Tao po!: Filipino Horror & Supernatural ✨
“Tao po!” (“I’m human!”) is a greeting used to check if someone’s home. It originated from a pre-colonial belief that monsters, or aswang, couldn’t imitate speech. People would call out “Tao po, hindi aswang!” (“I’m human, not a monster!”) to reassure homeowners and to be invited inside. If a visitor knocks without speaking, beware! This list features Filipino horror and supernatural novels, where horror is not only from monsters and magic, but also from the grim realities of Filipino society.
created by bbyoozi
last updated December, 2025
Comments
This list was inspired by this post! If you would like to add your takes on your country's best genres, please do leave a comment 😊
bbyooziOP
Also, just a disclaimer, I tried to choose primarily English books for international readers. There are many wonderful Filipino horror books in Tagalog, but I would like this list to be enjoyed by people around the world ✨
YESSSSSSS I WOKE UP RIGHT ON TIME THANKS FOR MAKING THIS 🥹💖 I'm so excited to read more horror aaaaaaaa!!
bbyooziOP
It was a sign 😂. Thank you for encouraging me to do this!
Absolutely my pleasure!! 🙂↕️ There are general lists floating around with Filipino authors and/books but none yet with specific genres/niches, so I'm honestly so glad for this!!
I think another genre that might be interesting to cover is Filipino crime thrillers. Another Filipino user here mentioned how crime novels can also be representative of the country because of our history with crime (committed to Filipinos and by Filipinos). [Edit: It's @ r333ading!]
Oooo that is a good one!! Also very appropriate unfortunately 🥴 I don't think I'm the person to do it, but I would love to see this list come to fruition!
I've also been interested in reading up on things related to the natural disasters/being in the disaster zone. I saw Typhoons: Climate, Society, and History in the Philippines from Ateneo Press and I fear I need it bad 😔
bbyooziOP
I'm not sure if I'm the right person to do that as well. I think I've only read 1 crime novel and then 1 investigative journalism piece in college that I already forgot 😂.
Ooh! I work for a school that has a degree on disaster and crisis management. Let me try looking at their readings and let you know if I find any good materials on this.
PA-KISS NGA HAHAHA /j that'd be amazing if there are any, thank you!! my biggest hurdle is just accessibility since I don't live there, but not impossible considering the frequency of my visits 💸
bbyooziOP
HAHAHAHAH I was shookt. It's possibly going to be non-fic since it's class materials, but I'll do my best 🫡. Hopefully they'll be accessible online so it won't be too much of a bother for you!
Please don't go out if your way for it though!! Just the intention is already really nice and I appreciate it!!
omg LOVE this
bbyooziOP
Thank you! It's definitely a work in progress, but I'm so happy with how it turned out
This is absolutely amazing. As a fellow SEAsian, I'm always looking to read books from the region.
bbyooziOP
Thank you so much! I'm so happy this list is helping others to read more books from SEA and the Philippines!
Tell me more about Filipino horror! Is it scary, scary? Is it more psychological? Supernatural? I must know! 👀👀
bbyooziOP
I don't think Filipino horror is scary, scary. I think it can get creepy and uncomfortable, like when you have the need to check under your bed to feel safe before sleeping. I think Filipino horror is a mix of ghost stories (because we have a lot history and older buildings) and supernatural/cryptids (a nod to our pre-colonial beliefs, superstitions, and reverence to nature and nature spirits). At the heart of it, I believe Filipino horror is a reflection of the darkness of our society. The genre has a lot of connection and symbolism to the horrors that Filipinos face (colonialism, corruption, poverty, discrimination, religious trauma, etc.).
This was such a good explanation! It sounds very interesting to me and I looooove a good ghost story.
bbyooziOP
For ghost stories, I think the True Philippine Ghost Stories series is the best one on the list. It showcases a lot of our culture and superstitions, plus has pictures of places around the Philippines that are haunted. I remember reading this when I was high school with my friends at night to scare each other. There's PDFs floating around the internet of some of the books in this series!
Love this! Thank you!
Love, love, love this!
bbyooziOP
I'm so glad people are liking this! I hope more people get to know about the rich folklore and history of the Philippines. Thank you for liking the list!
I added it to my horror masterlist list. I hope you don't mind! I love exploring other culture's horror books.
bbyooziOP
I don't mind at all! Thank you for including this list in your post! Hopefully more people will be able to explore this corner of the horror space 😊
I just know dipping my toes into this reading list is going to give me the heeby jeebies. 😭🇵🇭❤️🔥
bbyooziOP
Yes, 'tis the season for the check-under-your-bed and cover-all-mirrors feeling 😂
Oh GOD now I gotta cover the mirrors in my room. 😭
Ohh I loved what you wrote here in the list description! Got me really interested 👀 But I'm not super into horror (specially gory or paranormal - but if it's really well done I'll read it). Which one of these would yall recommend for me, maybe one that leans more on the filipino society/ historical side?
Thank you! The Philippines has a lot of superstitions and some sayings we still use up to this day. "Tao po" has been adapted to just mean ("Is there anyone inside?") rather than the pre-colonian meaning, but it's all rooted there.
I think for more supernatural and less horror (if you can find copies of these books, I'd recommend the following:
- Some books by Eliza Victoria (i.e. A Bottle of Storm Clouds or After Lambana) - They're more supernatural and show a lot about Filipino culture, superstitions, and society.
- Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap - Collection of short stories that feel like dark fairytales mixed wtih urban legends.
- The Vanished by Chuckberry Pascual - trans woman solves mysteries of missing items and people in her small town. This has the lightest amount of supernatural elements and shines a light on the corruption and abuse of power in the Philippines
- The Indio and the Impaler - This was recently released but it features one of our national heroes, Dr. Jose Rizal, as he solves a mystery and comes face to face with a very specific vampire. It features filipino history as it takes place 3 years before Rizal was executed for rebellion (specifically, writing historical pieces that criticized the Spanish rule in the Philippines).
