10 Creatures from Filipino Folklore guaranteed to give you a good scare

10. Manananggal

Perhaps the most popular Filipino monster is the manananggal. The manananggal takes on human form during the day. At night, however, it halves its body to hunt for food. With huge wings, a wrinkled face, sharp claws and teeth, and glaring eyes, it leaves the lower half of its body on the ground while it flies off looking for victims. They are particularly fond of pregnant women, using their tongues to slither in to eat the fetus inside the woman’s belly. In many provinces, when a pregnant woman goes to bed at night, she and a companion (if there is any) are armed with scissors or a knife to cut the tongue of the manananggal.

Manananggals are said to be usually accompanied by tik–tiks. The louder the sound of the wings, the farther they creatures are.

Same as the tik-tik, salt and garlic are effective ways to ward them off. To destroy them completely, though, they must be bathed in sunlight before they reunite with their lower halves.