Movie Review: Prime Cruz' "The Debutantes" (2017)

Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon
star in Prime Cruz' "The Debutantes"

Director Prime Cruz is ready to take a new challenge. This time, he's taking the responsibility of giving audiences frights and chills as he gives us The Debutantes (2017), his first straight-forward horror movie to date. Prime Cruz has been known for his award-winning and critically acclaimed romance stories, from Sleepless (2015), Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B (2016) and Can We Still Be Friends (2017). Although he had experience in the horror genre before after directing the web series The Complex and the romance-gore film Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B, this will be his first full-length horror movie. Tagged as a teen color horror film, it stars Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon and is produced by Regal Films.

Screenshots from the trailer

The film follows a shy and weird-looking girl named Kate (played by Sue Ramirez). She's always alone at school and is distant with everyone else. Until one day, her classmate Lara (Miles Ocampo) approaches her and asks if she could her her study Math as she is failing the subject. Kate immediately agrees to help her, and she ended up being close to her. In the meantime, Lara's friends, Jenny (Jane De Leon), Candice (Michelle Vito) and Shayne (Chanel Morales) finds pleasure in bullying her. They staged a prank during Jenny's birthday party, embarrassing Kate in front of the whole student body. Soon, Kate starts having nightmares about Jenny, Candice and Shayne all meeting horrendous deaths. Can she and Lara save them before it's too late? Who (or what) is behind these deaths?

As you can notice, the film follows a typical slasher set-up with these characters meeting deaths one by one. The film also pumps up the story with classic horror movie tropes and stereotypes, from the rich and bratty It girls of the campus bullying a shy, nerdy girl. I guess it was Prime Cruz' intention to make the film as campy as it could be. The film doesn't try to make itself a genre-bending film. Instead, it's obviously aiming for the opposite. And this is what makes the film more interesting. Instead of putting numerous twists and turns in the film, the story is pretty much straight-forward to the point that it's predictable. This makes the film more fun since we already know that something is very wrong from the beginning of the film and the audience is left anticipating a final pay-off.

But since we are looking at a movie following a typical slasher format, we are of course looking forward to some pretty sick kills. Unfortunately, this is the part that the film failed to pull off completely. Although the first death was staged pretty nicely, the ones that followed weren't as grandiose nor inspired. I've seen a lot of horror movies and those deaths have been used several times in one or two of those films before. If the film was aiming for camp, it should aim for more theatrical or extravagant kills which is a rule in the horror genre. Also, I noticed that there scenes in the trailer that were not actually in the movie itself which got me a bit distracted as I was waiting for those scenes to show up in the movie while watching it. There were also some questions that kept me wondering like what happened to Kate's cousin and aunt, why the demonic being following them can control social networking sites to scare the shit out of them or where the hell are their parents?

Luckily, the film has an effective cast who helped pull off the whole movie with flying colors (the film is literally boasting with colors). Sue Ramirez who plays Kate was good in portraying the shy and aloof girl ala-Carrie. Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon who played the It girls who were responsible for bullying Kate were quite convincing. Most of their performances may come as a bit over-the-top, but since the film is aiming for camp, they worked perfectly to the film's benefit. Miles Ocampo, who played Lara, I guess is the one who really stood out in this movie. Her portrayal of the perfect good girl was really effective and believable. I was really rooting for her during the final act.

To it's credit, the film boasts some really gorgeous cinematography and lightning. This is how one will know that a film is directed by Prime Cruz. He always know how to play with lights and colors, and he played them really well in this movie. It somehow reminds me of Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977) and Chito S. Rono's Feng Shui (2004). I've never seen a local horror movie this colorful, fulfilling it's promise of a teen color horror. Also, the film's final moments was one of the most thrilling and heart-pounding finale I've seen in a local horror movie this year so far. Those final minutes of the film did put me on the edge of my seat and it deserves some additional points for that.

The film does succeed in it's aim to be a campy and fun horror film. Though it's a bit predictable (with one of it's character's big twist being way too obvious from the very first frame where she showed up), it's still undeniably entertaining. Just watch it as a straight-forward horror film and you'll definitely enjoy it.


Rating: ✰✰✰✰ of 5
"The Debutantes" (2017) directed by Prime Cruz, starring Sue Ramirez, Miles Ocampo, Chanel Morales, Michelle Vito and Jane De Leon

Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino : "Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B" (2017) movie review

Ryza Cenon and Martin Del Rosario stars in "Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B"

Horror meets romance in director Prime Cruz' Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B. The film, which stars Ryza Cenon as the titular monster and Martin Del Rosario as her love interest, was one of the seven full length film entry in last year's QCinema International Film Festival. I've been dying (no pun intended) to watch this film during last year's QCinema International Film Festival but due to my strict schedules and the scarcity of the film's screenings, I wasn't able to catch it. Since then, I've been hoping to get a glimpse of the so-called Manananggal in Unit 23B, patiently waiting for a special screening of the film. Fortunately for me, AMSU23B has been selected to be one of the twelve entries in the very first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Thank God for PPP!

Screenshots from the trailer

Dubbed as a dark romance or rom-gore, an amalgam of romance and gore, AMSU23B follows Jewel (played by Ryza Cenon), a mysterious woman who lives alone in the city. She has a secret which has led her to settle into a lonely existence. That is, until she meets Nico (Martin Del Rosario), a broken-hearted, down-and-out guy who also feels unlovable like she does. Jewel is torn between wanting to love him and wanting to save him from herself. Will he accept her if he knew the truth about her? Can she ever find love, or is she destined to be alone forever? Though that synopsis may sound like your usual young adult gothic romance in the vein of the Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson starrer Twilight (2008), you might get surprised because AMSU23B is not your Rated PG fantasy chick flick. AMSU23B is a much more adult fanfare akin to Scarlett Johansson's alien-themed scifi flick Under the Skin (2013). It amps up the blood and gore factor and makes your Pinoy folklore monster irresistible as hell, hence the R-16 rating. The film creates a unique take on the famous monster, making it sexy and sultry. Whenever she gets aroused, she starts to crave human flesh.

AMSU23B starts out with the usual boy-meets-girl tale, as Nico and his mother (Vangie Labalan) move into an apartment complex where the pretty but quiet Jewel resides (Fun fact: I'm not sure if this is just a coincidence, but most of Prime Cruz' work follows a boy and a girl meeting in an apartment complex: from his romcom Sleepless and his horror web series The Complex) He immediately catches her attention, and soon she is slowly drawn to him. They start hanging-out together, from a late-night chat over some beef mami to some balut-session at the complex' rooftop. Then, there's the trademark laundry scene which shares similarities to a scene in Prime Cruz' Can We Still Be Friends). Along the way, we get glimpses of men getting murdered by something (or someone, since it's obvious that it's the titular manananggal). The pacing of the film maybe a bit slow for those who are so used to watching the endless parade of local romcoms that are churned out by big movie companies all throughout the year. But that is what makes the film's romance work. I've seen director Prime Cruz' Sleepless last year and his Star Cinema produced Can We Still Be Friends earlier this 2017 and I've noticed that this has been his technique in squeezing out the chemistry between his leads. He builds up the romance between the characters slowly but surely. The story takes it's time in building up the connection between it's star-crossed lovers and it's what makes us fall deep into their story.

Though the film is dubbed as a rom-gore, to be honest, there isn't a lot of stomach-churning moments in the film that will repel normal viwers (though I'm not sure if the normal category fits me as I've been desensitized by years of watching horror movies so gore isn't really new to me). There's lots of blood, yes. Yet not enough gore or violence. But then again, AMSU23B's main focus is about a manananggal falling in love for the very first time, so I guess it's better that they had a bit of restrain when it comes to the gory aspects of the film. Now, speaking of the titular manananggal, we don't actually get to see Jewel in full form until the third and final act of the film. Though in the first hour, we see her kill a character, Director Prime Cruz tricks his audiences to imagine how she would look like through inventive shots and shadows, obscuring her actual appearance. But do not fret because once the film hits it's final act, the long wait is definitely worth it. Jewel's final transformation is epic and mindblowing. It's actually one of the most memorable moments of the film and is one of the most beautifully choreographed sequence in a local film in recent memory (next to the opening sequence of Jerrold Tarog's Bliss). In addition to that, the film also boasts some great and alluring visuals with it's obsession with green and red colors. Then, there's that delightful soundtrack that seals the whole package.

Vangie Labanan is a scene-stealer with her funny and cute portrayal of Nico's mom. Martin Del Rosario plays Nico with lots of angst and hugot. His portrayal of his character is simple yet heartfelt, to the point that it's relatable. There's something in him that is just way too adorable and innocent at the same time that makes his character a perfect contrast to Jewel. Ryza Cennon is so fun to watch as the titular manananggal falling in love for the very first time. I think she's the perfect actress for the part because she looks so gorgeous on screen and she can act well. Her character is the most crucial aspect of the film and the hardest one to pull off because the character switches from being coy and timid at first, to a seductive man-eating monster, but Ryza aced it with flying colors. She definitely owned this movie with her amazing and intense performance which is the biggest key in making the titular monster effective. She gets some plus points for that wild, sexy and daring masturbation scene which was a subject of controversy last year.



A must-watch in this year's Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Prime Cruz' Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B is a sexy, exotic indie gem that will leave a bite in your memory with it's unique take on the classic star-crossed lover story. It's romantic. It's tantalizing. It's bloody good.


Rating: ✰✰✰✰✰ of 5
Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B (2017)
Directed by Prime Cruz,
Starring Ryza Cenon and Martin Del Rosario

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The "Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino" is a nationwide week-long celebration where all movie theaters will exclusively screen Filipino films in line with the Buwan ng Wika. This festive event is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in partnership with theaters nationwide and will run from August 16-22, 2017.