9 Scary Filipino Ghosts That Will Give You The Creeps

What do you get when you mix Filipino folklore, local superstitions, and Catholic beliefs? The Philippines’ uniquely eerie world of ghosts, or multo.

From the famous White Lady of Balete Drive to the haunted hotels in Baguio, let’s unlock the stories behind these Filipino ghosts and reflect on the deepest Filipino beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife. But beyond the goosebumps, these stories are a great way to learn everything about Halloween in the Philippines.

Ghosts In Philippine Culture

When you ask Filipinos if they believe in ghosts, you’d get a quick Oo naman! (Of course!) For them, ghosts aren’t a simple figment of their imagination. They’re part of everyday life, woven into stories that have been passed down to generations through whispered legends at night.

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But why do Filipinos believe in ghosts so much?

Why Pinoys Believe In Filipino Ghosts

The belief in Filipino ghosts stems from centuries of cultural fusion. Even before the Spaniards arrived, native Filipinos had already believed in the existence of espiritu (spirits) and ninuno (ancestors) staying close to the living to guide or protect them.

When Catholicism spread in the 1500s, this early belief in ghosts merged with the Christian ideas about the afterlife – heaven, hell, even purgatory. This is the main reason why most Filipinos to this day still say a prayer and light a candle whenever they sense a spirit nearby. They believe that these lost souls, or mga ligaw na kaluluwa, linger earthside due to unfinished business, either to seek peace or deliver a message.

Beyond Ghosts: Philippine Mythological Creatures

Apart from Filipino ghosts, Pinoys also believe in mythological creatures, whose stories have been passed through generations via oral tradition. With this belief, it has been a practice among Filipinos to say tabi-tabi po (excuse me) to unseen creatures.

Some of the popular Philippine mythical creatures to this day include:

• Tiktik: Loves to haunt pregnant women. It will seek the scent of the pregnant woman, which is said to resemble ripe jackfruit. When the tiktik arrives at the house, she sticks her long tongue through the ceiling into the unwitting mother’s womb and feasts on the fetus.
  
  
• Manananggal: These are creatures of the night that can separate their upper and lower bodies and hunt at night to eat internal organs. It is believed that you can kill the manananggal by putting salt, garlic, or ash on its half-body to prevent it from reattaching to its upper half.
  
  
• Kapre: They are giant dark-skinned tree monsters that smoke cigars.
  
  
• Kumakatok: These are creatures that knock on the door in the middle of the night as a warning about an impending family member’s death.
  
  
• Nuno: These are goblins or elves who live within unexplained lumps of soil (ant hills). They can give a person who walks into their shelter good luck or bad luck.

When Filipino Ghost Stories Are Told

Filipinos aren’t the biggest celebrators of the Western Halloween. But, with the influence of Catholicism, they celebrate Undas, a two-day remembrance that combines Araw ng mga Santo (All Saints’ Day) and Araw ng mga Kaluluwa (All Souls’ Day). Think of it like the Mexican’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), but without ofrendas (altars).

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On a typical Undas, families flock to the cemeteries to clean their loved ones’ graves, light candles, and bring their favorite food. But the atmosphere is far from gloomy. It feels more like a family reunion with both the living and the dead invited.

But, as night falls, that’s when everything changes. Cousins gather under candlelight and start swapping tales of haunted houses or encounters with Filipino ghosts, leaving half terrified and half snickering in laughter.

If you don’t have personal ghost stories to tell, you’re not going to miss out on the fun. Most channels and radio stations in the Filipino media have Halloween special episodes featuring different ghost stories like Gabi ng Lagim, Misteryo, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Wag Kukurap, Magandang Gabi Bayan, and more. Of course, when talking about spiritual encounters, Filipinos know the name Ed Caluag.

There are also a ton of horror movies that you can watch to learn more about the Filipino ghosts. Some of these include:

• Feng Shui
• Shake Rattle and Roll
• Eerie
• Bliss
• Kuwaresma
• The Healing
• Ouija
• Maria Leonora Teresa

Aside from media programs, there are also horror story books sold in bookstores. The most famous horror story book that a Filipino child can remember is the True Philippine Ghost Stories. These books contain a compilation of horror stories that you can read anytime.

Today, horror stories continue to scare people. The digital age allowed people to capture and record ghostly encounters from many haunted places. It’s creepier now because you can see them with your eyes. But some still don’t believe in them and think these ghost encounters are just a product of our imagination or digital editing.

9 Scary Filipino Ghosts And Their Stories

Urban legends are a part of Philippine folklore, Philippine mythology, supernatural creatures, and more. Interestingly, these urban legends still exist and have found their way into popular culture.

With that in mind, let’s learn about these popular Filipino ghosts and their haunted backstories.

The White Lady Of Balete Drive

Imagine driving late at night on a quiet and dark road. Then suddenly, a girl wearing a white dress appeared in your back seat. What would you feel? What would you do?

Quezon City is known as a big and beautiful city in the Philippines. But when Filipinos hear about this place, there’s one thing that eerily comes to their minds: the white lady at Balete Drive.

They say the infamous white lady, or babaeng nakaputi, loves to reside in Balete Drive because of its “conducive” environment. The street isn’t well-lit because of huge trees blocking the lampposts. Light from the nearby houses cannot reach the street because of the high concrete walls surrounding them.

People who have encountered the white lady describe her as wearing a long white dress and having long black hair. Some even said that the white lady tries to hitchhike with the people who pass by before suddenly disappearing.

There are different stories about the identity of the white lady. According to a person living on Balete Drive, the white lady was a college student who sneaked into their home to go out with her friends. They got into a car accident, and she died.

Some also believe that the white lady was a young woman raped by Japanese soldiers. There is also another version that a taxi driver raped the girl, and she continues to find the person who did that to her.

Until today, many taxi drivers are still scared to take the Balete Drive at night, fearing that they might encounter the white lady. Even famous Filipino actresses like Maris Racal still share their encounters with the white lady to this day.

Whether it’s true or not, it wouldn’t hurt to at least drive there when you go to the Philippines.

The Headless Priest

A student was studying late at night at a school library and heard the sound of chains being dragged. When she checked who was making the noise, she found a priest – headless!

Headless priests are another lore of famous Filipino ghosts. These priests, when they were still alive, led the church while teaching students during the Spanish era. Thus, they’re commonly seen in universities, graveyards, and churches. They sometimes bring their heads with them and seem to be looking for them when they don’t.

As for their heads, people say that either Filipino revolutionaries during the Revolution or Japanese soldiers during World War II cut off the heads of these priests. Older stories about biblical figures and martyrs who were killed, like St. John the Baptist, have also helped spread urban legends about these priests.

Flying Coffin

It’s normal to see a coffin. But seeing a flying coffin in the middle of the road at night? Well, that’s a different thing.

The flying coffin is one of the most popular Filipino ghost stories shared with people during Halloween. It’s so popular that it was even featured in one of the Halloween Special episodes of Magandang Gabi Bayan. According to the story, a man was walking in the middle of the night, and he saw a flying or floating coffin in the middle of the road, leaving him horrified.

Diplomat Hotel Spirits

Baguio’s cold and relaxing atmosphere is ideal for a restful vacation. But what if the experience you’ll get when you stay at the Diplomat Hotel will make you feel restless, just like the people who have died there?

The Diplomat Hotel is a go-to place for ghost hunters from around the world. Because of its dark history, this hotel has been featured in various documentaries. Believed to have been built during the early 1900s, this was a vacation house for the Spaniards, priests, and nuns. This was home to many happy and beautiful memories, but all of these changed during World War II.

According to the stories, the Japanese gathered all the people in the hotel, separated them into different rooms, and killed them all — shot to death, beheaded, and stabbed. The worst part is at the center of the hotel, where the fountain is located, as this is where the children were gathered and killed.

After World War II, it was converted back into a hotel. But, soon after, a fire broke out. Firefighters took a long time to arrive because it was far from civilization back then, resulting in many guests dying.

With this horrifying event, it is unsurprising that this hotel has been a place for restless souls crying for justice. The people working and visiting the hotel have experienced many scary encounters. Most of the people who visited it have almost the same heavy feeling, with tourists sharing their experiences seeing a nun, priest, or child. There are also times when the ghosts were photographed and recorded.

Ghosts In Teacher’s Camp, Baguio

Another famous place in Baguio among tourists for eerie laughter and footsteps is the Teachers Camp. Built in 1908, it served as a camp for Filipino and American teachers to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of education.

But during World War II, the Teachers Camp became a place where the wounded soldiers were treated. Many people died in the camp during that time, which led to the training grounds for teachers becoming one of the most haunted places in Baguio.

There are lots of creepy stories and experiences from the people who have visited the Teachers Camp. Some said that they heard chained footsteps walking along the corridors and hallways. Some saw a white lady at midnight. To this day, the Teachers Camp is still used in different events besides education. Tourists can also rent a room here if there is no scheduled event.

But, if you’ll be asked to stay there for a vacation, can you last at least a night?

The Souls In #14 Laperal White House

Indeed, there’s no other place like home. But, what if this home that used to be a safe place for a family who lives there becomes a home for lost souls?

One of the first creepy incidents in this house is when the caretaker asks a security guard to cut down a fortune plant in the house. After that, the security guard could not stand, and his whole body was in pain. Another caretaker also shared his experience of hearing windows and doors banging even though there was no one inside the house.

There was even one time when the said caretaker’s wife called from abroad, and she heard a girl’s voice on the line. Many people have also reported seeing a white lady at the door’s third step of the stairs.

Paco Cemetery Spirits

Paco Cemetery is now known as one of the most popular parks in Manila. But, during the 1800s, this was a burial place for the people who died from the Cholera epidemic that spread in Manila at that time.

Among the many creepy stories in this cemetery-turned-park is that of the park supervisor’s encounter. He decided to sleep under the Santol (Cotton Fruit) tree one night when someone seemed to play with him and pulled his blanket.

Another scary narrative is from the park’s security guard. In the middle of his nap, he heard a voice saying, “1907 Margarita Miguel”. It didn’t take long before the ghost of a bride appeared. He tried to look for the name and the year, but after looking into the graves, he finally found the one that belonged to Margarita Miguel.

The Lost Souls Of The Old Manila Post Office

Manila Post Office in Manila is where all the letters go before being delivered to the recipients. But this beautiful building is far from being peaceful, as staff report many creepy encounters in it.

In one encounter, a security guard heard someone walking with a chain tied to their feet. Another staff member also experienced seeing a group of Japanese soldiers marching as if chasing a girl. Another employee also saw a white lady while using the bathroom.

With many witness accounts, a paranormal team eventually visited the Manila Post Office and confirmed what the staff recounted. The team saw Japanese soldiers and women wearing white dresses with blood all over them. They also heard loud noises of chains being dragged along the hallway.

The Manila Film Center Tragedy

The Manila Film Center was a huge building in the 1980s that was built in a short period of time. While the building was forced to finish immediately, a part collapsed, leaving hundreds of construction workers buried alive under the concrete.

Three days after the incident, the film center was forced to leave the bodies of the construction workers, never to be found. Since then, caretakers and staff have been experiencing ghostly encounters. Some say they hear people crying like they’re in pain, while others hear people calling for help. Still others can see people who eventually disappear.

How Do You Say Ghosts In Tagalog?

The Tagalog word for ghosts is multo (pronounced as mool-toh). Play multo

If there are many ghosts, its plural form is mga multo (pronounced ma-nga mool-toh). Play mga multo

Your Spooky List Of Filipino Ghosts-Related Vocabulary

Isn’t it also scary if you’re out of words when talking to your Filipino friend? Don’t feel embarrassed, though!

You can express yourself with these Tagalog vocabulary words that may raise the hairs of your Filipino friends in shock! Pronounce these Tagalog words at your own pace, and try using at least three of these words in your own Filipino ghosts story!

Frequently Asked Questions About Filipino Ghosts

Filipino Ghosts And The Soul Of The Story

Stories about the various Filipino ghosts are more than just tales made to scare you. They are the reflections of how the Filipinos see life, death, and everything in between. No matter which ghost you will (hopefully not!) encounter, each story mirrors a nation that deeply values, respects, and remembers its departed.

So, the next time tumatayo ang balahibo mo (your hair stands on end), don’t always assume it’s just fear. This is the Filipino spirit (in ghost form), reminding you that in Filipino culture, even ghosts tell stories that are worth listening to.

Being Misunderstood Is Even Scarier. Learn Tagalog Now!

If you are scared of ghosts, you might be more afraid of being unable to talk to people in a foreign land. But kidding aside, ghosts may fade with dawn, but your fascination with everything Filipino doesn’t have to. If you’re up for some Gabi ng Lagim with your Filipino friends, feeling the feels is only possible with Ling.

With the Ling app‘s short, interactive lessons and native speaker audio, you’ll be able to pick up Tagalog naturally. Whether you only have five minutes of study time left before the next horror movie is on screen, you can practice your greetings for Undas or learn how to hold Tagalog Halloween-related conversations through its Dialog feature.

So, don’t let your dream of learning a language turn into a ghost. Download Ling today and start learning Tagalog now!