The 13th Flyby Avenue

Sigaw was a horror Filipino film done by a Filipino director Yam Laranas released back in 2004. It was one of the entries in the 2004 MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival), which won the award for Best Editing and Best Sound Recording. The film didn’t attract me at first and I was always skeptical when it comes to our very own Films. Don’t get wrong, but Philippines’ Film Industry had been very low in originality and creativity. Not to mention the low budget! But there are plenty of films that are indeed worth to watch. And Sigaw is definitely one of those selections…

Sigaw translates into Scream in English, but to avoid its confusion between the Hollywood’s same popular title, it was then changed to Echo… The Echo also had its released in Singapore back in 2005, and later in Malaysia. The following year, rumors had spread about its International remake. And again, I was skeptical. Lots of asian-horror remakes had been released already since "the Ring", and none except for "The Grudge 1" followed the same blockbuster hit. As far as my memory serves, every year an asian-horror remake comes out in theaters but doesn’t receive much success. They all have this common plots and elements, others even have bad actors, bad lines, and poor editing. But they just won’t stop remaking such asian-horror films, because people don’t also stop watching…
So enough about the common criticism. This post is supposed to promote a Filipino-made horror-film, which is to announce its release early next year, 2009!

Sigaw wasn’t really that bad. Right after I saw the film, I actually applauded it. Not everything was great, but it was somehow effective. It delivered the scare, although not that much to my taste. The story however was brilliant. It centers on a young man who moves into an old apartment building only to learn his neighbor is an abusive police officer who savagely beats his wife and daughter. When he tries to intervene, he becomes trapped in a curse…

On the remake they changed some of the situation. This young man who was good in nature from the original version was turned into an ex-convict in the remake version. The apartment that was just an old condo in the original version, then changed into the lead character’s mother’s apartment. Now how about that??  WHOLE PLOT: Bobby Reynolds, played by Jesse Bradford (Clockstoppers, Bring It On, Swimfan), attempts to make a new life for himself by getting a job, reconnecting with a former girlfriend and moving into his mother’s apartment, vacant since her untimely death. Upon arrival, he is soon plagued by strange occurrences in the apartment and bizarre encounters with his neighbors. When he begins to investigate, Bobby discovers that his mother died under unusual circumstances and he comes to the realization that her death is somehow linked to the tenants of the building, who he believes are now coming after him. As he struggles to uncover the truth, terrifying secrets are revealed and Bobby must find a way to fight the echoes of the past before they kill him and those he loves.

So is it original? Will let you judge on to that…

But wait, there’s more… Yam Laranas who directed the orignal also directed this remake! The only thing that made me excited. Iza Ignacio who was one of the leads in the orignal will also have her appearance!! Definitely a Filipino debut to date in Hollywood! Now I’m anticipating…

Some Source : The IMDB