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

Bailey, D. (1999). Hollywood Nightmares: The Haunted House Formula in America Popular Fiction. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Bane, T. (2012). Encyclopaedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. North Carolina: McFarland and Company. Inc.

Bane, T. (2016). Encyclopaedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc.

Brittany, M. (2017). Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre. North Carolina: McFarland and Company.

Byron.G and Punter. D. (2004). The Gothic. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Cahn, L. V. (1996). Shakespeare the Playwright: A Companion to the Complete Tragedies, Histories, Comedies, and Romantics: Updated, With a New Introduction. Westport: Praeger.

Comaroff, J. & Ong Ker-Shing. (2016). Horror in Architecture. Hong Kong: ORO Group Ltd.

Doolittle. A. A., Sajise, E. P. & Dove, R. M. (2011). Beyond the Sacred Forest.: Complicating Conservation in Southeast Asia. USA: Duke University Press.

Dunning, L. (2010). Restless Spirits: Utah’s Small-Town Ghost. Springville: CFI.

Faizal, M. (2014). Biografi Jin. Selangor: Yamani Angels SDN BHD.

Goldstein, E. D., Grider, A. S. & Thomas, B. J. (2007). Haunting Experiences Ghosts in Contemporary Folklore. Utah: Utah State University Press.

Groom, N. (2012). The Gothic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Grinassi, R. (2003). The Witch's Familiar: Spiritual Partnerships for Successful Magic. Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications.

Guilley, R. (2008). The Encyclopaedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca, Third Edition. New York: Facts on Fle, Inc.

Hamid, A. A. (2007). Meningkatkan Daya Fikir. Selangor: PTS Publications & Distributors.

Harian Metro (2016). Histeria Nenek Harimau. Retrieved From https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/harian-metro/20161111/283794263361494

Idham, A. (2008). Congkak. Film. Malaysia: Metrowealth.

Johns, A. (2010). Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Kaay, V. F. & Kaay, V. C. (2016). Horror Films by Subgenre: A Viewer's Guide. North Carolina: McFarland and Company.

Mariconda, J. M In Joshi S.T. (2007). Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopaedia of Our Worst Nightmares. London: Greenwood Press.

Matsuo, A. (2014). The Haunted Actor: An Exploration of Supernatural Belief through Theatre. Bloomington: Author House.

Muhyiddin Y, A. (2019). Haunted Structures: Haunted House Attributes In Malay And Hollywood Horror Films. Ph.D Dissertation. Bangi: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Muhyiddin Y, A, Hashim, R S, Mohd Yusof, N, & Harris Satkunananthan, A. (2017). Unravelling the Family Based Haunted House Film Patterns in Malay and American Haunted House Films. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies. Vol. 23 (4). 170-

Muhyiddin Y, A, Hashim, R S, Mohd Yusof, N, & Harris Satkunananthan, A. (2019). Penelitian “Strategi Seram” Didalam Filem Rumah Berhantu di Malaysia dan Amerika. Jurnal Melayu Vol. 18 (1). 58-73.

Peletz, G. M. (1996). Reason and Passion: Representations of Gender in a Malay Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Pierre Andre. (2011). Al-Hijab. Film. Malaysia: Empat Semudra.

Propp, V. (1968). Morphology of the Folktale. Texas: U of Texas P.

Puteh, O & Said, A. (2007). Himpunan 366 Cerita Rakyat Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publications & Distributors Sdn Bhd.

Reyes, X. A. (ed). (2016). Horror: A Literary History. London: The British Library.

Royle, N. (2002). The Uncanny. Manchester: Manchester U P.

Krishnan, S. (2007). Reading the Global: Troubling Perspectives on Britain's Empire in Asia. New York: Colombia University Press.

Osman, S. A. (2020). Re(con)figuring the Nenek Kebayan Through Folktale Adaptation: Malaysian Folktales as Literary and Cultural Heritage. In Sharmani Patricia Gabriel, (ed). Making Heritage in Malaysia: Sites, Histories, Identities .London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Stang, M. A. (2015). Which Face of Witch: Self-representations of Women as Witches in Works of Contemporary British Women Writers. New Castle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Yusof, Syafiq. (2015). Villa Nabila. Film. Malaysia: Skop Productions.

Wan. J. (2013). The Conjuring. Film. USA: Warner Bros.

Wan, M. H. (2015). Puaka Balai Gombak. Film. Malaysia: Showbiz.

Zakariya, B K. (2015). Kisah Mistik Hanya Dogengan, Boleh Pesong Akidah. Retrieved From https://www.bharian.com.my/node/55311