Symbolism in Malaysian Horror Films: A Netflix Case Study

Malaysian horror films on Netflix have become an increasingly popular medium through which local fears, beliefs, and politics are visualized, yet the symbolism embedded in these films is underexplored. This study investigated how symbolism operated in Malaysian horror films streaming on the global platform, Netflix, with a focus on the types of symbolism used and audience interpretations of gender, religion, and culture. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study involved semi-structured interviews with 10 Netflix subscribers aged between 20 and 50 who had experience watching Malaysian horror films on the platform. The findings revealed that most of the symbolisms are represented through female ghosts, such as the pontianak, religious figures like the ustaz, objects, and colour palettes to represent themes of morality and spirituality. This research is conducted in the hope that a deeper understanding of symbolism in Malaysian horror films would encourage more critical appreciation of the genre, positioning it as intellectually significant rather than merely entertaining.

Malaysian Horror Films, Netflix, Symbolism, Religious Symbolism, Gender Representation

1. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. DeGuzman, K. (2023, November 12). Types of symbolism — examples from literature and cinema. Studiobinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-symbolism-in-literature-and-film/#types-ofsymbolism-color-symbolism [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Liem, B.Q. (2024). Cultural symbolism in Vietnamese horror films. In MediAsia Official Conference Proceedings, 125–137. https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5906.2024.11 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Muhamad Farid bin Abdul Rahman. (2021). Analisis representasi wanita dalam filem komedi seram trilogi Hantu Kak Limah [Master’s thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia]. Repository@USM. https://eprints.usm.my/53584/1/MUHAMAD%20FARID%20BIN%20ABDUL%20RAHMAN%20%20TESIS.pdf%20cut.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Muhammad Athari Basir. (2022). Filem seram Islam: Satu perbincangan. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Malay, Arabic and English Literature 2022, 34–44. Fakulti Bahasa dan Komunikasi, UniSZA. https://www.unisza.edu.my/icmael/phocadownload/Prosiding-ICMAEL-22.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Muhammad Athari Basir. (2022). Islamic literature criticism of horror films: Analysis of the main characters of film Munafik 2 (2018) and Makmum (2019). Al-Qanatir International Journal of Islamic Studies, 27(2), 116-125. https://al-qanatir.com/aq/article/view/533 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Pehlivan, S. (2023). An analysis of the movie “Funny Games” within the framework of color symbolism. Egemia, 13(1-21), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.56075/egemiadergisi.1259863 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Phillips, J. (2025). Frightening femininity: Patriarchy and the cinematic pontianak in Malaysian and Singaporean horror films [Master’s thesis, Harvard University]. Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard. https://dash.harvard.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/8e95b5fb-ba4d-4122-adc6eaf4fb8473b4/content [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Ratih Dwi Pratiwi, & Handrini Ardiyanti. (2025). Comparative semiotic analysis of satanic symbolism in Longlegs: A study in horror narratives. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi UHO: Jurnal Penelitian Kajian Ilmu Komunikasi dan Informasi, 10(2), 423–435. https://jurnalilmukomunikasi.uho.ac.id/index.php/journal/article/view/1595/207 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Suria Hani A. Rahman, Fauziah Hassan, Rosidayu Sabran, Rosninawati Hussin, Sofia Hayati Yusoff, & Norhayati Rafida Abdul Rahim. (2025). Screening Islam in Malaysian horror films: A tale of the lost and found. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 17(4), 139–153. https://fslmjournals.taylors.edu.my/screening-islam-in-malaysian-horror-films-a-tale-of-the-lost-andfound/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Scott, J. (2025, February 4). What is horror? Definition and examples in film. Studiobinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-horror-definition/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Shiping, G. (2025). The significant form: Visual symbols and cultural symbolism in film. Frontiers in Art Research, 7(1). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Sutandio, A. (2023). The final girls in contemporary Indonesian horror films: reclaiming women’s power. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2186593 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Digital Media Literacy and Students’ Entrepreneurial Readiness in State Public Universities, Delta State, Nigeria.