Earlier this year, Netflix released an anime series like no other: Trese, an adaption of the Filipino manga series of the same name. What made Trese unique was its folklore. Set in Manila, it dealt with Filipino folklore and monsters, which are rarely even mentioned – much less seen – in mainstream Western entertainment. But, like most Netflix action-horror-fantasy adaptations (Castlevania, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf), it wasn’t for the faint of heart or stomach, which limits the audience for it. Luckily, in comes Aswang Entertainment with The Monsters Without, a campy romp through Filipino folklore that’s about as scary as Ghostbusters.

The Monsters Without focuses on the Yablo, a race of ancient aliens secretly living on Earth, and P.H.A.S.E., a scientific organization that studies them. While trying to find an ancient, powerful Yablo called the Nameless (Nick Medina), one scrappy team of P.H.A.S.E. scientists must race around the rural Philippines, contending with aswang, shapeshifters, demonde, and even other P.H.A.S.E. teams! Turns out scientists are underfunded everywhere.

With an ensemble cast, there’s a lot going on, but a pretty good balance is managed, with the majority of the characters feeling well-rounded. Team leader Setsuko (Christina Yr. Lim) and new recruit Miranda (Jessica Neistadt) felt especially well-crafted. The acting wasn’t always great, but the jokes and comedic timing were fantastic even when the rest of someone’s performance felt stiff, and it’s evident that the cast had a great time making the movie, which is sometimes the entire difference between a good “bad” movie and a terrible bad movie.

For those who are worried about the language barrier, never fear! The movie is almost entirely in English, with just a little (subtitled) Tagalog at the beginning. I’d still recommend watching with closed captioning if it’s available, though, because the audio isn’t always well mixed. The plot also feels a little rushed in places, especially near the beginning, but not horribly so. Much like in a comic book written by Gerard Way, the pacing doesn’t really undermine the plot, it accentuates the important bits. That’s not to everyone’s taste, but The Monsters Without makes it work.

I’m excited to see more Filipino media becoming accessible to Western audiences, as the folklore really is fascinating, and makes for great horror and fantasy. The Monsters Without just scratches the surface of Filipino folklore, but it’s fairly lighthearted and family-friendly, so it’s a great place to start!

8 out of 10