The Figure of the Nenek Kebayan and the Witch in Selected Haunted House Films

Ahmad Muhyiddin Yusof,Norliyana Mohmad Rosli,Anita Harris Satkunananthan,Ruzy Suliza Hashim

doi:10.17576/3l-2020-2604-07

Ahmad Muhyiddin Yusof, Norliyana Mohmad Rosli + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17576/3l-2020-2604-07

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Abstract

This study analyses the Malay folkloric trope of the Nenek Kebayan and how this supernatural figure is connected to the Gothic trope of the haunted house in selected horror films. This study contends that the figure of the Nenek Kebayan is instrumental in the haunting effect of these homes. Three horror films have therefore been chosen to analyse the motif of the Nenek Kebayan and the haunted house which are Congkak (2005), Al-Hijab (2011) and additionally, the figure of the Nenek Kebayan is compared to the figure of the spectral Witch in The Conjuring (2013). In so doing, this study adapts the Structural Uncanny Haunted House Framework (SUHHF) as a theoretical framework. SUHHF is an Uncanny adaptation of Joshua Comaroff’s and Ong Ker-Shing’s concept of the architecture of horror. SUHHF focuses primarily on three aspects of the haunted house which are The Surmounted Corpse that provides insights to the external and internal layer of the house, The Hazardous Transition that explains the application of the transitional elements of the haunted house and finally the Trojan Compartment that reveals the secret spaces in the haunted house. Furthermore, filmic technique is deployed as a methodology to capture the moments of haunting by the Nenek Kebayan and her cognate, the Witch. The implication of this study to provide a deeper appreciation and understanding in regards to aspect of the Nenek Kebayan and the haunted house setting in the examined films. Keywords: haunted house; Nenek Kebayan; hauntings; convergence; divergence; the Witch

Highlights

This article considers and analyses the role of the Nenek Kebayan in selected films of Malaysian origin, including the American-produced film The Conjuring
The analysis of The Trojan Compartment and The Hazardous Transition has resulted into two essential findings which are: 1) The Nenek Kebayan or the witch have used the hidden space as her main lair and 2) the house’s transition has been overpowered by the Nenek Kebayan or the witch to channel her haunting, luring, manipulating the inhabitants and to restrict the inhabitant’s movement in the house
It is clear that the framework for this paper the Structural Uncanny Haunted House Framework (SUHHF) has proven its effectiveness in discerning and understanding the concept and the mechanics of the haunted house

Summary

INTRODUCTION

This article considers and analyses the role of the Nenek Kebayan in selected films of Malaysian origin, including the American-produced film The Conjuring. The primary intention of this paper is to discern the role of the Nenek Kebayan in the setting in haunted house films of Malaysian origin and how these supernatural depictions of the Nenek Kebayan correlate with that of the Witch in popular horror films. In unravelling this predicament, this paper deploys the Structural Uncanny Haunted House Framework (SUHHF) as the choice of framework to investigate behaviours and nature of the Nenek Kebayan in delivering spectral disturbances towards the inhabitants of the house. The criterion for choosing the stated corpus are the appearance of the Nenek Kebayan as a motif (or in the case of The Conjuring, a cognate of the Nenek Kebayan)and the haunted house as the primary setting, as it is used to analyse the Nenek Kebayan’s behaviour and influence within the haunted house

LITERATURE REVIEW

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION