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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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Main Author:	Lee, Yuen Beng
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia 2016
Subjects:	HM811-821 Deviant behavior. Social deviance N1-(9211) Visual arts
Online Access:	http://eprints.usm.my/38723/1/The_Villainous_Pontianak._Examining_Gender%2C_Culture_and_Power_in_Malaysian_Horror_Films.pdf http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2024%20(4)%20Dec.%202016/11%20JSSH-1425-2015.pdf
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id	my.usm.eprints.38723
record_format	eprints
spelling	my.usm.eprints.38723 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
institution	Universiti Sains Malaysia
building	Hamzah Sendut Library
collection	Institutional Repository
continent	Asia
country	Malaysia
content_provider	Universiti Sains Malaysia
content_source	USM Institutional Repository
url_provider	http://eprints.usm.my/
language	English
topic	HM811-821 Deviant behavior. Social deviance N1-(9211) Visual arts
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
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
format	Article
author	Lee, Yuen Beng
author_facet	Lee, Yuen Beng
author_sort	Lee, Yuen Beng
title	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_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_sort	villainous pontianak? examining gender, culture and power in malaysian horror films
publisher	Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia
publishDate	2016
url	http://eprints.usm.my/38723/1/The_Villainous_Pontianak._Examining_Gender%2C_Culture_and_Power_in_Malaysian_Horror_Films.pdf http://eprints.usm.my/38723/ http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2024%20(4)%20Dec.%202016/11%20JSSH-1425-2015.pdf
_version_	1643709440907542528
score	13.211869

The Villainous Pontianak? Examining Gender, Culture and Power in Malaysian Horror Films

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