Alluring Monsters: The Pontianak and Cinemas of Decolonization

The pontianak is a powerful figure in Malay cultures, representing a woman who has died in childbirth and returns as a vengeful ghost. Rosalind Galt's book Alluring Monsters explores how and why the pontianak found new life in postcolonial Southeast Asian film and society, addressing intersecting anxieties about femininity, modernity, globalization, indigeneity, racial and national identities, the relationship of Islam to animism, and heritage and environmental destruction. The pontianak offers feminist potential but also challenges queer and feminist film theories by engaging with Malay epistemologies. Galt's book traces the entanglements of Malay feminist animisms with postcolonial visual cultures, reshaping understandings of anticolonial aesthetics and world cinema.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 16 November 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The pontianak, a fearsome female vampire ghost, holds a significant place in Malay cultures, both cherished and feared in Southeast Asia akin to Dracula's reputation in the West. According to animist beliefs, she is a woman who tragically passed away during childbirth, and her vengeful return challenges established gender norms and social hierarchies. The pontianak made its captivating debut on the silver screen in late colonial Singapore through a series of highly popular films that seamlessly blend indigenous animism with transnational production, all while harnessing the cultural and political power of the horror genre.

In her captivating book, Alluring Monsters, Rosalind Galt delves into the intriguing phenomenon of how and why the pontianak reemerged in postcolonial Southeast Asian film and society. She argues that the figure serves as a conduit for a multitude of intersecting anxieties, encompassing concerns about femininity and modernity, globalization and indigeneity, racial and national identities, the interplay between Islam and animism, and the devastating impact of heritage and environmental destruction. The pontianak possesses remarkable feminist potential, yet its disruptive gender politics also challenge established queer and feminist film theories by engaging in a dialogue with Malay epistemologies. By interpreting the pontianak as a precolonial figure of disturbance within postcolonial cultures, Galt unveils the profound significance of cinema in shaping histories and theories of decolonization. Spanning from the horror films produced by Cathay Keris and Shaw Studios in the 1950s and 1960s to contemporary film, television, art, and fiction in Malaysia and Singapore, the pontianak manifests in various media forms, shedding light on the complex processes of developing and contesting postcolonial identities.

Through the meticulous tracing of the entanglements between Malay feminist animisms and postcolonial visual cultures, Alluring Monsters unveils how a "pontianak theory" can reshape our understanding of anticolonial aesthetics and global cinema. By delving into the captivating world of the pontianak, Galt offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of identity, power, and the enduring legacy of colonialism, making this book a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts alike.

Weight: 448g
Dimension: 155 x 234 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231201339