The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and Power in Malaysian Horror Films
The pontianak is widely recognised as the most dreaded supernatural being in Malay folklore and mythology. Often described as a fearsome mythical creature with vampire-like qualities, she is said to have fangs, possesses ghost-like traits and can only be subdued using a sharp object which is usua...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia
2016
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| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ http://eprints.usm.my/38723/1/The_Villainous_Pontianak._Examining_Gender%2C_Culture_and_Power_in_Malaysian_Horror_Films.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848878548164542464 |
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| author | Lee, Yuen Beng |
| author_facet | Lee, Yuen Beng |
| author_sort | Lee, Yuen Beng |
| building | USM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The pontianak is widely recognised as the most dreaded supernatural being in Malay
folklore and mythology. Often described as a fearsome mythical creature with vampire-like
qualities, she is said to have fangs, possesses ghost-like traits and can only be subdued using
a sharp object which is usually a nail struck to the back of her neck. She is also recognised
through her high-pitched shrieks, long flowing hair and a fondness for the blood of children.
Despite possessing such fearsome and horrifying characteristics, the pontianak peculiarly
remains popular among Malaysians as the horror film genre has always been popular
among Malaysian and Asian audiences due to its deep roots in religious and superstitious
beliefs. Many Asian nations have shared cultural, historical and social characteristics.
Cross cultural influences across borders are common in shaping each other’s culture and a
number of Malaysian horror films have been influenced by the Noh and Kabuki-influenced
‘shunen’ (revenge) and ‘kaidan’ (ghost mystery) stories. While the horror film is in fact a
commercial venture, the genre is also filled with socio-cultural and political contestations.
As such, these narratives reflect certain socio-cultural and political anxieties of given
moments within the location of the film’s production. This paper therefore examines the
pan-Asian cultural influences in the current wave of Malaysian horror. As the pontianak is
also always female, this paper then examines how the employment of female monstrosity
articulate male fears around female empowerment and suggests a broader challenge to a
sense of normality, cultural and religious beliefs |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T17:33:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | usm-38723 |
| institution | Universiti Sains Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T17:33:05Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | usm-387232018-02-08T01:55:29Z http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and Power in Malaysian Horror Films Lee, Yuen Beng HM811-821 Deviant behavior. Social deviance N1-(9211) Visual arts The pontianak is widely recognised as the most dreaded supernatural being in Malay folklore and mythology. Often described as a fearsome mythical creature with vampire-like qualities, she is said to have fangs, possesses ghost-like traits and can only be subdued using a sharp object which is usually a nail struck to the back of her neck. She is also recognised through her high-pitched shrieks, long flowing hair and a fondness for the blood of children. Despite possessing such fearsome and horrifying characteristics, the pontianak peculiarly remains popular among Malaysians as the horror film genre has always been popular among Malaysian and Asian audiences due to its deep roots in religious and superstitious beliefs. Many Asian nations have shared cultural, historical and social characteristics. Cross cultural influences across borders are common in shaping each other’s culture and a number of Malaysian horror films have been influenced by the Noh and Kabuki-influenced ‘shunen’ (revenge) and ‘kaidan’ (ghost mystery) stories. While the horror film is in fact a commercial venture, the genre is also filled with socio-cultural and political contestations. As such, these narratives reflect certain socio-cultural and political anxieties of given moments within the location of the film’s production. This paper therefore examines the pan-Asian cultural influences in the current wave of Malaysian horror. As the pontianak is also always female, this paper then examines how the employment of female monstrosity articulate male fears around female empowerment and suggests a broader challenge to a sense of normality, cultural and religious beliefs Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia 2016 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://eprints.usm.my/38723/1/The_Villainous_Pontianak._Examining_Gender%2C_Culture_and_Power_in_Malaysian_Horror_Films.pdf Lee, Yuen Beng (2016) The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and Power in Malaysian Horror Films. Pertanika: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 24 (4). pp. 1431-1444. ISSN 2231-8534 http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2024%20(4)%20Dec.%202016/11%20JSSH-1425-2015.pdf |
| spellingShingle | HM811-821 Deviant behavior. Social deviance N1-(9211) Visual arts Lee, Yuen Beng The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title | The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and
Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title_full | The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and
Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title_fullStr | The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and
Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and
Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title_short | The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and
Power in Malaysian Horror Films |
| title_sort | villainous pontianak? examining gender, culture and
power in malaysian horror films |
| topic | HM811-821 Deviant behavior. Social deviance N1-(9211) Visual arts |
| url | http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ http://eprints.usm.my/38723/1/The_Villainous_Pontianak._Examining_Gender%2C_Culture_and_Power_in_Malaysian_Horror_Films.pdf |