In this special Halloween premiere, Culture Jumpers Season 2 kicks off with a true-crime whodunit about monsters of Philippine folklore. In the years following World War II, residents of a remote village are rattled by things that go bump in the night. But all is not as it seems…

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue

(00:02:50) - What Is The Aswang?

(00:11:46) - What Killed The Huk Rebels?

(00:17:44) - The Aswang Did Exist

(00:21:18) - Outtakes

Mentioned in the Episode:

Season 1, Episode 3 - “Not a Bad Grass” - Lionel interviews his Grandma (or Lola) Virgie about her life in the Philippines, and how she escaped death at the hands of the Hukbalahap.

References and Further Reading:

1. Ramos, Maximo. (Oct. 1969). “The Aswang Syncrasy in Philippine Folklore.” Western Folklore. Retrieved May 30, 2023 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/1499218.

2. Roos, Dave. (Mar 8, 2023). “How the CIA Used 'Vampires' to Fight Communism in the Philippines.” How Stuff Works.

3. Conliffe, Ciaran. (Apr 20, 2015). “Edward Lansdale, Intelligence Agent.” HeadStuff.

4. Ladwig III, Walter C. (2014). “When the Police are the Problem: The Philippine Constabulary and the Hukbalahap Rebellion.” Policing Insurgencies: Cops as Counterinsurgents. Retrieved July 2, 2023 from https://www.walterladwig.com/Articles/Huk_Chapter.pdf.

5. Barnes, Bart. (Feb 24, 1987). “Edward Lansdale, Prototype For 'Ugly American,' Dies.” The Washington Post.

6. Zarka, Emily. (Dec 11, 2019). “Manananggal: The Flying, Disembodied, Blood Sucking Nightmare | Monstrum.” PBS.

7. Open Vault from WGBH. (Jan 31, 1979). Interview with Edward Geary Lansdale, 1979 [Part 1 of 5]. https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_76FF42FB387043579AAE7F39B43D2D1C. The Vietnam Collection.

8. Burns, J. (Writer), Henson, J. (Writer), & Harris, P. (Director). (1977, January 16). Juliet Prowse (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In J. Henson (Executive Producer), The Muppet Show. Henson Associates.