UNTOLD is a Filipino psychological horror film that has the makings of something very special, which proves to be the most frustrating part of the whole viewing experience.
Directed by Derick Cabrido, it is jam-packed with schlocky, but not bog standard, common gardener variety jump scares. There’s a real 1980s horror B-movie feel to much of the proceedings, and for all its high camp special effects and slapstick plot twists, it’s good for a giggle if nothing else.
Now streaming on Netflix, Untold comes off like a daytime Southeast Asian soap opera with some impressive supernatural high jinks along the way. The storyline is reminiscent of many psychological films from this part of the world, giving off ‘have I seen this film before?’ vibes.
But where Cabrido’s film differs is in his unbridled passion for the genre. As bad as the acting is, and it is bloody awful, I ended up forgiving many of the foibles for its sheer enthusiasm and homage to those who did it before him, only with more panache.
Pantomime, of course, is all well and good if it’s a chuckle you are after, but this is no laughing matter. Untold is billed as a horror movie, but, in that department it leaves us wanting, despite its attention to hair-raising detail.
The generic story is one of vengeful spirits haunting those who have wronged them. In this case, it is high-profile TV journalist Vivian Vera (Jodi Sta Maria) who has come under the wrathful gaze of those who lost their lives in her fabricated ‘Cement Massacre’ story to help boost her popularity. Vivian now either faces the consequences of her reprehensible actions or lose everything in this mortal life that she holds dear.
Untold definitely has spirit, just don’t expect to lose any sleep after it.
(2/5)
