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Frightening Femininity: Patriarchy and the Cinematic Pontianak in Malaysian and Singaporean Horror Films

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2025-04-24

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Phillips, Jennifer. 2025. Frightening Femininity: Patriarchy and the Cinematic Pontianak in Malaysian and Singaporean Horror Films. Masters Thesis, Harvard University Division of Continuing Education.

Abstract

The cinematic construction of the pontianak reflects the social construction of gender expectations within traditional Malay society in Malaysia and Singapore. The close analysis of the Pontianak Trilogy (1957-1959), Pontianak Harum Sundal Maram (2024), and Revenge of the Pontianak (2019) has uncovered several important findings about how the pontianak enacts tension between how she contests patriarchal ideals while at the same time also upholds patriarchal order. Her visual construction in the films analyzed in this thesis articulates how her existence disturbs the patriarchal order. Even though her cinematic portrayal has changed over time, she is still presented as an abject figure incompatible with traditional Malay values.

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film and patriarchy, Film and Religion, gender expectations in film, Horror films and women, pontianak, Women in film, Film studies, Gender studies, Folklore

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https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/42719341

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