The basic premise of the 2009 Filipino thriller  movie SUNDO is one you’ve likely heard before. Six people narrowly avoid a death foreseen in a premonition, and afterwards find themselves being hunted by a supernatural force. As their group dwindles, the survivors must find a way to avoid their seemingly inescapable fates. Comparisons to Final Destination, The Eye, and The Sixth Sense are unavoidable, and while SUNDO has elements of all those films, there are a few spins that keep it from being a total imitation.

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SUNDO is based on the notion that before dying, a person will see a deceased loved one or relative meant to fetch them for death. Robin Padilla (known in the  90s as an action star) plays military veteran Romano, who is traumatized from his bloody experiences. After a battle leaves him in a comatose state, he awakens to find that he can see the dead. He becomes a recluse and retreats to his hometown of Baguia with his blind sister Isabel (Rhian Ramos) and Aunt Mengay (Mely Tagasa).

The seclusion of his everyday life is interrupted by a visit from his childhood friend Luella (Sunshine Dizon) who has arrived to give him papers that were the cause of a feud between their two families. She had blamed them for her father’s death as a result, but hopes to put that in the past. Along with the peace offering, she has also come to offer the services of a fellow physician she knows in Manila who may be able to help Isabel regain her sight. It is decided Romano will accompany Isabel, Luella, and her driver Bauste back to Manila. A recently widowed neighbor Kristina( Katrina Halili) and her nephew Eric (Hero Angeles), join the group to save bus fare on a trip of their own. En route to Manila, they pick up a flighty actress named Beatriz, who’s been stranded in the rain by a lecherous date.
A premonition he has of a fatal car accident about to occur causes Romano to wake from his slumber and alert the sleeping driver in enough time to avoid the collision that would have left them all dead. Their relief is short lived and a series of gruesome, seemingly accidental deaths befall the survivors. Soon they realize the ghosts Romano has been encountering are tied to their impending doom. Using the concept of Sundo being the harbingers of death, the film provides a personification of the malevolent forces at work, which is a bit different from the approach of the Final Destination films. The movie isn’t filled with gruesome scenes of carnage, but director Topel Lee builds the suspense nicely, with quick foreboding shots of spectres that keep you attentive to the action. The film’s buildup sets a moody and dramatic tone, which is complemented by the bleak cinematography.

The ghosts themselves aren’t exactly the most polished looking ghouls, but they’re good enough for a few small scale scares. Unfortunately, the film makes the mistake of depending too much on these type of scares. The combination of those cheap scares and clichéd death scenes make SUNDO laughable at some parts. There’s one scene in which Roman sees an empty chair rocking and he brandishes a gun, seemingly to shoot at an invisible assailant. It’s understood that he’s jittery and troubled, but it’s not that scary and the gun just seems silly. The acting was also average and not without flaws. Rhian Ramos is lovely and has proved herself to be a more than competent actress, but her method of acting blind was to look upwards with an earnest look on her face. It was distracting and took away from the credibility of her character. Admittedly, the last 10 minutes of the film packs in a few punches. It’s the exceptional part of an otherwise average film and may be the part that sticks with you after.

All in all, the film is entertaining enough to watch on a lazy afternoon, but it’s ultimately not clever enough to make a strong lasting impression. Sundo is a bit uneven, and it makes for a choppy viewing experience. If you enjoy formulaic plots peppered with scares, Lee’s previous work Ouija is a bit more satisfying, and I would recommend you check that out instead.

Tagged in: Fillipino, Rhian Ramos, Robin Padilla, Sunshine Dizon, Topel Lee