Ivan, Mabel, and Mariella are closer to each other than what you think

MANILA, Philippines — As proven in earlier hits such as “Ouija,” “Feng Shui,” and “Sukob,” Pinoy horror movies usually work when they bank on stories close to the audience’s hearts – such as old practices and beliefs gone unearthly wrong, and local urban legends.

And so the Metro Manila Film Festival entry, “Segunda Mano,” attempts at tackling the common Filipino practice of acquiring secondhand items, along with filial piety and romance. Note that this is drama and romantic-comedy movie director Joyce Bernal’s first foray into horror filmmaking.

Simply put, this latest Kris Aquino-starrer follows the story of Mabel, who is faced with paranormal phenomena after acquiring a secondhand designer bag from her secondhand bag dealer and bargain-loving best friend Anna (Bangs Garcia). Mabel has a boyfriend named Ivan (Dingdong Dantes), a widower and single dad, who turns out to be hiding more than what Mabel would want to know.

Ironically, Aquino seemed a better actress in the non-horror aspects of the film. Touted as the “horror queen,” she carries her trademark “scared” look from her older works “Feng Shui,” “Sukob” and “Dalaw.” Her character was more often than not unnecessarily jumpy even from the simplest things, depicting almost the same expression save of course for the more “horrific” scenes which had been coupled with strangled cries.

On the other hand, Dantes was surprisingly effective in portraying the role of the uptight and quietly deranged lover, delivering the right expressions as called for by the scenes. His back story was clearly explained through the flash backs interspersed in the film. Come to think of it, his was the only one justified properly enough for the audience to understand without resorting to assumptions.

As for the supporting cast, Garcia surprisingly stood out as the caring yet blunt and kikay best friend. Though she was a bit irritating on her first few scenes, she becomes likeable as the story progressed mainly because of hilariously hysterical moments brought about by fear. Gamboa was sometimes passive, but for the most part she was good in her dramatic scenes. Sofia Millares, the child actress who played Ivan’s daughter Angel, was funny and amusing due to her “maldita” act.

Jhong Hilario’s character was not given the platform it ought to have gotten. It was obvious that he has feelings for Mabel, but this wasn’t played out as much as it should have been, only showing hints of his motives toward the girl. It’s a shame because Hilario, supposedly a key character in the discovery of the actual turnout of events, looked like he did the best he could with the material given to him.

However, not much can be said about Angelica Panganiban as Ivan’s wife Mariella, only because she got less screen time – no, her “watery” and ugly ghost appearances definitely do not count – than what was supposedly needed.

“Segunda Mano” is generally passable, but horror fans might be in for a disappointment. Story-wise, it left too many questions unanswered and loopholes on major details that were only easily dismissed as supernatural occurrences. It also employed a good number of horror flick clichés like heavy rain showers signaling something sinister and otherworldly is about to happen, cats suddenly getting out of bins and under tables, and howling dogs at night. If one would also observe closely, Mariella’s first appearance as a ghost during the first few minutes of the movie, specifically that moment when she shouted, was already a dead giveaway on her husband’s involvement to her death. Intentional or just an editing booboo? Either way, it’s not a good thing. There’s a bit of the problem with the continuity, too.

Then there was the one too many unnecessary shockers. It would’ve been better if the cuts were made here and not on the parts that presumably could’ve shed more light on Mabel’s and Mariella’s back stories. Judging from the trailers, it appears that cuts were made on these more essential parts. For a horror flick, it would have been better if the story was developed gradually instead of having it all suddenly revealed in the end. Case in point, Gamboa’s last line which seemed like a lazy, last-minute production decision as an attempt to explain things. It’s like it was put there to replace a chunk of scenes portraying just that. For a two-hour flick, things still seemed a little rushed.

The movie finished in an open-ended fashion, perhaps signaling the coming of a sequel. But really, what more can be said and developed into another full-length flick?

Thankfully, the product placements are more subtle in this film.

“Segunda Mano” is currently being screened nationwide as part of the Metro Manila Film Festival. Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, it also has cameo appearances by singer Rico Blanco, Chicosci frontman Miggy Chavez and the Philippines’ most popular horror film extra, Lilia Cuntapay.