Resistance, Conformity, and Negotiation to Socio-cultural Anxieties: A Semiotic Reading of Female Aswang Characters in Selected Philippine Horror Films
Abstract
The Philippines has a rich tradition of folklore, often portrayed in horror films to reflect cultural anxieties and hegemonic ideologies to circumvent political censorship. Among the most popular horror genres in the country is Aswang. This study examines the depictions of female Aswang in Aswang (2011), Corazon ang Unang Aswang (2012), and Maria Labo (2015) through Barthesian Semiology. Female aswang characters and their narrative exposition were analyzed on a micro, meso, and macro level. In the micro level, the Filipina aswang as a cultural reject tries to resist male chauvinism through her transformation towards her true nature, gaining control over her life, and divergence from the societal norms. On the other hand, she is represented in aswang films as someone who is being boxed with societal prescriptions, depicted as the weaker one, and is governed by her emotion. The meso level discusses how the female aswang is viewed in the context of her community, and how the latter affects her perception of herself and her decisions in life. The three films underscore the expectation on women to be domesticated, and the lead characters portrayed how women respond to these societal standards. Additionally, the macro level investigated how female aswang characters are discursively positioned in relation to socio-cultural struggles in the past and present to uncover their hegemonic constructs on poverty, injustices, mental health, and historical distortion.
Keywords: Aswang, horror films, Philippine folklore, semiotics, socio-cultural anxieties.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Aziz, J., Hashim, F. and Nor, N. (2022). Can we not just talk about men? The Bechdel Test, narrative salience and female voices in two selected Malay Films. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(4), 303-318. https://doi.org/mjgm
Baes, R. F. G. B. (2017). Behaviors, cognitions, and acts of Catholic school students and teachers on Capiz Aswang Phenomenon (CAP). JPAIR Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 30(1), 1-1.
Baltan, A. (2020, November 18). Opinion: My 9 favorite empowered female characters in Filipino movies. Village Pipol. https://villagepipol.com/opinion-my-9-favorite-empowered-female-characters-in-filipino-movies/
Bart, C., & McQueen, G. (2013). Why women make better directors. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 8(1), 93-99.
Brillon, C. A. (2018). Darna and the intermediality of the Filipino superhero genre [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of the Philippines Diliman.
Cabanawan, E. J. (2010). Women in Filipino religion-themed films. Review of Women’s Studies, 20(1-2), 33-65.
Cabisual, J. (2022). Of women and monsters: A case study of Philippine creature urban legends. Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development, 27(2), 23-34.
Castañeda, J. (2021, November 2). The scary and the supernatural influencing Philippine culture. Phil Star Global. https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/2021/11/02/2138259/scary-and-supernatural-influencing-philippine-culture
Clarke, J. (2023, February 13). How to build a relationship based on interdependence. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-build-a-relationship-based-on-interdependence-4161249
Corbita, D., & Saministrado, M. (2019). The supernatural in contemporary Philippine horror films. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(4), 48-81.
Davis, N. (2018, December 10). Women and girls less likely to be considered for 'brainy' tasks – Study. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/10/women-girls-less-likely-considered-brainy-tasks-study
Derain, A. N. (2021). Aswang ni Rizal. Katipunan: Journal ng mga Pag‑aaral sa Wika, Panitikan, Sining at Kulturang Filipino, (7), 177-208.
Evasco, E. Y. (2000). Sa pusod ng lungsod: Mga alamat, mga kababalaghan bilang mitolohiyang urban. Humanities Diliman: A Philippine Journal of Humanities, 1(1).
Flores, J. (2022, October 30). Pinoy horror as social commentary. Bulatlat. https://www.bulatlat.com/2022/10/30/pinoy-horror-as-social-commentary/
Gibraltar, M., Adnan, H., & Rahamad, M. (2023). The semiotic analysis of the collisions between dominant myths and counter-myths in three Indonesian horror movies. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 39(2), 55-77. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2023-3902-04
Gita-Carlos, R. A. (2022, March 11). Inequality, stigma push Filipinas to keep soaring. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1169528
Godinez, B. (2008, September 16). "Shake, Rattle and Roll X" reinvents myth surrounding the Aswang. Philippine Entertainment Portal. https://www.pep.ph/news/local/2574/shake-rattle-and-roll-x-reinvents-myth-surrounding-the-aswang
Gozum, I. (2020). The Filipino family in the formation of values in the light of John Paul II’s familiaris consortio. Philosophia: International Journal of Philosophy, 21(Special Edition), 561-577.
Grossman, C. L. (2015, May 8). How moms set children’s spiritual compass and why it matters. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/how-moms-set-childrens-spiritual-compass-and-why-it-matters/2015/05/08/72042e0e-f5b7-11e4-bca5-21b51bbdf93e_story.html
Guerrero, K. S. (2022, March 30). Survey: Filipinos still believe gender stereotypes on breadwinning, unpaid care work but positive changes seen. Oxfam Philippines. https://philippines.oxfam.org/latest/press-release/survey-filipinos-still-believe-gender-stereotypes-breadwinning-unpaid-care-work
International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA). (n.d.). What is feminism? https://iwda.org.au/learn/what-is-feminism/
Jafar, N., Adnan, H., & Ahmad, R. (2022). The portrayal of women in persuasive advertisement: Semiotic analysis of Deeja Cosmetic TV commercial. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(2), 297-313. https://doi.org/jwf3
Jenkins, P. (2022, March 27). Why is film important to society. Brillianto. https://brilliantio.com/why-is-film-important-to-society/
Johansen, E. (2021, August 20). Monstrous women: Costuming horror film in the 21st century. The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture (CMSMC). https://cmsmc.org/publications/monstrous-women
Kulhari, P. (2021). Indian cinema: Departure from the stereotypical presentation of women in nuptial. The Creative Launcher, 6(4), 43-49. https://doi.org/10.53032/tcl.2021.6.4.07
Kumar, A. M., Goh, J. Y. Q., Tan, T. H. H., & Siew, C. S. Q. (2022). Gender stereotypes in Hollywood movies and their evolution over time: Insights from network analysis. Big Data and Cognitive Computing, 6(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc6020050
Lintag-Tababa, R. C. (2019). The maternal services of the Hilots of Sitio Malasa: A feminist analysis of the emerging challenges to women’s role in traditional health practice. Journal of Social Health, 2(2), 57-68.
Liwag, J. (2021, October 31). Pridyider, undin, and all scares in between: 5 ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll’ favorites. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/shake-rattle-and-roll-scary-movie-favorites/
Macapagal, K. (2021). The haunting power of sound in Aswang. Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance, 1(2), 36-53.
Miller, A. (2022, December 13). What makes cinema the greatest art form to exist? No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/what-makes-cinema-great
Morillo, H., Capuno, J., & Mendoza, A. (2013). Views and values of family among Filipinos: An empirical exploration. Asian Journal of Social Science, 41(1), 5-28. https://doi.org/mjhf
Patel, K. (2022, October 4). Expectations for women in society. Marquette Wire. https://marquettewire.org/4082484/opinion/patel-expectations-for-women-in-society/
Philippine Institute of Development Studies. (2018). Women sorely underrepresented at top levels of government, industry–study. https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/women-sorely-underrepresented-at-top-levels-of-government-industry-study
Philippine National Police. (2020). Crime statistics 2020. Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM). https://didm.pnp.gov.ph/index.php/23-sidebar/96-crime-statistics
Quintos, P. D. (2020). Ang “Aswang” at “Tama(w)o” Bilang Sinematikong Kaalamang-Bayan at Diyalektika ng Bansa at Rehiyon. Plaridel: Journal of Communication, Media, and Society, 17(2), 61-97. https://doi.org/10.52518/2020.17.2-04qntos
Reuters. (2017, March 7). 1 in 5 believe women inferior to men, global survey finds. VOA News. https://www.voanews.com/a/women-inferior-men-survey-finds/3754803.html
Salazar, Z. (1996). The Babaylan in Philippine history. In University of the Philippines. University Center for Women's Studies & Conference on Women's Role in Philippine History (Eds.), Women’s role in Philippine history: Selected essays (2nd ed., pp. 209-222). University of the Philippines; Center for Women's Studies.
Sa’eed, M., & Jubran, H. S. Y. (2019). The representation of women in the horror movies: A study in selected horror movies. Communication and Linguistics Studies, 5(1), 14-17.
Sanchez, L. J. (2016). Kris Aquino and the/as a Philippine horror genre. Plaridel: Journal of Communication, Media, and Society, 13(2), 121-144. https://doi.org/mjhg
Santiago, G. (n.d.). Four things every Filipino should know about Mother's Day in the Philippines. Cambio & Co. https://www.shopcambio.co/blogs/news/four-things-every-filipino-should-know-about-mothers-day-in-the-philippines
Sanvictores, B. (2015, June 10). Economics for better health. University of the Philippines Diliman. https://upd.edu.ph/economics-for-better-health/
Somes, R. (Director, Writer). (2012). Corazon ang Unang Aswang [Film]. Star Cinema.
Tatler Philippines. (2022, April 6). The "Women of Impact" 2022 list: Filipinas who have made their mark. Tatler Asia. https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/others/the-women-of-impact-2022-list-filipinas-who-have-made-their-mark
Tarog, J. (Director, Writer). (2011). Aswang [Film]. Regal Entertainment.
TheAsianparent Insight. (n.d.). Digital Mom survey 2021 Philippines. https://insights.theasianparent.com/product/digital-mom-survey-2021-philippines
Town’s Delight. (2021, September 17). 10 popular Filipino wedding traditions. https://www.townsdelight.com/blog/10-popular-filipino-wedding-traditions#:~:text=Filipino%20brides%20usually%20wear%20a,white%20wedding%20dress%20to%20virginity
Vinzon, R. (Director). (2015). Maria labo [Film]. Viva Films.
When in Manila. (2019, April 22). Filipinas break gender stereotypes, shine bright in male-dominated jobs. https://www.wheninmanila.com/filipinas-break-gender-stereotypes-shine-bright-in-male-dominated-jobs/
Wisniewska, D. (2009). A beauty in distress or the attack of the 50ft. woman? Some perspectives on the portrayal of women in the American horror films. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Litteraria Anglica, 8, 135-141. http://hdl.handle.net/11089/14445
World Economic Forum. (2021). The global gender gap report 2021. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2021/
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
e-ISSN: 2289-1528