Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
unique,creative,disturbing,spooky=GOOD HORROR, March 22, 2004
this is a cool movie!when i picked it up in the store i really didn't know what i was geting my self into.you can read the back but you still dont know what your in for.i wont tell you any detail of the movie,dont want to ruin anything what i will tell you is as much as this movie may not seem original when the movie is all over you will understand that its truley very original.its sick its twisted its spooky scary and it works,it works good!!i really liked it and if your a true horror fan you will like it to.if your a bloody fan you wont be discruntled,ther's a decent amount of it.hurry up get this dvd its got cool interviews with director,cast and so on and it is geting harder and harder to find in stores.so curl up with your pillow chomp down some popcorn ladies find someone to sqeeze and eveyone ENJOY!!!!!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than Hitchcock?, September 2, 2003
This film would have been a lot funnier with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah in the starring roles. But it does stand well on its own. It scared me. It scared my wife. And it scared the house full of kids (believing they were watching TOY STORY),that our six year old showed it to when we forgot to take it out of the DVD player. Angry parents? Let me tell you.
For horror fans who have become jaded by the run-of-mill teen scream films of late. ASWANG is a breath of fresh air. All the gore we've come to expect AND an actual storyline, too. Why no sequel??!!!!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unique film starts good, but takes easy way out, March 29, 2006
Aswang is a truly unique and deliciously revolting horror movie that is able to stand on its own merits pertaining to the Philippine folklore. Unfortunately the makers decide to fall back on familiar B-movie territory that causes the movie to fall flat.
Frank Anderson is credited with the Aswang story and scenes of his influence is evident, if you're familiar with the Aswang M.O. When the doctor is walking in the woods and hears the heavy sporadic breathing, that is an experience I've heard confirmed by people in the provinces of the Philippines. Attacking from the roof is classic aswang. When Aswang sticks to its source material, it's pretty good. There's even a sizable amount of Tagalog spoken, some with subtitles and some without. When it falls back on and references the Evil Dead, chainsaws, Rosemary's baby and others, it loses its luster and tension. While these references may be fun to recognize for the horror fan, it sort of dowses the unique vibe Aswang had going.
I was disappointed in the tongue, which is one of the most defining characateristics of the aswang. While almost all references I've read and heard describes the tongue as "thread-like" the movie opts for a tongue that's as thick as a garden hose. It's nonetheless amusing and I would've opted for more tongue "so to speak" than the chainsaws. The acting particularly by stars Norman Moses and Tina Ona Paukstelis is very credible considering the overall production values.
The whole baby or fetus eating aspect is the most horrifying, intriguing and revolting aspect, particularly since it sucks the fetus out the womb. While it would be great to see a remake or sequel with a bigger budget, better effects and more faithful source material, it is controversial subject matter, especially in today's environment where abortion issues remain one of the United State's prominent political, legal and ethical issues. I do not believe the movie had any references to abortions at all, but no doubt many would draw on that symbolism. Hollywood tends to treat the harming of children or babies off limits anyway so I'm not holding my breath on seeing this particular movie monster tackled again. There is a series of aswang movies made in the Philippines that you might be able to find on the net, and there is at least one other American indie low budget Filipino vampyre(sic) short film made in 2003. Google bampinay.
The real treat of the dvd which contains lots of extras is the documentary which contains interviews and news clips about and from the actors, filmmakers and Frank Anderson, who is absolutely hilarious.
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