5 Filipino Creatures Scarier than Aswang

Have you ever heard of the pugot mamu?

Aswang, Manananggal, Kapre, Tikbalang, and Duwende have been stealing the spotlight from the scariest creatures in Filipino folklore for far too long. This Halloween, be on the lookout for these five creatures that you never knew existed in our rich treasure trove of mythical creatures.

1. Pugot Mamu

Most of us have heard of headless ghosts or pugot, but the pugot mamu takes it to a new level. Unlike your standard headless priest who is the spirit of a deceased human, the pugot mamu is a living monster made of flesh and bone, with a sharp-toothed mouth where its head and shoulders should be. Its favorite food? Human children, of course.

2. Gabunan

Aswang are scary enough, but the black-skinned, white-haired Gabunan are said to be the oldest, strongest, and most cunning of them all. Unlike the standard aswang, they don’t need to wait until nightfall to attack their victims because they remain strong and powerful even in daylight. They don’t have wings but can fly and move so swiftly you won’t even see them coming. Some are so sadistic that they don’t kill their victims on the spot—choosing to kidnap them and keep them prisoner while leaving a “copy” (from a banana trunk or bundle of twigs) in their place. The copy eventually gets sick and dies, and that’s the only time the Gabunan slaughters and devours the real victim.

3. Malakat

They walk the day in human form, and only reveal their true form when attacking. They turn into dog-like creatures with fiery eyes, long claws, and long hair that spreads all over their body. When their attack beings, they ram into their victims and hold them down as their long hair crawls into the victim’s nose, ears, mouth, and eyes, suffocating their victim and eventually devouring them.

4. Paraduno

The Paraduno are corpse-eaters that look like ordinary humans, but with an odd tendency to stick out their tongues when listening in on other people’s conversations. When they overhear a conversation about someone who is sick and about to die soon, that person dies right away, and the Paraduno rushes off to find a chance to devour the corpse.

5. Biangonan

Jordan Clark, the Filipino folklore expert behind the website Aswang Project, says that the Biangonan are “one of the most horrifying beings” he’s ever documented. These tiny, human-looking creatures have kinky hair, black skin, sharp talons, feet that point backwards, and an appetite for the flesh of pigs and humans. They themselves can transform into humans or pigs, and they often use this ability to infiltrate villages and steal their next meal. When they attack, they let out piercing shrieks that paralyze their prey. Then they tear into their victim with their sharp claws, devouring everything except the jaw bone, which they leave hanging in a tree.

These are just five of the many, many creatures found in Filipino folklore. Which one do you think is the scariest? Or can you name more local monsters that are even scarier? Tell us in the comments below!

The artworks featured in this article are courtesy of the talented Dadis!