R.N. Guy

Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles is a fantasy horror adventure comedy Philippine film directed by Erik Matti. Starring Dingdong Dantes, Lovi Poe, Joey Marquez, Roi Vinzon, Ramon Bautista, Janice De Belen and LJ Reyes. It's a riveting movie because of its breakthrough in the Philippine Cinema in terms of outstanding visual effects and animation. A great pre-halloween treat for all of us before spending our days in November, but does this movie worth watching for?

At the beginning of the film you will be amazed by the imaginations of the people behind. The digital artists were creatively effective in showing the Philippines' folklore about the mythical creature known as  'aswang' (or ghouls). The visionnaire of this film is somewhat similar to the creative minds of Tim Burton; but this one is pure 100% Pinoy.

Though the story has lacked vital points in answering the questions about the before and after of the present situation, it did very well in entertaining the audiences through Joey Marquez's and Ramon Bautista's comedic acts. Tiktik was well acted due to the combination of both elder and younger generations of artists. I was surprised with LJ Reyes and Mr. Roi Vinzon's capability of adjusting easily by shifting genres from drama to horror villains.



As a moviegoer, I can see the development of our film industry in creating high quality graphic films like this, with the exception of a good story line and plot.

The Aswang Chronicles is a roller-coaster ride of terror, laughs and excitement. You will grip at the edge of your seat in some heart-stopping scene and it'll be compensated well with a loud burst of laughter. It's actually an admixture of both horror and comedy, (similar to Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell). Plus, I do really love the sound editing. The atmospheric eerie sounds fit very well in the creepy environment. Kudos also for the diligence of creating a wonderful production design. Who would imagine that all scenes are shot inside a studio. Thanks to the use of green screen chroma key technology.

The final question is... Is it worth watching? I will not recommend the story and plot of this movie. There are missing vital points left unanswered. You will be looking for it until the end of the film and you will leave the cinema empty-handed. But YES it is worth watching because of the film's creativity in illustrating our folklore in a modernized and graphical way; with added plus points to the funny scenes too.

Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles - visually stunning and graphically haunting yet compensated with comedic acts minus the inconsistent story line.