Long established as a Metro Manila Film Festival staple, Shake, Rattle & Roll has consistently delivered strong box-office returns.
As of January 6, 2026, its latest installment—Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins—has reportedly earned PHP 105 million, placing second among eight festival entries.
Beyond its familiar scares and star-studded cast, what does this latest installment bring to the table? How does it distinguish itself from earlier versions?
Here’s how the creatives at Regal Entertainment carried the franchise’s legacy forward with Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins.
Read: MMFF 2025 Unofficial Box-Office Results as of January 6, 2026
FROM FANS TO CREATORS
For this article, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) spoke with Regal executive John Paul “JP” Abellera, screenwriter Noreen Capili, and production designer Leo Velasco Jr.
PEP also interviewed the three directors of Evil Origins: Shugo Praico for "1775," Joey de Guzman for "2025," and Ian Loreños for "2050."
What they all share is a deep appreciation for the Shake, Rattle & Roll franchise.
JP, Regal’s head of creative content, began during the interview via Zoom: “Very excited ako to do a Shake, Rattle & Roll with Regal kasi, ever since I was a child, e, nanood talaga ako ng SRR movies."
It was the "Aswang" episode in the second SRR movie that enchanted JP.
Read: MMFF reviews
This Manilyn Reynes-starrer premiered in 1990.
“Talagang sobrang for me, one of the best, if not the best horror movie ever made yung episode na yun,” he added.
Director Ian is also a big fan of the "Aswang" episode.
In fact, he was excited to work with Manilyn for "2050."
On set, he told the actress that the classic SRR segment was an inspiration.
“I was telling her na yung ginawa niyang movie is parang isa sa mga nag-stick sa akin na horror movies, and like, I'm honored to work with her.
"And ano naman siya, very warm naman ang reception niya sa akin."
Having written for Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme in 2023, Noreen was no stranger to the franchise.
The award-winning screenwriter knew that Evil Origins would be a more challenging project.
“Una kasi, mas malaki siya because it's MMFF, alam natin kailangan i-level up na rin.
"Pangalawa, it's always challenging naman kapag gumagawa ka ng Shake, Rattle & Roll kasi mayroong legacy na kailangan mong sundan, na kailangan mong pantayan,” she explained.
The latest installment veered away from its original concept, and made the three segments interconnected.
As the movie’s creative manager, Noreen had to helm a screenplay that would deal with the past, present and the future.
“Bawat episode, kailangan mag-isip ng ano ba yung ilalagay natin sa episode, ng 2025, na naplanta natin sa 1700s at ilalagay sa 2050. So yun yung challenge doon, paano magiging coherent yung kuwento? Paano sila mabubuo, kasi may sinusunod kang narrative.”
FROM IDEA TO SCREENPLAY
The idea for a new SRR was born out of the need to do something different for the MMFF selection committee.
JP explained: “Yun yung iniisip din namin nun, ano yung magpapalaki, di ba? Ano yung magpapa-entice sa selection committee at saka sa audience para ma-consider na worthy of the MMFF inclusion.”
After Regal lady boss Roselle Monteverde herself came up with the interconnected concept, the bright minds at the studio held several brainstorming sessions to flesh out the full story.
JP credited his team at Regal.
“Nung na-clear yung management directives na yun, nagkaroon kami ng brainstorming session with yung mga brainstormers namin. Sina Trish Delez, sila Tyron Santos, sina Carmel Jacomille, sina Dip Mariposque.
"So we were able to come up with concepts, and from there, nabuo yung stories ng beaterio, nabuo yung concept ng underground club, nabuo yung concept ng dystopian future.”
The beaterio, or convent, was the setting for "1775," the first segment of Evil Origins. Here, a group of nuns hs to survive the night as an unknown evil takes over their faith.
Next was the underground club, the setting for "2025," where a group of teenagers must fight a murderous cult.
Then there’s the dystopian future of "2050." In this segment, a group of survivors have to fight a group of monsters that have taken over an apocalyptic Metro Manila.
After these three segments were finalized, Regal hired the writers to flesh them out even more.
JP continued: “So we got Alex Castor, we got Onay Sales-Camero, we got siyempre yung veteran na, si Manay Gina Tagasa. So sila, along with Noreen, who is the creative manager of this project, finlesh out naman namin yung stories based on sa mga directives na yun.”
The finished screenplay was submitted to the MMFF selection committee for consideration.
Evil Origins was then announced as one of the festival entries on July 8, 2025.
FROM SCREENPLAY TO REALITY
With the screenplay in place, the time has come to bring it to life.
First, they needed the best directors.
“Sino yung directors na best to bring life yung mga stories na nabuo namin?” asked JP.
After careful deliberation with Roselle and Keith Monteverde, the studio’s executive vice president, they were able to pick directors who had ample experience with the genre of each segment.
For "1775," they chose Shugo Praico, who had already directed The Caretakers, a moody haunted house flick, for Regal.
For "2025," they picked Joey de Guzman, who also directed SRR Extreme’s "Rage" segment, a bloody zombie thriller.
“So sabi namin na he's perfect for the slasher,” explained JP.
Lastly, Ian Loreños was hired for "2050" because he’s known for action-packed shows like The Iron Heart and Incognito.
Next was picking the location. It wasn’t that easy.
Noreen stated that it was challenging to find a beaterio that looks like it was from the 1700s.
“E, wala naman nang existing ngayon na establishment or church or beaterio na from pre-war. I mean, kung meron man, sobrang hindi na safe siguro,” she said.
Regal’s location managers were diligent. After a rigorous search that went even as far as the Visayas region, they were able to find the right structure in the South.
“Kailangan na lang siguro ayusin sa tulong ng post na may mga buburahin tayo kasi, ah, wala pang gutter nito or wala pa noong time na iyan. Gusto natin maging realistic pa rin,” added Noreen.
For "2025," director Joey de Guzman transformed a school into an underground bunker.
The challenge was to make the white walls more gritty.
“Yun yung challenging kasi we shot in a school tapos malinis yung itsura niya,” he shared while chuckling.
“White walls, very clean. E, ang bunker di ba, madilim, tapos kung ano-anong yung texture niya, concrete?”
Thankfully, production designer Adrian Española was able to work his magic.
“He did a good job transforming the school into a bunker,” said Joey.
The last segment was more taxing. The scale of "2050" was massive, because they had to show a rundown and decaying Metro Manila.
In the end, Ian and Leo collaborated closely to achieve a look that shows a lot of wide open spaces, to break away from the claustrophobic nature of "1775" and "2025."
They were also inspired to show a Metro Manila that looks like “the opposite of industrialism and commercialism.”
Ian explained: “Gusto naming ipakita na in this kind of scenario, useless na ang commercialism at mga production factories.
"So gusto naming ipakita yun kasi it's more visual, para meron kang feel of nostalgia, feel of the past.
"And luckily, meron kaming nakuhang location with the help of the production manager na isang abandoned factory complex talaga siya.”
Leo said it took a lot of time, but it was worth it because they achieved a more realistic look.
It also underlined the team’s decision to rely more on practical effects than CGI.
Aside from being the production designer for "2050," Leo was also behind the prosthetics for all three segments. He also helped design the creatures in the film.
He continued: “We lean towards the practical. Like say, in terms of, of make-up, the production invested money para sa special effects make-up, prosthetics. And talagang mahabang proseso yung design ng character, e, especially the third episode, yung, ah, mayroon kaming demon creature.”
He also claimed that practical effects were easier than “fixing it in post.”
For example, it would have been hard to add the blood and guts in 2025 via editing.
“In a way, challenging siya in terms of like the, the, yung time ng production, pero mas realistic yung look."
CASTING THE CHARACTERS
Of course, a movie won’t be complete without its actors.
While other members of the team were busy with the screenplay, direction, and production design, Regal was also occupied with choosing the best actors to bring the characters to life.
The final selection was a mix of SRR veterans and up-and-coming stars.
JP explained: “Ang gusto kasi namin sana dito, celebration din siya ng buong legacy ng SRR. So yung unang-una talagang pumasok sa isip namin, let's use yung mga legacy stars or yung super iconic stars ng Shake, Rattle & Roll.
"So sino yun?”
First they thought about Janice de Belen and Manilyn. Both beloved actresses starred in the second SRR movie. Janice was in the "Multo" episode, and Manilyn in the "Aswang" episode.
Janice was then cast as the head nun of the beaterio in "1775," while Manilyn was given a larger part: her role crosses over from 2025 to 2050.
Next were Ara Mina and Carla Abellana, both Regal favorites. Both of them already appeared in two SRR movies.
Ara and Carla were cast as nuns in "1775."
After the veteran SRR actors were added, the Regal team began filling the cast with popular young stars.
For "1775," they assembled a mix of Kapuso and Kapamilya young actresses: Loisa Andalio, Ashley Ortega, Ysabel Ortega and Elijah Alejo.
They then considered the “hottest and freshest stars” for "2025."
JP continued: “Kaya napasok namin doon si Francine [Diaz] and Seth [Fedelin], who did well sa My Future You namin last year.
"Tapos pina-partner namin sila sa JMFyang. Ang dami-dami kasing nagkaka-clamor ng fans ni JM saka ni Fyang na sana makita namin sila in a movie soon.”
Aside from Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, JM Ibarra and Fyang Smith, "2025" also featured Kaila Estrada, Karina Bautista, Dylan Yturralde, and Arkin Lagman.
There’s also Sassa Gurl, who served as the segment’s comic relief. It was Sassa’s first SRR appearance, but not the first time that she was cast.
Noreen shared a trivia: Sassa was originally tapped to play an influencer role in SRR Extreme’s "Mukbang," but she had other projects. The role went to another popular TikTok star.
For the "2050" cast, since it is an action thriller, a male action star has to lead it.
The team chose Richard Gutierrez, whose two action series: The Iron Heart and Incognito–were both successful.
“We've always wanted Richard kasi nagulat kami na hindi pa pala nag-Shake, Rattle & Roll si Richard ever in his career. First time nya ito, so siyempre. pinili namin siya,” he said.
Then they cast other popular stars around him. Dustin Yu, who gained a lot of fans after his Pinoy Big Brother stint, plus he already appeared in SRR Extreme’s "Rage" episode.
They also chose Ivana Alawi to be Richard’s love interest, Matt Lozano for his comic chops, and Celyn David to play the bunso of the group.
TIME TO SHOOT
With pre-production in order, the team proceeded to shoot the film.
The process is both exciting and demanding.
Shugo’s challenge was to bring the audience to another era.
“From production design and costumes to the language of fear itself, we had to fully transport the audience to a time that feels distant yet deeply familiar.
"It wasn’t just about visuals, the props or the costumes. But, it was about capturing the mindset, the belief systems, and the kind of fear and terror that the characters in our story lived with in that period. And make it feel real and immersive, to make it relatable to the modern audience,” said the director.
Joey, meanwhile, had to balance the exposure of a large young cast for "2025."
He had to find a way to make them instantly be recognizable to the viewers.
“Since there are so many of them, I gave them the challenge of making their characters more memorable by giving each character a unique quirk or unique personality. And I think they did a good job projecting that out, 'cause, you know, there's too many things to worry about, so I relied on their acting skills to achieve that. So that was fun,” Joey shared.
Ian, lastly, thought "2050" had a collaborative spirit. He had already worked with Richard and Leo in both The Iron Heart and Incognito.
“Somehow, may familiarity kami sa isa’t-isa. So nag-uusap talaga kami," said the filmmaker.
CONTINUING THE LEGACY
In the end, the team worked hard to make Evil Origins because they want to give Filipino moviegoers a good experience.
“Ang gusto ko is from start to end, yung, parang hindi makahinga yung nanood,” said Ian enthusiastically.
Joey agreed with Ian: “We want to offer an experience na you just don't want to leave your seat as you watch the movie. So it will be like a continuous play of emotions, and lalaruin ka ng takot, ng kaba.
“We're trying to give an experience, and the cool thing is, each episode has a very different experience.
"On every episode, the audience will have a different emotional experience and, you know, it's fresh each time.”
The team also wants Evil Origins to uphold Shake, Rattle & Roll’s legacy, as the premiere Filipino horror anthology.
Noreen hopes the current installment to be remembered, the same way classic SRR episodes are regarded.
“Kasi yun yung gusto naming legacy na maiwan, yun yung gusto naming magmarka. Siyempre, kaya, kaya kami naghihirap sa paggawa nito, sa pagbuo nito, kasi meron kang chance na gumawa ng something na puwedeng mag-marka sa mga tao, sa milyung-milyong taong makakanood.
"Na dadalhin nila iyan for years to come, na puwede iyang ituro sa mga, di ba...mga bata ngayon makakanood, ikikuwento nila in the future na, 'Ay, maganda yung napanood kong Shake noong 2025.' Yun ang gusto kong expectation,” she concluded.
Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins is still showing in cinemas nationwide.