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Editor’s Note: This was originally published for FANGORIA on September 19, 2003, and we’re proud to share it as part of The Gingold Files.
Considering that it recently issued the similarly themed Mystics in Bali in the UK, it’s only fitting that Mondo Macabro unearthed the film previously known as The Unearthing and issued it on a jam-packed disc under its original title Aswang. This Wisconsin-lensed indie has gained a bit of a cult following, one I’m afraid I can’t join; a few stylish and nasty touches only lend so much interest to a story that lays its cards on the table too soon (if you happen to know what an aswang is, you’ll have half of it figured out from the beginning) and becomes overwrought to the point of silliness—though its creators say on their commentary that the varying tone is intentional.
Previously trimmed for an R, the movie is presented here in its uncut, unrated form, with a few nasty gore moments and an early unnerving “sex” scene restored. The 1.85:1 transfer, while crisply mastered, also bears some flaws attendant to its 16mm production: excessive grain and variable colors. Similarly, the restrictions of the original elements result in the 5.1 Surround audio being less distinct than the 2.0 stereo, which is the track of choice here.
The extras make up for a lot, though, telling you everything you could ever want to know and more about Aswang. Two audio commentaries (one with filmmakers Wrye Martin and Barry Poltermann with Pete Tombs, the other with several actors and crew) and a documentary explore the film from every possible angle, painting a vivid picture of the problems and triumphs of this low-budget production—from the animatronic monster tongue that didn’t work to how they lucked into shooting the burning-cabin scene. The directors share plenty of technical detail and cast stories, with Tombs an informed moderator, while the performers have fun recalling the sometimes rough and uncomfortable shoot, with a good deal of joking at the film’s (and the directors’, and occasionally each other’s) expense. The doc includes onscreen interviews with all of these people, along with Frank Anderson, who came up with the original idea and is a bit strange—and is further represented by a fun Easter egg.
A wealth of supplemental material helps illustrate their points (and repeats a number of them—much of the excerpted footage in the doc can also be found here). These include the initial short used, Within the Woods-style, to raise funds, and has a cool glimpse of a church scene apparently never shot for the ultimate feature. A prologue that also went unfilmed, setting up the origins of the aswang, is not only shown in script pages but read by actor John Kishline—a nice touch. There are also auditions, in which musical theater veteran Norman Moses shows off the eccentric approach to the film’s villain that won him the role; an extensive photo/art/promotion gallery (the directors claim dissatisfaction with the Unearthing retitle for the first VHS release, though this supplement reveals that that was Aswang’s subtitle when it first premiered); and even a clip from the German version—that country was the first to buy the movie.
Despite the repetition, the disc adds up to a true warts-and-all package—in which you don’t have to read between the lines to discern the behind-the-scenes problems. While Martin and Poltermann remain enthusiastic about the experience, and the actors wrap up their commentary by claiming they’d do it all again, there are more than a few references to (and at least one behind-the-scenes clip in the doc of) on-set tension between the directors and their cast.
