With a convoluted and bloated story and non-existent horror, "Bahay na Pula" may tempt you with its top-billed cast and veteran director at the helm but don't be fooled, this film was a mess to put it simply.
A young couple Raffy (Xian Lim) and Jane (Julia Barrretto) are tasked to finalize all the requirements on the sale of their ancestral home in the town of Pola. But their transaction doesn't go as planned when the mayor insists that their ancestral home is historically significant and cannot be demolished or moved. On top of that, Jane has started to experience vivid dreams that seemingly reveal the house's hidden past.
Seeing big name actors helmed for "Bahay na Pula" got us excited. We're pretty sure that with Julia Barretto and Xian Lim leading the cast, this won't be the typical VivaMax affair with its unnecessary sexual baggages in tow. On one hand, we were correct. This was a typical production through and through but this also meant that brought in a lot of the negatives from local horror releases. The biggest grievance we have for the film was the lack of any chills and thrills. The film used cheap shrieks, sound effects, and greyish tones to try and put some tension in the air but spectacularly failed. The whole experience was simply boring from start to finish and translated more into drama than horror.
It doesn't help that the film was bloated, incoherent and incomplete. For example, was it really necessary to put in a malversation case for Xian Lim's character or did we really need Marco Gumabao's as a point of conflict? These are just the major plot points but the film was littered with so much scenes and shots that felt out of place and put us out of the film's grip time and time again. Another issue was the performances of the cast. For us Xian Lim and Julia Barretto simply had no chemistry and we felt that they came off as awkward and amateurish in this one. The only shining light in terms of acting was Erlinda Villalobos who was amazing as the mysterious Aling Ising (the caretaker of the ancestral home). "Bahay na Pula" may seem to be a blockbuster film that's worth a look but this was one of the worst horror films we have seen in quite awhile.
Rating: 0 reels
Why you should watch it:
- there's nothing that we can think off that could be a positive reason unless you are a fan of the lead stars
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