The genre of horror has always been looked down on in the international film scene. Critics look at horror films as crass and informal, not worthy of ‘serious’ analysis and examination. Often, they are categorized as either niche films or B movies. But for a third world country like the Philippines, where cultural workers serve as social critiques too, horror films are successful in the box office and with the critical audience. In fact, the longest-running film franchise in the country, is Shake Rattle and Roll, a horror film with 15 installments as of 2014. In this video essay, we examine a Filipino horror film that made rounds in the international film scene through its Netflix release – the 2018 film Eerie directed by Mikhail Red. We discuss how Eerie failed to fulfill two known categories in the horror genre.

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