The No-Tahayul Imposition on Malay Horror Films as a Religious Prescription: The Raison D’être and Its Effect on the Industry

Abstract

The Malay horror film industry has had a chequered history since the screening of its first locally produced movie Pontianak in 1957. Some scholars have written extensively on the ups and downs of the Malay horror movie industry and some researchers have done extensive research on the popularity of the genre among Malay viewers. Many others have contributed articles that add colour to issues germane to the industry. This paper, in its own small way, seeks to enrich discussion on the raison d'être, the reason or justification for being or reality of the Malay horror movies from a much-perceived perspective but one which has not been much articulated: the no tahayul prescription imposed on Malay horror movies by the Lembaga Penapis Filem (LPF) and its effects on the industry.