Aswang

Aswang (1992)

Aswang (1992) | Directed by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes

The shape-shifting monster lurking around the rooftop to feast babies through their mama's tummy's pregnancy played by imposing young beautiful Alma Moreno might be one of the best portrayal of an Aswang" in the big screen. Peque Gallaga (Writer and Director) cultural research about the mythical creature is incredible. I can talk about this Depiction for an hour and just have fun with it, played by the childhood memories of what an Aswang could look like.


Aswang (1992) is film I've seen a several times on Television. I remember it was shown every holy week or Halloween holiday, and it became so memorable, and despite of its mixed humor/comedy, it reaches out my childhood fear. Every time we talk about the mythical creature it always Alma Moreno that came into my mind.

The film is about a shape-shifting lady who can turn into any beast or human or even in her true form as aswang played by Alma Moreno, terrorizing horror to a remote barrio. Catlyn (Aiza Seguerra) and Yaya Veron (Manylin Reynes) found there selves in the place for hiding with help of Mang dodo (Berting Labra) their family driver after escaping a murder scenes where they have been hunted by the criminals. It now revolves within Catlyn being a victimize of both Aswang and the Criminals, and now they are surviving to get out of the terrifying situation.

Although there where some fun other depiction of the monster, like on Jerrold Tarog's Aswang (which apparently gives more humanization about the mythical creature) and Erik Matti's quirky  and violent representation of the said monster on his Aswang Chronicles movies and many others, I still thought personally that Gallaga and Reyes Aswang is the most perfect until in today standard.

Like Shake, Rattle & Roll IV (1992), Aswang utterly finds a great balance between its eerie atmosphere with a bit of lighter tone residing humor. It's like on of those 80's American horror films like Grimlins, A Nightmare on Elm street and An American Werewolf in London.

Remembering as young one, seeing the gritty nature of the film's murder seen, especially the first seen where the character of Joey Marquez was seduced and eaten by the Aswang perfectly shown how this dangarous evil kill, and shocked me, and until it enthralls me. It also shows some of a clever shots, of the killing process. Like how fast the cut is but it never leave us terrified, because of the combination of screams and the collection of every scenes.

To mention its also one of my favorite film of Berting Labra being said that almost every single character in this films helped me to get introduced to them. Like they become memorable. Cannot forget how cute and clever Aiza Seguerra as an actor, she's an child star during that time and she already shows a fantastic talent,put it with Manilyn Reynes character is just perfect on the movie. The casting are great and memorable as I said before.

The balance between humor flashes and nastiness really works well and despite of its campy effect it still doesn't feel out dated, but you can't deny for now that there some moments where they felt out of the box, like the leading man for Yaya Veron, and mostly the witty criminals, and their scene.

The thing is it's scary even if the movie distinctively become slow, the intense scenes becomes it notorious backer. The scene on which Janice De Belen baby was about to be eaten by the Aswang, take note it she was pregnant. The long tongue surely frightens the hell out of me.

Overall Aswang is a terrifying classic, because of it's dominant great depiction of the monster, which is the main course of the dish, which makes the whole film very likable and memorable. I highly recommend this to anyone to look back and watch this. It's some sort of a thing you serve when you are craving for Filipino horror movie fest.