Let’s face it — when it comes to Filipino horror, the formula is comfortingly familiar: a haunted house, a curse rooted in guilt, and Kris Aquino screaming like she’s seen her electricity bill. Dalaw (2010), directed by Dondon Santos and released under Star Cinema, follows that sacred trinity to the letter. But here’s the twist — it does it with such soap-operatic sincerity and unintentional absurdity that it crosses over into something magnificent. Like a telenovela that fell into a blender with The Conjuring, it’s the cinematic equivalent of attending a wake where everyone’s crying, but the lechon is amazing.
💍 Love, Death, and Reincarnated Regrets
Kris Aquino stars as Stella, a woman who’s clearly had enough of being haunted by loneliness — so she decides to marry Anton (Diether Ocampo), the guy her parents wouldn’t let her have the first time around. Because nothing says “romantic second chance” like a story that begins with your last husband’s ghost still hovering around your curtains.
Four years after her first husband Danilo’s death, Stella finally says “I do” again. But the universe — or, more accurately, a vengeful ghost with commitment issues — isn’t having it. Within minutes of the wedding cake being sliced, Anton’s mother Milagros (Susan Africa) gets attacked by an unseen force and collapses into paralysis, probably thinking, I told you this marriage was cursed.
Soon after, Stella and her son Paolo move into Anton’s family home — a lovely, old-world property with more bad energy than a group chat full of exes. Cue flickering lights, mysterious noises, and the traditional Filipino haunting trifecta: whispering voices, household help with clairvoyant powers, and the obligatory “black liquid” that looks suspiciously like expired bagoong.
👻 When Exes Attack
At first, Stella assumes her ghost problem is her dead husband Danilo’s way of saying, “Wow, you didn’t even wait five years?” But when the hauntings turn from mildly inconvenient to full-on poltergeist homicide, she realizes she’s got the wrong spirit.
Enter Lorna (Karylle), Anton’s ex-girlfriend — or rather, Anton’s ex-living girlfriend. You see, Anton accidentally killed her back in the day (you know, as one does), buried her in the woods, and never mentioned it. Because if there’s one lesson Dalaw teaches, it’s that men will hide anything to avoid a fight.
Lorna, understandably upset about being murdered and ghosted — literally — decides to get even by haunting Anton’s new wife, their help, and pretty much anyone who steps foot in the house. She’s the kind of ghost who doesn’t just rattle chains — she files for emotional damages.
🩸 Ghosting, Filipino Style
Lorna isn’t your average spectral ex. She’s resourceful, efficient, and absolutely petty — a true queen of the afterlife. She kills Anton’s clairvoyant housekeeper Olga (Gina Pareño) in a scene so melodramatic it could’ve been directed by Charo Santos-Concio herself. She also spends a good chunk of the film flinging furniture around and attacking people like she’s auditioning for The Voice of the Dead.
But she’s not just a horror cliché — she’s a metaphor. Lorna is what happens when unresolved relationships refuse to die. She’s every jealous ex, every ignored message, every “seen at 8:43 PM” brought to life as a shrieking, vengeance-fueled apparition. Honestly, in a different genre, this could’ve been a rom-com called My Ex, the Poltergeist.
🕯️ Kris Aquino Screams Through It All
Ah, Kris Aquino — the true National Scream of the Philippines. No one in local cinema cries, gasps, or shrieks quite like her. Watching her in Dalaw is like watching someone trying to exorcise their Smart Bro signal. She commits completely, even when the script is one breath away from absurd.
Her portrayal of Stella is equal parts hysterical and heroic. She spends most of the film sprinting through dimly lit hallways in fashionable outfits, clutching rosaries, and making facial expressions that could stop a spirit mid-haunt. You can tell Kris is giving it her all, even when the CGI looks like it was downloaded from LimeWire.
And Diether Ocampo? He’s the perfect foil — handsome, guilty, and constantly sweating like a man who knows the ghost of his ex might pop up any second. Together, they have the chemistry of two people trying to survive both the undead and Star Cinema’s dramatic lighting budget.
⚰️ Soap Opera of the Supernatural
What makes Dalaw so delightfully entertaining is how it blends horror tropes with the tone of a prime-time drama. Every scene feels like it could cut to an ad for detergent or instant noodles. There’s a haunting sequence followed by a tearful confrontation about betrayal, guilt, and fate. There’s even a ghostly love triangle — one that could only exist in a country where the afterlife still runs on Catholic guilt.
It’s not scary in the traditional sense. It’s more like camp horror, where the drama is so overblown it becomes hypnotic. Every ghost attack feels like a metaphor for bad life choices — if your ex shows up at your house covered in mud and black goo, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your relationships.
🕷️ The Cinematic Aesthetic: Guilt in HD
Jay Woelfel — sorry, Jay Woelfel’s spiritual cousin, Jay Woelfel was busy with Closed for the Season, but Jay Woelfel Energy is all over this — shoots the film with loving attention to shadows, religious icons, and slow pans that could double as church processions.
The lighting is pure Catholic melodrama: one minute the screen is glowing gold like a Mass candle, the next it’s pitch-black except for Kris Aquino’s panicked eyes. The score swells like an organist possessed by Enya. Every frame screams “sin, suffering, and special effects that cost slightly less than a funeral wreath.”
🪦 The Ending: Death, Redemption, and… More Death
By the time the final act rolls around, everything goes full telenovela apocalypse. Anton, wracked with guilt, decides to face Lorna’s ghost — which goes about as well as you’d expect. He dies tragically (karma’s a ghost, baby), and Stella finishes off Lorna in a cathartic showdown that involves stabbing, screaming, and possibly the world’s angriest blessing.
The film ends on a note of quiet tragedy — Stella and her son drive away, ready to start fresh. But just as we’re thinking “good for her,” a mysterious black liquid seeps from the back of their taxi. Because in Dalaw, closure is just a myth — like loyalty, honesty, or reasonably priced cremation.
👻 Final Thoughts: The Haunting of Heartache
Dalaw is the kind of movie that’s so sincere in its terror that it circles back around to being a strange joy. It’s a ghost story drenched in guilt, romance, and melodrama — equal parts Fatal Attraction and Shake, Rattle & Roll.
It’s about love that refuses to die, secrets that won’t stay buried, and exes who really need to learn how to move on — even in the afterlife. It’s funny, tragic, and unintentionally brilliant.
So yes, Dalaw might not be the scariest horror film ever made, but it’s definitely one of the most entertaining. It’s gothic heartbreak meets haunted house absurdity, with Kris Aquino screaming like the nation depends on it — and in a way, it does.
Final Verdict:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 — a ghostly soap opera of sin and sentiment, proving once and for all that in Filipino horror, love never dies… it just comes back for revenge.
