Aswang

An Aswang (or Asuwang) is a shapeshifting monster usually possessing a combination of the traits of either a vampire, a ghoul, a witch, or different species of werebeast in Filipino folklore or even all of them together. It is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories. Spanish colonists noted that the Aswang was the most feared among the mythical creatures of the Philippines, even in the 16th century.

The myth of the aswang is well known throughout the Philippines, except in the Ilocos region, which is the only region that does not have an equivalent myth. It is especially popular in the Visayan regions such as Capiz, Iloilo, Negros, Bohol, Aklan, Antique, and Siquijor. Other regional names for the aswang include "tik-tik", "wak-wak", "sok-sok", and "kling-kling" .

Definition

Aswang or "asuwang" is derived from the Sanskrit word Asura which means 'demon'.

Sometimes this creature is called the "bal-bal" or ghoul (maninilong in Catanauan, Quezon), which replaces the cadaver with banana trunks after consumption. Aswang stories and definitions vary greatly from region to region and person to person, and no particular set of characteristics can be ascribed to the term. However, the term is mostly used interchangeably with manananggal and are also usually depicted as female.

Aswang (1994 film)

Aswang, also called The Unearthing, is a 1994 horror film based on the mythical creature that feeds on the unborn in Filipino folklore.

Plot

A desperate pregnant woman agrees to an odd pact agreeing to play wife to a wealthy man living with his mother. She is taken to a secluded mansion where unbeknown to her there are plans to feed her unborn child to an aswang.

Reception

"Aswang" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. The film was initially reviewed as "more gruesome and gross than frightening" by Emanuel Levy writing in Variety.

After a brief theatrical release, Prism Home Video picked up "Aswang" to release on home video. The film was cut down to an R Rating and retitled "The Unearthing".

Upon its original release reviews by mainstream critics were mixed. TVGuide wrote that "For much of its running time, 'The Unearthing' is a gripping and unsettling journey into fear. Towards the end, however, it abandons its aura of Cronenbergian repulsion, descends into camp, and blunts the impact of its memorably unpleasant build-up".

Aswang (2011 film)

Aswang is a 2011 Filipino horror film made for Regal Entertainment. It stars Lovi Poe. The film is directed by Jerrold Tarog. The movie is a remake of Peque Gallaga's 1992 film.

Plot

The story revolves around the abuwak race (Aswang). Their numbers had declined and the only way the race could survive is through the rare ability that only the soon-to-be queen of the abuwaks, Hasmin (Lovi Poe), possesses.

Abuwaks look human in their normal state, but they can fly and move underground when they transform into raven-like birds. They can also burrow through earth.

They are quick and strong, and they can attack and eat humans. Hasmin prefers to stay with and protect humans when her fellow abuwaks attack the village.

A hired killer named Daniel was forced into his trade as a youth. Like Hasmin, he doesn't like killing the innocent, and this reluctance leads him to the abuwak lair, suggested to be somewhere in Pampanga.

Along with two other killers, he went to Pampanga to kill the two remaining members of the family that they massacred in Quezon City.