Movie No. 82 (2018): AURORA

Aurora (2018)
Director: Yam Laranas
Cast: Anne Curtis, Allan Paule, Marco Gumabao, Andrea del Rosario, Mercedes Cabral, Ricardo Cepeda, Phoebe Villamor
In Tagalog, with English subtitles

Aurora is a horror movie, one that conspicuously avoids jump scare technique. This technique, however, is not always necessary. Many horror movies have become successful even without it. One particular movie that I can think of is Don't Look Now, one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Don't Look Now effectively used mood, combined with a great script, to create horror. That horror would only thrive in the audience's mind. That's why the scare was real.

Aurora, the way I see it, seems to be setting the horror mood at the beginning. The combination of near perfect cinematography and sound editing succeeds in creating this mood. But, again, this occurs only in the beginning. Some scenes are repetitive. This repetition dilutes the horror that is almost not there. There may be a problem in script. The subplot involving the Arnold Reyes character is unnecessary. The events that lead to 'the dead' being washed out into the inn is wanting. 

The movie is not bad. It entertains while imparting minor scare or a type of horror that exists in the mind of the audience. Anne Curtis performance is admirable. Phoebe Villamor's, too. Cinematography and sound editing are the best thing about the movie.

Aurora is one of the entries of the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival. It has been awarded

2nd Best Picture.

Rating: 3.0/4.0

Date seen: December 25, 2018