Bloody Crayons (2017) movie review

Source: Star Cinema website

I've always loved watching/ reading a good murder mystery story ever since I've read Agatha Christie's classic novel "And Then There Were None". There's a certain thrill and excitement in watching and reading these types of stories because you feel like a detective, trying to discover who the real culprit is. Plus, these kinds of stories always have the best payoffs once the killer is revealed in the end. Unfortunately, there aren't any Filipino made murder mystery movies that has been released in the past years as I recall. So it was such a delight when Star Cinema has announced way back in April 2015 that they have picked up the rights to the movie adaptation of a hit Wattpad novel by Josh Argonza, entitled Bloody Crayons, to be topbilled by Jane Oineza. The said novel was a murder mystery published as a two-part book. I've read the books myself and fell in love with it, so that added to my excitement of seeing it come to life in the big screen.

It's been more than two years since Star Cinema has produced a thriller film with Emmanuel Palo's Halik sa Hangin (2015) which starred Julia Montes, Gerald Anderson and JC de Vera, although that film has a more YA fiction feels, combining the mystery/ thriller genre with romance. The result was a gothic love story which was somehow entertaining. Unfortunately with Bloody Crayons, the project had gone through a lot of changes, from change of casts and directors to revisions of the script, taking it two years to finish (the film was supposed to be released last year). But I guess the final result was worth the wait because it turns out that Bloody Crayons (2017) is the best thriller film that Star Cinema has released in years.

In this exciting new film from Star Cinema and under the direction of Topel Lee, Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona, Sofia Andres, Diego Loyzaga, Jane Oineza, Maris Racal, Yves Flores Empoy, and Ronnie Alonte make up a barkada who troop to an island for their film project. What begins as a fun trip turns deadly when they played the game Bloody Crayons. After one of them dies mysteriously after their game, tension arise as they get killed one by one. Soon, everyone is suspicious of one another as to who the real killer is. Will they find the real culprit and make out of the island alive before all of them get killed?

Being a fan of the books from which the movie was adapted from, of course I had high expectations for this movie. Honestly speaking, whenever there is a movie adaptation of a Wattpad novel by a big film production in the country, the final product isn't always as good as it's source material. Too much changes from the novel's story makes you question if they actually just wants to use the novel's title and not the actual story (She's Dating The Gangster, 2014). On the other hand, stuffing too much of the novel's original storyline makes the film a non-sense miss mash of epic proportions (Talk Back And You're Dead, 2014). Luckily, director Topel Lee and his team of writers took time and making sure that the changes in the novel's original storyline is enough that the viewers will still recognize it's source material, but also adding some original ideas to it to make it distinguishable on it's own.

To start with, the film tries to follow the typical slasher tropes that we have seen so many times in various slasher movies. It starts with a group of friends spending their vacation in a secluded island to complete a school project. Of course, there's always the virgin (the good girl in the group which obviously is destined to be the final girl), the jock, the joker, and so forth. In addition to that, one of the main characters was even shown reading a copy of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, a nod to this classic novel that became the inspiration for many murder mysteries that followed it. This nod put a smile to my face as it is evident that the minds behind this film wants to make it as self-referential as it can be. The film takes tries to build up as much of it's characters as it can during the first act. It reveals some love triangles between the group, trying to give the characters motives to hate one another. The film becomes a bit melodramatic here, but at least it's successful in giving enough background to some, if not all of the characters.

But the real fun starts one the group plays the game they called Bloody Crayons. Here, each characters' deepest and darkest secrets are revealed. As the game continues, the tension between the characters becomes more and more agitating. This is probably my most favorite moment of the film as one of the film's actresses, Jane Oineza, really stole the show from everyone else with her character's unpredictable turn. As the game ends, one of them dies (I'm not gonna reveal who it is) sending the characters to hysteria. This is where the movie turns to it's slasher mode as the characters die one by one. Being a big horror fan, I was really looking forward to how the characters will get executed. I actually loved how the first kill was done as it was presented in a simple yet tension-filled way. Some of the kills were done off screen, most likely as the studio was aiming for a lower R-13 rating from the MTRCB which was a bummer. But nevertheless, the film compensated for it's minimal violence and gore with tremendous amount of dread and suspense.

The deaths causes everyone to start doubting their friendship and starts to get suspicious of one another. In one of the film's craziest and most fun moments, the remaining characters point fingers at one another. This scene will definitely put a smile in your face and will also keep you guessing who among the survivors is the real killer. The film is also complete with scenes of intense thrills that will really put viewers on their toes for the whole duration of the film. Director Topel Lee manages to weave some of the year's best chase sequences for a local thriller film. The chase scene in the basement was really fun and exciting and is one of the best moments of the film to watch out for.

The film is also one of the most gorgeous looking local films in recent memory. The film's cinematography was so bright and crisp. One can't help but be mesmerize by the stunning shots used in the film that you would think twice if you're really watching a genre film. The sound design of the film was also really good because the team behind it really knows when to pump up the volume to bring up the scares and when to keep the scene silent to intensify the suspense.

The film features an ensemble of up-and-coming teen stars that adds up to the appeal of the film. This project was originally led by Jane Oineza, Joshua Garcia and Manolo Pedroza, all three coming fresh from their Pinoy Big Brother stint in 2014. But after all the recasting and rewrites, they were replaced by Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona and Ronnie Alonte. I've seen Janella before in the 2015 horror film Haunted Mansion. Just like before, she's still really good in acting. Too bad her character's writing isn't as interesting as the rest. Elmo Magalona and Ronnie Alonte were okay in their respective roles, but just like the problem with Janella, their characters we're written so blandly that they were forgettable. Also, Ronnie could use a little bit more workshop because his acting hasn't changed from the way he does it in his teleserye. Sofia Andres and Diego Loyzaga we're way better than I expected. Diego really nailed the alpha jock character he's playing. Yves Flores and Empoy Marquez were really fun to watch as their characters were written way better than the three leads. But the stand-out of the film was Jane Oineza and Maris Racal. Maris added more energy to the film with her quirky antics that was reminiscent of her unforgettable performance in Vince & Kath & James (2016). On the other hand, despite losing the lead role of the film, Jane Oineza stole the show with her unparalleled performance in her role. Her character was actually the most interesting to watch among the group. It was also the hardest to pull off but Jane manages to shine in the most demanding role in the film. It was as if this movie was really meant for her, and she definitely owned it.

The film's final twist was changed from the original novel's ending. But that actually made the film more fun for me as I was guessing who the killer really is the whole time. As the credit's role, I can't help but smile after watching it. Being a fan of the original novel, I was pretty much satisfied with it. This is the best book-to-movie adaptation that Star Cinema had.

Bloody Crayons is by far the best thriller film that Star Cinema had produced in recent memory. This is the film that is best enjoyed with your barkada. It's not exactly as bloody as I hoped. But it's fun, suspenseful, thrilling, exciting, and a surprising treat that will promise you a good time in the cinema.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5

Bloody Crayons (2017)

Starring Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona, Sofia Andres, Diego Loyzaga, Jane Oineza, Maris Racal, Yves Flores Empoy, and Ronnie Alonte 

Directed by Tople Lee