In the 1950s, fear gripped the Philippines as rumors of a blood-drinking vampire spread across the countryside. One chilling death sparked widespread panic, leaving villagers to wonder if a supernatural predator was lurking in the shadows. At the same time, the CIA was locked in a brutal struggle against communist Huk rebels, deploying a mysterious operative named Edward Lansdale to lead covert operations. But how far did Lansdale go to crush the rebellion?

In this episode:

• Michael Pante(@Michael_Pante), historian
• Allan Derain (@LBC3871), folklorist

Episode credits:

This episode was written and produced by Anna Staufenberg and hosted by Halla Mohieddeen.

Executive Producers: Ney Alvarez and Sandra Ferrari.

Production Managers: Archan Mohile and Bronte Baskin.

Senior Producer: Marthe van der Wolf.

Post-Production Supervisor: Andrés Rivera

Assistant Producers: Leo Danczak, Sophie McNulty, and Catherine Nouhan.

Fact-checking by Ruby Zaman.

Audio editing by Alan Leer.

Music composition by Tom Biddle.

Music Editor: Ivan Eastley

Video Editor and Graphics: Omar Al-Ashi, Blu Posner

Lead of Engagement: Aya Elmileik.

Engagement Producers: Adam Abou-Gad, Munera AlDosari, and Vienna Maglio.

Al Jazeera’s Head of Audio: Ney Alvarez.

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