Top 20 Scariest Pinoy Horror Movies of all Time

It’s Halloween season again, and with this Filipinos have various traditions. Unlike in the U.S. where people celebrate it by wearing scary costumes, and trick or treating, we usually spend a few days sometimes a whole week to prepare for the All Souls and All Saints Day. Before the said days, people would go to the cemetery to clean up the graves of their loved ones who have already passed away.

This is also the time when most family members would go home to their provinces so it becomes like a reunion. And when families gather the elders would usually talk about horror stories to children. Even various TV channels would always have a Halloween special episode for scary stories. Others especially teens would want to have a movie marathon of horror movies, mostly English or Japanese horror movies because they are the most terrifying. But we also have our own scary movies here in the Philippines which would also make you so scared you wouldn’t want to sleep alone anymore.

Here are the top 20 scariest Pinoy horror movies of all time:

1. “Maligno” (1977)
Directed by Celso Ad Castillo

Maligno is a 1977 film which revolves around Angela who got impregnated by the devil. This movie stars the Queen of Philippine Movies, Susan Roces, Dante Rivero, Celia Rodriguez, and Eddie Garcia.

ABS-CBN made a primetime horror-thriller adaptation of this in 2008 starring Claudine Barretto, Kim Chiu, Diether Ocampo, and Rafael Rosell directed by Wenn Deramas

2. Shake, Rattle & Roll (1984)
Directed by Emmanuel H. Borlaza, Ishmael Bernal, and Peque Gallaga

This is the first installment in the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series and the only film in the series to be produced and distributed by Athena Productions, the rest installments were under Regal Films.

The first part is “Baso” it is about three teenagers who got possessed after performing a spirit of the glass in an abandoned house. The second is “Pridyider” it is about a refrigerator that eats humans. The last part is “Manananggal” this is about a teenager who fell in love with a young woman who happened to be a manananggal.

Cast; Rey “PJ” Abellana, Arlene Mulach, Joel Torre, Herbert Bautista (won Best Actor in the 10th Metro Manila Film Festival), Irma Alegre, Charito Solis, Janice de Belen and William Martinez.

3. Shake, Rattle & Roll 2 (1990)
Directed by Peque Gallaga & Lore Reyes

After the success of the first Shake, Rattle and Rolle, the second installment was made where Manilyn Reynes got her first leading role before the following sequels.

“Multo” is about newlyweds who spent their honeymoon in a haunted house. “Kulam” is about a jealous doctor who was actually a witch. She performed voodoos on a guy after seeing him having sex with another woman. In the end, she accidentally cursed herself into a frog. “Aswang” is about a young woman who went to a friend’s barrio to attend a fiesta only to find out that everyone in that barrio are aswang and she was lured by her friend there to be that year’s sacrifice for the annual fiesta celebration.

Cast; Janice de Belen, Eric Quizon, Eddie Guttierez, Caridad Sanchez, Joey Marquez, Daisy Romualdez, Carmina Villaroel, Sylvia Sanchez, Manilyn Reynes, Ana Roces, Richard Gomez, Aljon Jimenez and Anjo Yllana.

Watch the trailer here:

4. Patayin Sa Sindak Si Barbara (1995)
Directed by Chito Roño

This is a classic horror movie about family and love triangle. Barbara and Ruth fell in love with the same man (Nick), to avoid quarrel, the Barbara gave way and went away but even when Ruth and Nick were already married Nick was still trying to contact Barbara. Ruth committed suicide and vowed to seek revenge on whoever Nick is in love with. In the end, Nick decided to go with Ruth’s soul.

Cast; Dawn Zulueta, Tonton Gutierrez, Lorna Tolentino, Antoinette Taus, Amy Austria, Nonie Buencamino, Anita Linda, Angie Ferro, Eva Aquino

Watch the trailer here:

5. Impakto (1996)
Directed by Don Escodero

This horror movie is about a young woman who took a job as a babysitter. Unfortunately, the baby turned out to be a demon called Impakto. The monster stopped killing people when he finally got reunited with his mother.

Cast; Gelli De Belen, Daria Ramirez, Cherry Pie Picache, Ernie Zarate, Rochelle Barrameda, Candy Pangilinan and Antonio Aquitania.

6. Malikmata (2003)
Directed by Jose Javier Reyes

This is a horror film about seeking justice. The story revolves around a young woman who has the ability to see and hear things before it happen. Will she help solve the murder or let an innocent man be imprisoned for a crime he did not commit?

Cast; Rica Peralejo, Madeleine Nicolas, Barbara Perez, Ana Capri, Ricky Davao, Wowie De Guzman, and Marvin Agustin.

7. Feng Shui (2004)
Directed by Chito S. Roño

This is the highest-grossing film in the Philippines in 2004. The story is about a cursed Bagua mirror supposed to bring good luck.

Cast; Kris Aquino, Jay Manalo, Lotlot de Leon, Ilonah Jean, and Cherry Pie Picache.

Watch the trailer here:

8. Pa Siyam (2004)
Directed by Erik Matti

Pa Siyam is a Filipino traditional of having a nine-day prayer after a burial. This is a family-oriented story which revolves around finding out the real cause of their mother’s death.

Starring: Roderick Paulate, Aubrey Miles, Cherry Pie Picache, Cristine Reyes, Maricar De Mesa, Yul Servo

Watch the trailer here:

9. Sigaw (The Echo) (2004)
Directed by Yam Laranas

The story is about a guy who was haunted by a spirit of a battered woman in the old apartment building he lived in.

This movie was released here in the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

Cast; Jomari Yllana, Richard Gutierrez, Iza Calzado, Angel Locsin, James, and Ella Guevara

Watch the trailer here:

10. Kutob (2005)
Directed by Jose Javier Reyes

This multi-awarded suspense horror movie is like that of the American movie; Carrie, it has an element of mixed horror and paranormal but not so obvious.

Starring; Marvin Agustin, Ryan Agoncillo, Rica Peralejo, Alessandra De Rossi and Andrea del Rosario

Awards: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best Original Theme Song, and Best Musical Score.

Watch the trailer here:

11. Sukob (2006)
Directed by Chito S. Roño

Sukob is based on a Filipino superstition that siblings should not get married in the same year and not to get married if an immediate relative died that year.

This story revolves around an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who was not aware that she got married on the same day her unknown half-sister got married. The curse was broken when she fell from the belfry and died.

Starring; Kris Aquino, Claudine Barretto, Wendell Ramos, Bernard Palanca.

Watch the trailer here:

12. Wag Kang Lilingon (2006)
Directed by Quark Henares and Jerry Lopez Sineneng

The story is about an orphan who became a nurse but while she was working in a hospital strange things happened. It was revealed later that she was the psycho killer.

Starring; Anne Curtis, Kristine Hermosa, Marvin Agustin and Cherry Pie Picache.

Watch the trailer here:

13 Barang (2006)
Directed by Neal ‘Buboy’ Tan

This film is about a provincial young lady who was cursed by a witch and killed by a devil worshipper. Now she wants to avenge her death, her target; three young men who visited their place.

Cast; Juliana Palermo, Jacklyn Jose, Jay Manalo, Christian Luis Singson

Watch the trailer here:

14. Txt (2006)
Directed by Michael Tuviera

This horror film is about a young woman whose boyfriend never stopped loving and texting her even after his death.

Starring; Angel Locsin, Dennis Trillo, Oyo Boy Sotto

Watch the trailer here:

15. Shake, Rattle and Roll 9 (2007)
Directed by Topel Lee, Mike Tuviera, and Paul Daza

This is a Filipino comedy horror film which starts with a story about a Christmas Tree that eats people, followed by Bangungut (nightmare), a story about a young woman who was in love with a man who loves another and it turned out that she was the “bangungut” and the last part is Engkanto (environmental spirits that can look like humans)

Cast; Roxanne Guinoo, Dennis Trillo, Eugene Domingo, Pauleen Luna, Jewel Mische, Felix Roco, Mart Escudero, Matt Evans, and Melissa Ricks.

Watch the trailer here:

16. Sundo (2009)
Directed by Topel Lee

Sundo is a Filipino suspense-thriller movie about a retired military officer who began seeing ghosts after he got fatally wounded in battle and a group of people who hitched a ride with him to Manila. Will they be able to cheat death and their “sundo”?

Starring; Robin Padilla, Katrina Halili, Rhian Ramos, Hero Angeles, Mark Bautista and Sunshine Dizon.

Watch the trailer here:

17. Dalaw (2010)
Directed by Dondon S. Santos

Dalaw is a Filipino suspense-horror movie about a woman who started experiencing spooky things after she remarried three years after her husband died.

Starring; Kris Aquino, Diether Ocampo and Richard Quan.

Watch the trailer here:

18. The Healing (2012)
Directed by Chito S. Roño

This movie is about the horrifying successive deaths of people who were healed by a fate healer. It turned out that the person who killed the fate healer is taking the souls of the healed people so he may live forever.

Starring; Vilma Santos, Kim Chiu, Daria Ramirez, Joel Torre, and Jhong Hilario.

Watch the trailer here:

19. Shake, Rattle & Roll 2k5
Directed by Richard Somes, Uro Q. dela Cruz, and Rico Maria Ilarde

This is the 7th Shake, Rattle & Roll installment. The movie starts with a horror comedy about a fake occultist who took the last job of contacting the grandson of a rich woman. It was too late when they found out that the said grandson was a monster who kidnaps people and drowns them in the “poso”. The second episode is entitled; “Aquarium” it is a story about a family who moved to a new condo unit with an aquarium that was possessed by the devil and eats whoever touches it. The last is “Lihim ng San Joaquin” a story about a new couple with a baby on the way who decided to move to a remote province to start a family. Unfortunately, the place they have chosen was inhabited by aswangs who are eager to eat their unborn child.

Cast; Ai-Ai de las Alas, Miss Gloria Romero, Marco Alcaraz, Rainier Castillo, Janine Desiderio, and Biboy Ramirez, Ara Mina, Ogie Alcasid, Wilma Dosent, Elizabeth Oropesa, Mark Anthony Fernandez and Tanya Garcia.

Watch the trailer here:

20. Basement (2014)
Directed by Topel Lee

The film is about a group of people who gets stuck in a basement parking for the night with an evil creature killing them one by one.

Cast; Louise delos Reyes, Enzo Pineda, Sarah Lahbati, Dion Ignacio and Kristofer Martin.

Watch the trailer here:

There, that’s a long list to choose from, hope you’ll all enjoy watching with your friends and family.