo) as “Asian Cinema’s Next Big Thing.”

  Reviewer Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times and calendarlive.com declared Laranas’ “stylish chiller” as “a real stunner.”

  “Laranas, a master at creating an ominous atmosphere, builds to an exceptionally rigorous, satisfying conclusion. The Echo could easily become a cult film,” said Thomas.

  Filmcritic.com’s Keith Breese said Sigaw is a film that spins a traditional, though sincere, ghost story, albeit updated with modern effects and camerawork.

  “I doubt the Hollywood machine will be remaking it any time soon. That’s a shame, because Sigaw is a subtle, human ghost tale that will haunt you long after you’ve forgotten Dark Water or The Ring,” Breese said.

  Breese gave Sigaw a stunning rate of 3 1/2 stars out of 5. That’s the same rating the critics gave Batman Begins, and higher than the ratings of big budget Hollywood movies Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (3 stars), The Island (3 stars) and Fantastic Four (2 stars).

  Rowena Aquino of Asia Pacific Arts, UCLA Asia Institute said Sigaw “proves that there are great talents in all aspects of film production in the Philippines.”

  In a capsule, Aquino said the film should be placed alongside the Pang Brothers’ The Eye and Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Séance, two of the most significant horror films from Asia.

  Reviewer Gopal of beyondhollywood.com said Sigaw “sports impressive visuals that make it a treat to watch.”

  While he cited that the movie plot may seem familiar to genre fans, Gopal said “the film is visually arresting and does a good job of building and sustaining suspense, as well as a palpable sense of constant dread.”

  “While nothing new in terms of the themes it covers or its approach to the presentation, Sigaw is still worth a look for fans of the atmospheric horror genre,” he said.

  Renee A. Mallett of Fantasticadaily.com shared the same observation.

  “While at its core the plot is the pretty basic haunted house with an unwitting new owner story and is not without a few flaws, Sigaw is a really compelling piece of film,” Mallett said.

  “The visuals are as lovingly shot as an art film, and the location used for the old apartment building couldn’t be any creepier. The overall atmosphere of the movie is so dark and foreboding that you can’t help but get drawn in,” the reviewer added.

  Mallett also hailed the acting, particularly that of Izza Calsada who plays a policeman’s battered wife.

  Richard Brunton of themovieblog.com said Sigaw is a scary movie with some excellently filmed moments and superb soundtrack that will keep you tense and jumpy.

  “I admit Laranas had me freaked out,” Brunton said. He said the movie is a very enjoyable horror showing subtlety over slashing.

  Reviewer Staci Layne Wilson of horror.com said Sigaw is not a feel-good horror movie.

  “It’s not even particularly scary or thought-provoking, but there is something oddly compelling about it. While it spends too much time on the buildup and not enough on the resolution, Sigaw is definitely worth seeing at least once,” Wilson said.

  She said Sigaw is a beautifully shot film with some truly interesting camera angles and clever use of negative space.

  “The moody musical score adds to the feelings of foreboding and danger, and the ambience of knocking, crying, and clanking are stealthily woven in to create a creepy cloak of sound. Each of the actors does a believable job of conveying a real sense of dread. While the solving of the mystery comes as no surprise and some questions are left hanging, the writer and director do a nice job of making the audience care what happens to the characters anyway.”

  Even harsh critic AnthroFred of slasherpool.com recommended the movie for horror fans despite criticizing the film.

  Saying Sigaw is a wannabe Ring rip-off, he said “it has a pretty decent plot though and there are some good scares in it which will keep you entertained.”

  “Even though it might not be the best Asian horror movie that I’ve seen, I still think you ought to give this one a shot, if not for the scares but for the fact that it’s one of the few Philippine horror flicks out there,” the slasherpool.com review said.

  Hollywood producer Roy Lee — the man who brought Japanese horror movies such as The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water to Hollywood and turned them into critically acclaimed international box office hits — confessed: “I found myself jumping at certain scenes and I have seen many other horror movies where that never happens.”

  Sigaw was considered as box-office flop when it was released in the Philippines as part of Metro Manila Film Festival 2004. But it grabbed three awards. It also took some awards from two respected bodies, the Gawad Urian and the Film Academy of the Philippines.

  Mindanao Times
  By Chris Te Fabian
  Published : 2005-10-22

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