(SPOT.ph) Spooky season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by taking a look at the locally created horror movie characters that sent chills down your spine and gave you nightmares! Filipino mythology has given you tons of monsters over time—aswangs, halimaws, tikbalangs and more. Below, we've listed not just the scariest, but the best and most unforgettable local horror movie monsters that have terrified audiences on the big screen. If you end up having nightmares, don't say we didn't warn you!
10. The Nurse from Bliss (2017)
In Jerrold Tarog's mind-boggling psychological horror film Bliss, Adrienne Vergara plays an unusual and haunting nurse tasked to take care of an ailing actress played by Iza Calzado. Like a mash-up of Nurse Fletcher from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Annie Wilkes of Misery, Vergara's nurse is creepy, off-putting, abusive, and downright terrifying when she needs to be. She's instantly memorable, especially in the last few sequences where her nursing goes way over the line.
9. Evil Spirit from Shake, Rattle & Roll III (1991)
Known as the Queen of Philippine Horror Movies, Lilia Cuntapay has played many an aswang, but it was her first appearance in the legendary Shake, Rattle & Roll film series (the third installment, to be exact) that really put her in the Pinoy horror movie lexicon. In Shake, Rattle & Roll III's “Yaya” segment, Cuntapay plays a malevolent spirit terrorizing the character of the Pinoy Scream Queen herself, Kris Aquino, and her family in the movie. Cuntapay made waves because of her naturally haunting look and the way she used her face and her body to scare Aquino and the audiences—and this was only the beginning of a long career scaring Filipinos.
8. Killer Refrigerator from Shake, Rattle & Roll (1984)
Okay, maybe in today's time, a killer refrigerator isn't the most horrifying thing and it may sound like one of the dumbest things on paper. But in the '80s, this segment of the very first Shake, Rattle & Roll (SRR) series had a generation of people double-checking their refrigerators to make sure it wasn't possessed. This classic SRR segment had a fridge devouring unsuspecting victims, while haunting others with horrifying, bloody, and highly disturbing visions of chopped-up body parts—including heads and limbs—stored in the refrigerator. While the idea may sound insane, the effective execution gives the Killer Refrigerator a spot on this list.
7. Halimaw sa Banga from Halimaw (1986)
Pasty-white, with long white hair and scary claws, the halimaw in this segment of a two-part film left an impression on anyone who's seen it. While the film itself may suffer from primitive effects and overworked atmosphere nowadays, the creature itself is an icon in Philippine movie history. The striking look of the vengeful demon and the way she picks off her prey really made audiences not want to take a peek into those giant jars for a while.
6. The Mysterious Teenager from The Road (2011)
Yam Laranas is one of the top names working in Philippine horror, and in his 2011 film The Road, he directed a pre-AlDub Alden Richards to play a mysterious teenager who ultimately turns out to be the one your mother warned you about. It's very off-putting to see a good-natured, nice-looking guy start attacking young girls, and Richards pulls it off so terrifyingly and convincingly that it's hard to see him turning into the heartthrob that he is today. Disaffected and emotionless, Richards' teenager from The Road sends shivers down your spine in the most unsettling way.
