PEP: Favorite horror flicks of the stars

By definition, horror films are said to elicit fear and horror among viewers. The genre goes back to the late 1890s. Early horror films derived inspiration from classic literary characters like Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and Dracula. As time passed, the horror genre expanded with original plots and characters, mostly becoming popular pop culture figures. There's no denying the appeal of horror movies even for people who don't go for scary pictures. With Halloween just around the corner, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked some of our local celebrities about their favorite horror films and why. KEEMPEE DE LEON. La Lola mainstay Keempee De Leon cited the 1979 horror film, The Amityville Horror, as his all-time favorite scary flick. "Kasi bata pa ko nun e, so first time kong nakapanood ng ganun and talagang takot na takot ako," shared Keempee. "Takot kang magpatay ng ilaw, takot kang mag-isa sa kuwarto. I guess that's one of the best horror movies I've seen before." The movie was culled from the best-selling book written by Jay Anson published in September 1977. Said to be inspired by a true story which reportedly happened in 1975, the background of the plot both in the book and the subsequent movies was constantly criticized with claims that the writers intentionally smeared the truth to make the story more appealing. Still, Amityville and the mystery surrounding it has become an American pop culture phenomenon. RICHARD GUTIERREZ. Actor Richard Gutierrez's choice for his favorite horror film does not directly follow the vein of the traditional scary pictures. When asked, Richard mentioned the 2002 Danny Boyle film 28 Days as his favorite. "The way it was made," enthused Richard, "it's new and fresh and I think it's a good film." Combining elements of science, suspense and horror, Boyle described the film as a "post apocalyptic horror and zombie film." Boyle candidly admitted that the movie was also inspired by the George A. Romero's classic Dead trilogy. 28 Days was both a critical and commercial success when it was released in 2002 in the UK and 2003 in the U.S. The film's success spawned a sequel titled 28 Weeks Later and was shown in 2007. VICTOR ALIWALAS. Despite his rugged good looks, GMA-7's new property Victor Aliwalas revealed that he is not a fan of horror pictures. After thinking long and hard, Victor remembered feeling entertained and scared at the same time by the 1987 cult hit The Lost Boys. "It's a vampire movie and it's just a classic horror movie," said Victor. The movie, directed by Joel Schumacher, followed the adventures of two young Arizonans who ended up living in California only to find themselves fighting a group of teenage vampires. The Lost Boys reportedly raked in $32 million when it was shown. The movie belonged to those films in the '80s that treated vampires with less grotesque nature. PIA GUANIO. "It was gulat scary!" TV host Pia Guanio said when asked what made Scream her favorite among the other horror films out there. Director Wes Craven lifted standard horror and sprinkled it with tongue-in-cheek elements to balance suspense and humor. Scream derived its inspiration from the slasher-genre films of the '70s and the early '90s and infused satire for fresh effect. Scream's box-office success encouraged sequels with a fourth installment reportedly under way. MIRIAM QUIAMBAO. The former beauty queen turned host is not fond of watching horror or suspense movies but if she had to choose one, Miriam Quiambao singled out Nicole Kidman, Julian Moore and Meryl Streep's 2002 film, The Hours. Technically speaking, The Hours—inspired by Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway—is not a horror film but Miriam took note of the movie's "ambiguity," saying, "All the while you thought she was alive, ‘yon pala patay na siya, the same with Sixth Sense." Much credit of course goes to the film's screenwriter David Hare who meticulously crafted a thriller out of the novel's plot. The Hours gathered various awards and nominations including nine coming from the Academy Awards. RHIAN RAMOS. The Exorcism of Emily Rose will always emerge as Rhian Ramos's favorite horror film. Favorite might be an odd word to use since the movie caused the young actress to lose sleep for three consecutive nights. Talking about the movie, the La Lola lead star said: "Dun talaga ko na-freak out." Based on the true story of a certain Anneliese Michel, The Exorcism of Emily Rose chronicled the death of a character named Rose, following a series of futile attempts to free her from alleged demonic possession. Anneliese was administered drugs and a church-approved exorcism to rid her of the evil spirit. Wikipedia wrote: "According to the court, her death was caused by medical neglect of the priest watching over her. The story of her short life which consisted of strong faith and an exhausting struggle with what seemed to supernatural powers." The film was voted as the 86th scariest film ever made by the Chicago Film Critics Association in 2006. JACKIE RICE. To say that Jackie Rice was terrified after watching the Japanese horror hit film The Ring would be an understatement. The Starstruck: Season 3 Ulitimate Female Survivor could only utter the words, "Natakot lang talaga ako," when asked why she chose the Hideo Nakata project as her most unforgettable scary film. Adapted from a Koji Suzuki novel of the same title, The Ring derived inspiration from the Japanese folk tale Bancho Sarayashiki. The movie gained prominence first in Japan after it reportedly grossed 15.9 billion yen, becoming the highest grossing horror film in the country. The success of the film found its way outside Japan and neighboring countries soon caught up, encouraging a cult following among foreign viewers. Critics pointed out that the movie's spooky atmosphere and surreal plot were its main selling point. Other than the chilling cinematography, the presence of a bizarre, creepy antagonist named Sadako raised the film's scare factor to the hilt. - Philippine Entertainment Portal