the media response in manila during the shooting and local premiere was generally favorable. "philippine entertainment portal" (pep), the manila internet equivalent of america's "people magazine" wrote that ""darkest night" combines western demons with eastern spiritual traditions to come up with an original recipe for suspense and terror." "yes!" magazine, one of the most popular entertainment magazines in the philippines, wrote that the film tells a fascinating story interwoven with the culture of southeast asia. mell navarro and ronald rafer, both nationally recognized film critics in the philippines, gave the film favorable reviews.