Country file · Asia & the Middle East

Cryptids of Singapore

What cryptids are in Singapore? The best-known is Pontianak.

Singapore is part of the Malay world where the pontianak, the ghost of a woman who died in childbirth, is the best-known spirit. The 1957 film Pontianak, released by Cathay-Keris, turned her into a screen star and launched Malay horror cinema.

  • 1 cryptid
  • 2 recorded sightings

Cryptids reported in Singapore

Spectral · Pre-modern

Pontianak

Malay World – Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia The Malay world’s vengeful female ghost, a woman who died in childbirth, who smells of flowers, cries like a baby and strikes men and mothers. Folklore

The legends of Singapore

Tales of pontianak in Singapore’s older kampongs, plantations and cemeteries are still traded among residents.

Hotspots

  • Old Cathay-Keris studios area

    Where the 1957 film that made the pontianak famous was produced (Singapore film history).

Sightings timeline

  1. 1957
    Dendam Pontianak Pontianak

    The first sequel, with Maria Menado as the ghost, followed within the year.

  2. April 27, 1957
    Cathay-Keris film Pontianak Pontianak

    The first major Malay horror film premiered and made the ghost a screen figure across the region.

Nearby

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