Welcome to the second and final part of The Best of Shake, Rattle & Roll. In this list, we jotted down 15 of the scariest and most memorable Shake, Rattle & Roll episodes from the entire film series. If you want to check out the first half of this countdown, you can check it out here!
For the uninitiated, Shake, Rattle & Roll is a Filipino horror anthology film series that dates back to 1984- its title inspired by the 1954 Big Joe Turner single of the same name. Since the release of the first film in 1984, a total of 15 films have been released under this series, each having 3 episodes. And so, here’s the last of this two part article
7. SRR: Pridyider
In the very first instalment of the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series, writer Amado Lacuesta Jr. and director Ishmael Bernal bring us the chilling tale of a refrigerator possessed by the spirit of a serial rapist and murderer. “Pridyider” (Refrigerator) stars franchise veteran Janice de Belen as Virgie, whose family moves into a new house after their father migrates to Saudi Arabia for work. Their new house still has the furniture from the previous tenant, including an old refrigerator. After a series of mysterious deaths, they soon discovered that a serial rapist murdered his victims and hide their chopped body parts in the refrigerator, and it now targets their daughter Virgie. This episode was so popular that in 2012, this was remade as a full length feature film with the same name, starring Andi Eigenmann and returning cast member Janice de Belen.
6. SRR III: Nanay
Manilyn Reynes headlines the last episode of the third instalment of the Shake, Rattle & Roll franchise as a young nerdy woman who discovers a water-nymph sea creature that wreaks havoc inside their boarding house. In Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes’ “Nanay” (Mother), she plays Maloy, who along with her best friend Sally, found some strange eggs in a lake during their field trip. They placed the eggs in one of their water containers, and left. Little did they know that an Undin- a mysterious sea creature living in the lake- sneak into one of their other water containers, looking for her stolen eggs. After coming back home to their boarding house, Maloy realizes that the Undin is now inside their home, searching for her eggs while killing anyone who might be a threat to her by spitting acidic saliva, melting her poor victims.
5. SRR 8: Yaya
Topel Lee directs the second episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 8, which features Iza Calzado as a nanny by day, aswang by night. In “Yaya” (Nanny), mischievous child prankster Benjo has been sending all their nannies crying and packing after all of his cruel and mean pranks. He finds his match with the quiet Cecil, but he senses something wrong with their new nanny. Eventually, he discovers that she is an aswang, and is targeting her baby sister for her next meal! Problem is, however, his mother Grace doesn’t believe him anymore and thinks that this is just another one of his pranks. One of the most chilling episodes in the SRR franchise, this one is memorable for Iza Calzado’s haunting turn as the monstrous nanny.
4. SRR XV: Ulam
Shake, Rattle & Roll XV is so far the last instalment of the franchise. Its second episode, directed by Jerrold Tarog, stars Dennis Trillo and Carla Abellana as a couple who moves into an old house from their in-laws. The house is being managed by caretaker Aling Lina played by Chanda Romero, who ends up becoming their helper. Little did they know that Aling Lina has been feeding them with dishes tainted with her potions that soon transforms them to monstrous animals (based on their Zodiac signs) as part of her revenge on her former employer’s bloodline. Aside from some solid performances from Dennis Trillo, Carla Abellana and a deliciously wicked turn from Chanda Romero, the episode boasts some good amount of suspense and thrills thanks to Tarog’s work.
3. SRR: Manananggal
Herbert Bautista stars in this episode of the very first Shake, Rattle & Roll film back in 1984. Penned by Rosauro de la Cruz and directed by Peque Gallaga, the film follows Douglas, a teenager who’s forced to stay with his grandmother in the province along with his young brothers while their parents are working. As the Holy Week in the province begins, a mysterious creature starts murdering a couple of the villagers. His grandmother believes that it is done by a manananggal (a winged vampiric creature) and tells him that during the Lenten season when God is dead (Filipinos has this belief that Jesus Christ is not present during Good Friday until Black Saturday because he’s still crucified at the cross and only comes back to life by Easter Sunday), the manananggal is more active. Soon, Douglas, his siblings and his grandmother become the target of the manananggal played by Irma Alegre and they must survive the night until Easter comes.
2. SRR 13: Parola
Jerrold Tarog returns again in the directing seat for Shake, Rattle & Roll 13’s second episode, “Parola” (Lighthouse). In this episode starring Kathryn Bernardo and Louise delos Reyes, best friends Lucy and Shane go on a camping trip along with their classmates in a remote province where they venture inside an old lighthouse. They start having visions of two ghosts which caused them to fall from the top of the lighthouse tower. They survive the accident, but they later realize that the two ghosts haunting the lighthouse have followed them. The two ghosts were two rival witches Rowana & Cornelia who both died fighting each other in 1879. Their spirits haunt the lighthouse every year during their death anniversary, and revives their rivalry by possessing anyone who enters the tower. A well-crafted ghost story, this episode is one of the better ones from the entire series.
1. SRR 8: LRT
Concluding our list is the third and final episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 8. Directed by Michael Tuviera, “LRT” (acronym for Light Rail Transit) is set in an abandoned train station where a group of unsuspecting passengers are trapped after taking the last trip for the night. The train stops inside the train station, with all the exits closed and no means of communication to the outside. As they get out of their train and wander around the station looking for a way out, an unknown creature starts killing them off one by one, boring a hole through the victim’s chests and ripping out their hearts to feed on them. They soon come face to face with the creature hunting them: a humanoid-like monster that has no eyes, with spines protruding from its head and nape, and stalks its prey using its sharp sense of smell and hearing. The film ends on a chilling note- a haunting reminder of how big the control and power of the police has on our society.
This concludes the second and final part of the scariest and most memorable episodes from the entire Shake, Rattle & Roll franchise. Have you seen any of these films? Which other episodes do you think should have been included in our countdown? Let us know in the comments below!
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