A rocking horror picture show

A pre-Halloween release from Regal Entertainment, Kulam is directed and written by Jun Lana; and true to the A rating it received from the Cinema Evaluation Board, the film delivers with aplomb. With a cohesive script, fine portrayals by its main stars, Judy Ann Santos and Dennis Trillo, and deft use of camera angles, flashbacks and special effects, the film proves that chills and thrills in this genre can be effectively delivered with a minimum of blood, gore and evisceration.

The film opens with Mira (Judy Ann) in the aftermath of a vehicular accident. Struck down by traumatic amnesia, we join Mira as she discovers that she is married to Paul (Dennis), and has a blind daughter, Sophie (Sharlene San Pedro), who wanders around the house with a video camera (I presume she’s perfected a point and shoot technique). They live in a grand house, and as a real estate broker, she has a partner (TJ Trinidad) with whom she shared the fragile nature of her marriage, and one shattering family secret from her cloudy past. As can be expected with films of this type, Mira is soon plagued by apparitions, nightmares, haunted cabinets, incidents of possession, and there’s a locked room in the house where her creepy dolls and santos are stored. It all adds to the effective atmosphere and attention to detail that Lana brings to his film.

From the very outset, the film starts with a bang, the road accident leads to some disturbing scenes at the hospital, and like a tightly wound screw, Lana piles up a brisk sequence of false alarms, foreshadowing and creepy incidents that had the audience in the palm of his hand. Halfway through the film, the aforementioned dark family secret of Mira rears its head, and it provides a wonderful opportunity for Judy Ann to show why this is the fifth film in a row that she has been involved in a film that has garnered an A rating (Kasal, Ouija, Sakal, Ploning and now Kulam). Naturally, the secret has much to do with the curse that has befallen Mira, and has affected the whole family. Dennis plays his role to the hilt, there at the side of Mira and trying to make up for past transgressions. Sensitive and forceful when needed, the only thing that I couldn’t understand was why the script called for him to be constantly shifting to English, when all around him characters were speaking in straight Tagalog (Tag-lish means sosyal seems such a poor reason).

Horror films can be compared to Swiss cheese, they’re riddled with holes; but if you disregard these holes in the plot development and characterizations, much like Swiss cheese, it can be one enjoyable experience. It’s called suspension of disbelief; we know the protagonists may be acting irrationally, or we know that we would react differently, and while some story points can lead to a derisive shake of our head, we entrust the vision of the director and enjoy the ride. Kulam is such a film, and kudos to Lana for making the whole 90 minutes more than worth the price of admission. In fact, the scenes that go “bump in the night” are so evenly distributed throughout the film, I wouldn’t be surprised if a sequel will eventually be called for. I can see it already — Ang Pagbabalik ni Mira, with a teenage Sophie becoming our local Harriet Potter. Congratulations to Mother Lily and daughter Roselle on their anniversary; on this month of goblins and ghosts, they have pre-empted the occasion, and have given us a Halloween treat so early in the month.