Along with the narratives of Philippine history came countless legends that shaped Philippine folklore. And at the heart of these mysticisms are creatures that have greatly influenced Filipino consciousness, beliefs, and culture.
Eventually, these creatures made their way from the grapevines and into the movies. True enough, these monsters proved their blockbuster appeal to the Filipino viewer when films that starred them made serious money.
Unlike typical film characters that did not make a mark, local monsters, as seen through the years, enjoyed pop culture stardom that even generations long after still recognized. Since then and until now, films with plots anchored on local monsters have almost always a winning formula.
With this, let’s take a look back at some of the most iconic monsters that gained supremacy in Philippine cinema.
- Undin
Inarguably, the most famous of it all was Shake Rattle & Roll III’s Undin, the slimy green lava-spewing creature that kills people and melts them into water.
According to the story, the Undin, who lives quietly in a lake, gets disturbed by students on their field trip. These teens further earn the water nymph’s wrath after one of them takes away something from the lake that, unbeknownst to anyone, was, in fact, the Undin’s eggs.
As the Undin sets out to find its babies, it kills every person who made fun of her, especially those who played with her eggs, until Maloy, played by Manilyn Reynes, offers to give it back.
Who would forget the scene where the Undin sneaks from the toilet bowl as it haunts down its baby captors.
- Tiyanak
Another iconic Philippine monster was the Tiyanak, a vampiric creature hiding behind the form of a baby.
The Tiyanak was so popular that it has been the subject of a number of local movies, including Tianak (1953), Tiyanak (1988), Juan Tanga, super naman, at ang kambal na tiyanak (1990), Impakto (1996), Tiyanaks (2007) and T’yanak (2014).
- Halimaw sa banga
Back in the ‘80s, the jar-sneaking monster gave legitimate chills to horror-seeking moviegoers. Halimaw sa Banga, the second part of the two-part Halimaw movie, is about an evil witch who was killed by her tribe and whose spirit was trapped inside an antiquated earthen jar. As she was being nailed, she vowed to return one day for her revenge. Incidentally, the cursed jar was recovered by de Leon’s antique excavator mom, played by Liza Lorena.
Because of this, a spirit escapes and casts evil on de Leon’s household.
- Pridyider
Another iconic monster that made an iconic debut in Philippine movies was an unusual monster known in pop culture as Pridyider (refrigerator); a haunted refrigerator that gorges its victims. It was the second story from the very first trilogy of the Shake Rattle & Roll franchise.
Based on the story, the possessed refrigerator lures its victims through sexual invitations. Luckily enough, Janice de Belen was able to pull the plug just in time.
- Zuma
Prior to the movies, Zuma was already a popular character in local comics. He was a muscular mythological man carrying a double-headed snake on his shoulder.
According to the comics, Zuma has an appetite for human hearts and hunts female victims in particular. As a demigod, he possesses incredible strengths that make him impregnable to most offenses, like gunshots.
The movie Zuma made its big screen debut in 1985.
