Malaysian horror movies
There are two types of people in the world – those who relish watching horror movies and those who get goosebumps from the mere mention of the word “ghost”. If you belong in the former group of horror-seekers and have caught all the famous international horror films, here’s a long list of Malaysian horror movies to add to your to-watch list for a delightful, creepy treat.
Those who are not into intense scares can skip right to the end, where we’ve included horror-comedies suitable for a family movie night.
Table of Contents
- Malaysian horror movies
- – Cult favourites –
- 1. Munafik (2017)
- 2. Dukun (2018)
- 3. Khurafat: Perjanjian Syaitan (2011)
- 4. Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam (2004)
- – Psychological thrillers –
- 5. Histeria (2008)
- 6. Kelibat (2014)
- 7. Susuk (2008)
- 8. Pusaka (2019)
- 9. Sumpahan Kum Kum (2012)
- 10. Jemputan Ke Neraka (2023)
- 11. Rahsia (2023)
- 12. Anak Perjanjian Syaitan (2019)
- – Folk horror –
- 13. Paku Pontianak (2013)
- 14. Santau (2009)
- 15. Chermin (2007)
- 16. Waris Jari Hantu (2007)
- 17. Senjakala (2011)
- – Supernatural horror –
- 18. Jangan Pandang Belakang (2007)
- 19. Seru (2011)
- 20. Karak (2011)
- 21. Roh (2019)
- 22. 23:59 (2011)
- 23. Dendam Penunggu (2021)
- – Documentary-style –
- 24. Highland Tower (2013)
- 25. Penunggu Istana (2011)
- 26. Villa Nabila (2015)
- – Horror-comedy –
- 27. Takut Ke Tak (2020)
- 28. Hantu Kak Limah (2018)
- 29. Zombi Kampung Pisang (2007)
- 30. Ngangkung (2010)
- 31. Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak (2009)
- 32. Hantu Gangster (2012)
– Cult favourites –
1. Munafik (2017)
Munafik tells the story of Adam, played by Syamsul Yusof, a religious medical practitioner struggling to cope with grief after losing his wife in an accident.
Shortly after, he meets Maria, played by Nabila Huda, who suffers from depression. When she gets possessed by an evil spirit, Adam uses his expertise to help her but strange things start to happen when he discovers that Maria is linked to the accident that killed his wife.
Munafik received critical acclaim both locally and internationally. Syamsul, who was also the director, snagged the Best Director award at the 7th Asia Pacific Film Festival held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Back here in our homeland, Munafik was the highest grossing film of the year when it was released back in 2017 – topping RM19 million at the box office.
2. Dukun (2018)
Horror movies become a whole lot scarier when the sentence “inspired by real events” accompanies it.
While Dukun is only loosely based on the spine-chilling murderer Mona Fandey, the film had Malaysians shivering with anticipation, with horror movie buffs more than eager to catch the controversial movie.
Dukun follows protagonist Karim, played by Faizal Hussein, who is a public defender for witch doctor Diana Dahlan, played by Umie Aida. Diana is arrested for allegedly murdering Datuk Jeffrey, a high-profile businessman during one of their rituals.
In the midst of all the mayhem which includes Karim’s teenage daughter abruptly running away from home, and a bunch of influential and wealthy men reported missing, the secrets and crimes of Diana’s sinister past start to unravel.
3. Khurafat: Perjanjian Syaitan (2011)
Khurafat is directed by the same creator of Munafik, Syamsul Yusof, so you know that you’ll be in for a solid spooky treat. This film also stars Syamsul himself, who played the protagonist, Johan.
Johan and his wife Aishah, portrayed by Liyana Jasmay, lead a happy couple life. All that soon crumbles when Johan’s ex-girlfriend, Anna, played by Sabrina Ali, wreaks havoc on the marriage in an effort to win him back. Coupled with the sudden appearance of a mysterious old lady and repeated haunting occurrences, the couple tries to battle their tribulations together.
4. Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam (2004)
Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam was a box office hit when it was first released and up till today, the beguiling Maya Karin who played Meriam, the pontianak, is still known for her role in this film.
The movie tells the story of Meriam, a beautiful prima donna who captivated the hearts of many when she was still alive. However, she was stabbed in the stomach while pregnant, and since then, has turned into a restless spirit to torment those who killed her.
– Psychological thrillers –
5. Histeria (2008)
Histeria is a psychological horror-thriller set in a private school dormitory. The film starts out with 7 rebellious girls faking hysteria, to the point where a shaman needs to be called in for an exorcism ritual.
After they are called out, the girls have to spring-clean the dorms during the holiday period as punishment.
A quiet and empty dormitory building is clearly a prime setting for scary events as the girls get killed one by one in gruesome ways by a terrifying entity.
Histeria stars Liyana Jasmay, Scha Al-yahya, Yana Samsudin, and more.
6. Kelibat (2014)
Kelibat follows Kamal, played by Fauzi Nawawi, who moves to a rural kampung with his wife Kalin, played by Ellie Suriaty Omar, and his three children to escape from loan sharks. Kamal and his family soon discover that their abode is haunted by a spirit called Kelibat.
While the film starts off as a typical horror story of a family moving into the wrong home and angering a mysterious spirit, the plot twist at the end reveals a surprising discovery that makes sitting through the fright scares worth it.
7. Susuk (2008)
Susuk tells the story of a nurse-in-training Soraya, played by Diana Rafar. Dissatisfied with her current life, she enters the entertainment industry to try her hand at being a superstar.
At first, her career doesn’t seem to be taking off but when she incorporates the forbidden practice of susuk – needles that are cast with a spell and inserted into the body like acupuncture – her fame propels.
However, the allure of powerful black magic comes at a cost as her loved ones die. As Soraya gets enthralled by the glamour of being a star, she falls down a dark path of addiction.
8. Pusaka (2019)
One of the most recent films on this list, Pusaka is about a veteran detective Inspector Nuar Ishak, played by Syafiq Kyle, who stumbles upon an unnerving case concerning twins Balqis and Qistina, both played by Sweet Qismina.
One of the twins is found dead, while the other is alive and trapped in an abandoned house. As Nuar tries to uncover the truth, paranormal activities start tormenting him.
9. Sumpahan Kum Kum (2012)
Sumpahan Kum Kum centers around Mila, played by Putri Mardiana, who suffers from severe acne and goes to a shaman out of desperation to seek a spell that will make her beautiful. The shaman agrees to help her, under the condition that she’s not allowed to look into the mirror for 44 days.
Her skin magically clears up and when she starts getting attention from men, she excitedly looks into a mirror, forgetting her promise to the shaman. As a result, she becomes even uglier than before and she hurries back to the shaman, who says he will help her out. But his condition is more sinister this time round – as it involves killing other people to sustain the spell.
10. Jemputan Ke Neraka (2023)
Released in 2023, Jemputan Ke Neraka – or Invitation To Hell – follows Ivy, an art gallery curator, who receives an invitation to the wedding of her former college friend, Lisa Henderson.
Excited to attend the ceremony, Ivy persuades her fiancé, Norman, to accompany her to the remote location, resulting in a 3-hour journey. However, upon their arrival, they discover that the wedding is oddly empty, even though everything is prepared.
As they search for answers, they stumble upon a horrifying discovery – Lisa’s lifeless body in her wedding gown.
11. Rahsia (2023)
Rahsia is for the horror movie fans who like a good jump scare. A remake of a 1987 film of the same name, the Malaysian horror film follows housewife, Ramlah, who begins experiencing strange events at her father’s house after the sudden disappearance of her son – dolls coming alive and piano keys being played by an invisible force included.
It’s directed by Shamyl Othman, the son of the original film’s director, who pays tribute to the movie by retaining the themes and intense visuals of the cult classic while giving it an upgrade.
12. Anak Perjanjian Syaitan (2019)
The horrors in Anak Perjanjian Syaitan begin when Zaidi and his wife Azlina move into his grandmother’s house in a remote village, which has been abandoned for 5 years and taken care of by a lone gardener named Pak Man. The couple makes the move as they’ve been feeling pressure from his mum to have grandchildren. However, at their new home, Azlina begins to have supernatural encounters, which only increase after she finds out she is pregnant.
The film now has a sequel, directed by the legendary Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri who helmed Jangan Pandang Belakang. The 2024 film follows Azlinda, the couple’s daughter who is believed to be possessed.
– Folk horror –
13. Paku Pontianak (2013)
Paku Pontianak stars veteran actor Pekin Ibrahim who plays Adam in this eerie film. It starts with Adam accidentally hitting a girl on the road while driving one day.
Consumed with guilt and wanting to repent for his mistake, his family invites the girl, Melati played by Uqasha Senrose, into their home to give her shelter and provide for her.
However, they soon find out that Melati is diagnosed with amnesia and has no knowledge of her past. When mysterious events start to transpire following her arrival, Adam’s family may regret their decision after all.
14. Santau (2009)
Santau follows protagonist Halim, played by Esma Daniel, who lives a happy and tranquil life with his wife Nina, played by Putri Mardiana, and young daughter Tuty, played by Farisya Fatin.
Halim has the perfect life – successful career, nice house, and happy family. But things soon take a turn for the worst when a mysterious new neighbour moves in next door and terrifying misfortunes – like Nina’s sudden and mysterious illness – start to befall Halim’s family, especially when he’s not home.
15. Chermin (2007)
You might just stay away from mirrors after you watch Chermin, a film which centers around Nasrin, played by Natasha Hudson, who was involved in an accident that caused her to become disfigured.
Hoping to cheer her up, her mother gifts her a family heirloom – an antique mirror. Nasrin finds herself inexplicably drawn to the mirror and over time, develops an obsession with it. What she doesn’t know is that a spirit is trapped inside the mirror and her life is about to be in danger.
16. Waris Jari Hantu (2007)
There’s a folklore that says that some people have a supernatural companion who protects and helps them in a number of ways, such as to let them have a successful career, to lure someone to fall in love with them, and the like.
In Waris Jari Hantu, the said supernatural companion is a tiger spirit which belongs to Tok Wan, played by Azean Irdawaty. Tok Wan has to pass on the spirit to a family member before she passes away, and she has two of them to choose from – Tina, played by Maya Karin, and Ari played by Rusdi Ramli, both of whom are her relatives.
What comes next are family objections, paranormal disturbances, and personal trauma as the family is plagued with the complications that come with getting involved with the supernatural.
17. Senjakala (2011)
Senjakala follows Khalisa, played by Liyana Jasmay, a widow whose fiance died in a car crash. Stricken with grief, she is disturbed by strange dreams that prompt her to go back to her hometown, Kampung Senja Lama.
She makes the trip there and unknowingly forms a relationship with a mysterious man Armand, played by Zahiril Adzim. The other villagers stay away from Armand as it is rumoured that he practises black magic.
As their relationship develops, complications start to arise as she soon realises that Armand is about to involve her in his black magic practices.
– Supernatural horror –
18. Jangan Pandang Belakang (2007)
Jangan Pandang Belakang grossed RM6 million when it premiered in the cinemas, with many viewers commenting that the horror film has a tasteful balance of a strong, suspenseful plot and bone-chilling scares that will haunt you long after you leave the theatre.
The movie revolves around Darma, played by Pierre Andre, who is grief-stricken over the death of his fiancee Rose, played by Intan Ladyana. Unable to move on, Darma decides to investigate the cause behind Rose’s suicide with the help of her twin sister Seri, also played by the same actress. What he doesn’t know is that an evil spirit that Rose accidentally released from a jar she picked up on the beach had been tormenting her. As Darma digs deeper, mysterious events start to transpire, affecting his life and career.
Following the success of the first film, a sequel to the horror film titled Jangan Pandang Belakang 2: Aku Tahu Asal Usulmu is set to hit Malaysian cinemas on 21st November 2024.
19. Seru (2011)
Seru (2011) is a familiar story of a production crew filming a horror movie, then gets haunted in return. In this case, the star-studded cast comprising Nora Danish, Awal Ashaari, and more, play a production crew who experience creepy disturbances in the midst of their movie shoot.
At first, they brush it off as a common possession occurrence and consider using the supernatural footage to promote the film once it’s finished. However, everyone on the crew starts to get possessed one by one, with some being killed by unseen evil forces.
20. Karak (2011)
Malaysians are all too familiar with the infamous Karak Highway. Connecting Klang Valley and Pahang, the road is notorious for its many fatal accidents throughout the years. In fact, Karak Highway has amassed its fair share of urban legends and horror stories that most Malaysians would have heard of at some point.
Released in 2011, Karak follows four college students who are en route home to Kuantan from Kuala Lumpur. During one of their pit stops, some spirits start playing tricks on them, following them as they continue on their journey, leading to more terrifying events.
Karak stars Shera Aiyob, Sidek Hussain, Along Eyzendy, Shahir, and Kilafairy.
21. Roh (2019)
Roh is an indie production featuring children as their main characters so if that creeps you out, you might want to give this gruesome movie a miss.
The film starts off with siblings Along, played by Mhia Farhana, and Angah, played by Harith Haziq, who encounter a young girl, played by Putri Qaseh, in the forest. Assuming she is lost, they bring her home and endearingly calls her adik. Soon after, horrifying events start to take place as Along and Angah unknowingly fall into grave danger.
22. 23:59 (2011)
23:59 is a Singaporean-Malaysian horror film starring Mark Lee, Henley Hii, Stella Chung, and Josh Lai, and its title perfectly encapsulates the entire concept of the movie, as it’s about a rumour of a mad woman who died at 11.59PM on the same island an army of recruits are training on. Her spirit is said to return at that hour every day to haunt the camp.
Initially, the soldiers brush it off as an old wives’ tale, but soon, some of the men start going missing, getting possessed, and even end up dead.
23. Dendam Penunggu (2021)
Dendam Penunggu, directed and written by Faizul Jais, is a horror story set in Malaya National College. In the supernatural-horror film, incidents of bullying have surged to the point where the lead, Zulkifli Aminuddinm pleads with his father to transfer him out of the school. But his pleas fall on deaf ears.
Zul befriends Nazrin, his roommate, and Khairy, a football athlete. Through them, he meets Sarah and Bainun. All five of them proceed to hatch a plan to explore the forbidden upper levels of Block M, a place rumoured to be haunted.
However, the group find themselves entangled in a web of unexplainable occurrences and malevolent forces, all stemming from their ill-fated trip to the forbidden zone.
– Documentary-style –
24. Highland Tower (2013)
Highland Tower isn’t a real documentary, but it’s shot so convincingly like one that it’s hard to categorise it as a fictional horror movie. After all, Highland Tower is very real indeed and the stories of it being a haunted site after it collapsed in 1993 is a chilling reminder of the tragedy in Malaysia.
In the movie, host Shima, played by Shima Anuar, and her crew want to produce a paranormal documentary. Picking the Highland Tower as the subject of their documentary, they set out to shoot with their cameras and equipment. Little do they know, strange apparitions are being caught on their films.
25. Penunggu Istana (2011)
Penunggu Istana also follows a “documentary crew” who has a knack for filming at allegedly haunted places to investigate paranormal activities.
Aptly called The Seekers Team, they head over to Istana Billah, an old abandoned castle in Perak after receiving reports of harrowing encounters there.
The film plays out in a mix of interviews with the crew, who shared their experiences when they stayed at Istana Billah for seven days straight, and footage shot by them during their stay.
While Istana Billah is a real castle in Perak, the authenticity of the film remains up for debate. Some have expressed that it’s staged, while the secretiveness of the entire production – casts’ names are not disclosed till this day and minimal promotion of the movie was done – leads some to believe that it might be a legit documentary after all.
26. Villa Nabila (2015)
Villa Nabila is allegedly based on a true incident that occurred in a notorious abandoned mansion in Lido Beach, Johor Bahru. This documentary-style film follows a series of interviews that uncover the tragic disappearance of 23 teenagers who embarked on a journey of exploration through the mansion.
The authorities ordered the property to be demolished following the event. Throughout the course of tearing down the house, a series of unusual events take place.
Oddly enough, there was absolutely no impact on the house. The architect organised a camera crew to investigate what happened to his friends, as he found the incident wildly shocking.
– Horror-comedy –
27. Takut Ke Tak (2020)
Takut Ke Tak is a new silly horror-comedy that feels almost satirical. Released in August last year, the movie is about 5 film students embarking on their final year project.
Sick of all the cheap scares and predictable plots in most horror films, they decide that they are going to shoot and produce an authentic horror movie, different from the rest.
What goes around comes around, because as they are in the midst of filming their project in an abandoned haunted house, actual spirits begin to frighten them – complete with cliche scares and all.
Takut Ke Tak stars Nabil Aqil, Fabian Loo, Arwind Kumar, Han Zalini, and Ika Nabila.
28. Hantu Kak Limah (2018)
Hantu Kak Limah achieved RM32.5 million at the box office in a short span of 18 days when it was released back in August 2018. The movie’s titular character Kak Limah, played by Delimawati, ends up dead in her village right after her nuptials with a man much younger than her. Dissatisfied with her sudden death, her spirit lingers on to harass her fellow villagers who can’t seem to get rid of her.
29. Zombi Kampung Pisang (2007)
Zombi Kampung Pisang is pretty self explanatory – Kampung Pisang is suddenly plagued by a zombie phenomenon. The villagers then have to find ways to survive and avoid being killed by the undead.
Hilarious, action-filled, and goofy, Zombi Kampung Pisang is a fun movie to watch with the family without giving the younger ones nightmares.
Ezlynn, Awie, Que Haidar, and Loloq star in this funny film.
30. Ngangkung (2010)
This horror-comedy follows three friends, Azim, Tasnim, and Wan who are all addicted to gambling. Determined to win, they dabble in ngangkung, the practice of summoning spirits via a shaman to receive auspicious lottery numbers.
High off their wins, they continue to find a number of ways and different shamans to conduct ngangkung, which result in them experiencing strange happenings and encounters.
Ngangkung stars Shaheizy Sam, Azad Jasmin, Angah Raja Lawak, and Eira Syazira.
31. Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak (2009)
Three cousins, Punai, Asmat, and Johan, played by Mazlan Pet Pet, Cat Farish, and Shaheizy Sam respectively, discover that their grandfather is a rich patriarch after he passes away.
The grandfather’s assistant Mustika, played by Lisa Surihani, invites them to his house and presents the cousins with a challenge. They have a chance to inherit his fortune provided they pass the test – stay in his house for three days without touching anything, especially an ancient congkak. During the first night itself, creepy events suddenly start to take place. The usually calm neighbourhood where their grandfather lived at then turns chaotic without warning and reason.
32. Hantu Gangster (2012)
Directed by the Malaysian singer-rapper Namewee, Hantu Gangster centers around rookie gangster Te Sai, played by the director himself.
The flick starts off with Te Sai stealing a kingpin’s ring during his memorial service. The ring contains the spirit of three departed gang leaders who were killed by a traitor.
Te Sai is then unceremoniously handed the important task of avenging their deaths and returning peace to the three gangs who have been in turmoil since their leaders’ deaths.
Hantu Gangster comprises a star-studded cast of famous models and artistes including Amber Chia, Mizz Nina, Noh Hujan, Diana Danielle, Reshmonu, and more.
Malaysian horror movies of different sub-genres worth a watch
From cult favourites to folk horror to horror-comedy, these Malaysian horror flicks will guarantee a thrilling scare that’s bound to satiate all horror film lovers.
For more entertainment ideas, check these out:
- Movie streaming services besides Netflix in Malaysia
- Hong Kong TV shows Malaysians will recall
- Romantic Malaysian movies
- Best Malaysian movies on Netflix
Cover image adapted from: IMDb, IMDb, and IMDb
This article was originally published on 16th February 2021, and updated by Yusintha on 31st October 2023. Last updated on 8th October 2024.