The Herald and the Horror

I love this movie for the pseudo-Lynchian aesthetic, the committed actors, and the unique vision of horror that the director unfolds slowly over the story. A young woman has surreal dreams, and a voice tells her about a true god who is greater than her Catholic God. She refuses to believe it, so it promises to punish her family. The horror that unfolds is a powerful variation on the classic possession/exorcism tale. Except we're not sure if this is a biblical demon or something from a totally different mythology, or one we've never heard of. The story is cool, the writing is solid, the actors gave themselves fully to their roles. I think most bad movies fail because they don't have a clear vision, or can't quite express it. This movie knows what it's trying to do and everybody is onboard with bringing it out. It's creepy, tragic, frightening, weird, surreal. It's still a low-budget movie and not the kind of effects Western audiences are looking for. It will probably mostly appeal to horror fans. But if you are a horror fan, this is one of my favorites, which is why I came here to write this.

An innocent Catholic schoolgirl (well, she's 22) shows signs of Linda Blair-style demonic possession shortly after the arrival of a handsome new student who might be either the devil or an alien. The girl floats, screams, drools green paint and sees weird visions of big unexplained smeary special effects in the sky. She eventually learns that the young man is there to herald the end of the world (or at least the end of her status as a virginal "nice girl" ), but even though she doesn't want to hurt anyone she develops the ability to scream so loudly that it makes the picture go all white and shaky, a power that's just too cool to resist using. We never do find out exactly who or what the young man is nor why he keeps insisting there's something special about the possessee, so he really only functions as a representation of the big bad male whose very presence destroys innocent women and their families. By the end the girl's entire family is dead (along with her much prettier friend) and only the local priest survives to see the blurry special effects (cellular division? Reproduction? Space monsters? Abstract art?) swirling around in the sky. None of this makes any sense on a literal level. But if viewed as a metaphor for the corrupting nature of budding sexuality, it's a fairly solid, if unoriginal, sentiment. At least there are good performances from a cast who clearly took their parts very seriously. Ultimately an ugly and depressing little film with only the work of the actors to keep you watching until the unsatisfying cop-out ending.

The story is actually not that bad. It blurs the line between the supernatural and psychological. Moira's either possessed or her father's fears came true-she was assaulted while walking home late at night. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? All that aside, I think it's an artful representation of the dysfunction of a typical Filipino household. Parental fears and prejudices founded on personal shortcomings that became the reasons behind the strict upbringing. Adult children expected to behave like adults but the older generation treating them like children who don't know any better. Controlling parents and hypercritical grandparents. Heavy emphasis on religion and devotion but also rife with hypocrisy. Unresolved familial resentments aired out in the open for children and guests to witness. The need to escape such a hellhole without understanding the situation just creates another hellhole. With all these being said, I hope this is the last time these actors act. Smh. It's worse than worst.

The Herald and the Horror