Get Ghost Stories All Year Round on Let's Takutan, Pare on Facebook

(SPOT.ph) During her stay at a five-star hotel, Nani said she switched on the "make up my room" button precisely to signal the staff to replenish the complimentary toiletries while she was away. Housekeeping later said a female guest refused them entry.

Nani, who shared her story in the Facebook group Let's Takutan, Pare (LTaP), denied the hotel staff's claim. She said she was the only person occupying the room and that she had both keycards. A friend who was staying at the same hotel that time has her own room, she said.

"That time talaga 'yung kilabot ko na never ko pa naramdaman dati. Mula ulo hanggang paa tumaas ang balahibo ko. Tapos 'yung kausap kong lalaki gusto na rin matakot. Halata sa mukha n'ya pero pinipigilan n'ya lang. Dun ko nalaman na may babaeng multo dun sa room ko," she told more than 64,000 members of LTaP.

Nani said she would knock on the door before entering her room as a gesture to what she believes is a ghost that was staying there too.

Nani's experience is one of the many stories shared at LTaP, a private group where members exchange tales of ghosts and ghouls, both real and fiction, in the digital age when accounts of the supernatural can be told as if it's Halloween every day.

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Let's Takutan, Pare: Where Filipino horror thrives

Filipinos have a bottomless pit of inspiration for supernatural stories, given their rich mythology and folklore. Some of which are featured in international mainstream media from the aswang in the American supernatural series Grimm to the manananaggal and kapre in Netflix's anime series Trese.

In LTaP, a group where members in and outside the country can share their chilling stories, horror aficionados such as its founder Anton can express themselves in a weirdly eerie yet entertaining way. It's like reading the popular book series True Philippine Ghost Stories in digital form.

"There are hundreds of good stories in LTaP! I’m happy with this community because people are really sharing their personal experiences since they already feel safe to share," he told SPOT.ph.

For Anton, the best horror stories are the ones that resonate with the audience. "The story has to be concise but at the same time, creative enough to tickle your imagination. I think a good horror story is something that will keep you awake at night after you read it."

Lito, one of the members of the group, shared how his parents found a cheap yet well-maintained rental house in Lipa back in 2003. On their first night there, they saw a woman running around before mysteriously disappearing, a bathroom faucet turned on by itself, and unseen kids were heard shouting "Mama!" Turns out, the home was previously owned by the Arandia family, whose mother and kids were murdered there in 1994. In that same year, it was turned into the movie "The Lipa Massacre" starred by Vilma Santos, Joel Torre, and Angelica Panganiban. 

Another member, Irma, said she used to wake up from nightmares whenever she slept in her room with an antique mirrored cabinet, a portal of sorts where she believed spirits were trapped.

"The last time I checked naka-smile 'yung sinasabi kong babae. Pag-check ko now hindi na, parang galit na siya," one member said.

"Filipino horror has variety and excitement, you won’t get bored," said Anton.

It's a safe space for lurkers and writers

LTaP is a safe haven for horror junkies, where they can read and share without judgments the creepy tales from their Manila condo units and offices haunted by restless ghosts to encounters with aswang and nuno sa punso, and demonic possessions from their childhood days in the provinces.

To maintain this safe space, LTaP laid down one rule: Strike fear then calm down with bardagulan. Those who break it are kicked out by the AdMods, composed of four administrators and seven moderators.

"Our system is simple: we just want people to share their stories and encourage everyone to read and write. We also allow horror jokes as a breaker but it all depends if we find it funny," he told SPOT.ph.

"Part of our goal in building this is to encourage and develop writers and other skills. Right now, we already have people who use LTaP as an avenue for their talents. We encourage people to read, write, and make content."

The community also gives room for members to ask what to do when they have paranormal encounters, how to ward off bad luck, or how to protect themselves from supernatural entities, disclaimers included.

So what's next for LTaP? It has a horror radio including a "parangnormal expert" (you read that right) to interact more with their members. There are also tarot card readings and dream interpretations for those who are curious. Who knows, when the admins get to it, maybe we can watch spooky LTaP content on YouTube and TikTok soon, said Anton.

To the lurkers and active storytellers in LTaP, Anton has this to say:

"Bawal ang pasaway. Magtakutan lang tayo!"