A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods which they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century.
The Kuntilanak, also called Pontianak, or Yakshi is a mythological creature in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is similar to Langsuir in other Southeast Asia regions. The Kuntilanak usually takes the form of a pregnant woman who died during childbirth. Alternatively, it is often described as a vengeful female spirit. Another form of the Kuntilanak refers to the ghost or white lady of Southeast Asian folklore.
The manananggal is a mythical creature in the Philippines that is able to separate its upper torso from the lower part of its body. Their fangs and wings give them a vampire-like appearance.
Rokurokubi is a type of Japanese yōkai (apparition). They look almost completely like humans with some differences. There is a type whose neck stretches and another whose head detaches and flies around freely (nukekubi). The Rokurokubi appear in classical kaidan and in yōkai works.
Vampires are frequently represented in popular culture across various forms of media, including appearances in ballet, films, literature, music, opera, theatre, paintings, and video games.
The Léyak balinese pronounced[le.ak] In the folklore of Bali is a mythological figure in the form of a flying head with entrails still attached. Leyak are said to fly trying to find a pregnant woman in order to suck her baby's blood or a newborn child. There are three legendary Leyak, two females and one male.
There are many Malay ghost myths, remnants of old animist beliefs that have been shaped by Hindu-Buddhist cosmology and later Muslim influences, in the modern states of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore and among the Malay diaspora in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. The general word for ghost is hantu, of which there exist a wide variety. Some ghost concepts such as the female vampires pontianak and penanggal are shared throughout the region. While traditional belief does not consider all ghosts as necessarily evil, Malaysian popular culture tends to categorise them all as types of evil djinn.
The Krasue is a nocturnal female spirit of Southeast Asian folklore. It manifests as the floating, disembodied head of a woman, usually young and beautiful, with her internal organs still attached and trailing down from the neck.
Pelesit is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore. It is generally a cricket, or occasionally a grasshopper. The term literally means "buzzer" from the root word lesit meaning to buzz or whizz, as an insect does. They are also called Palasik.
The polong is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore. It has the appearance of a miniature woman, the size of the first joint of the finger.
Pocong is a ghost that looks like a person wrapped in a funeral cloth. In Islamic funeral, a shroud called a "kain kafan" is used to wrap the body of the dead person. The dead body is covered in white fabric tied over the head, under the feet, and on the neck, and the shroud is firmly tied at multiple junctures to maintain its position during the journey to the grave site. Upon placement into the grave, it is believed that the knots must be undone or the corpse will animate and be known as a Pocong. Pocong is also known in Malaysia as Hantu Bungkus.
Mystics in Bali, also released as Leák and Balinese Mystic, is a 1981 Indonesian supernatural horror film directed by Tjut Djalil. Based on the novel Leák Ngakak by Putra Mada, the film stars Ilona Agathe Bastian, Yos Santo, Sofia W.D., and W.D. Mochtar.
Legends of vampires have existed for millennia; cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demonic entities and blood-drinking spirits which are considered precursors to modern vampires. Despite the occurrence of vampire-like creatures in these ancient civilizations, the folklore for the entity known today as the vampire originates almost exclusively from early 18th-century Central Europe, particularly Transylvania as verbal traditions of many ethnic groups of the region were recorded and published. In most cases, vampires are revenants of evil beings, suicide victims, or witches, but can also be created by a malevolent spirit possessing a corpse or a living person being bitten by a vampire themselves. Belief in such legends became so rife that in some areas it caused mass hysteria and even public executions of people believed to be vampires.
Nieng Arp, with an international title of Lady Vampire and also known as Vampire and Bodyless, is a 2004 Cambodian horror film. The film is based on Khmer folklore beliefs about Ahp or Ap, a mythical demon which is found in Southeast Asia. The film is directed by Kam Chanthy, a Cambodian-born director who was trained in Thailand.
Tamnan Krasue/Demonic Beauty is a 2002 Thai supernatural horror film written and directed by Bin Banluerit. The film concerns the krasue ghost legend that is common in Southeast Asian countries.
Malay folklore refers to a series of knowledges, traditions and taboos that have been passed down through many generations in oral, written and symbolic forms among the indigenous populations of Maritime Southeast Asia (Nusantara). They include among others, themes and subject matter related to the indigenous knowledge of the ethnic Malays and related ethnic groups within the region.
The langsuyar, also lang suir or langsuir, is a female revenant in Malay and other mythologies in the Malay Archipelago. The word is derived from the Malay word for eagle.
Inhuman Kiss, also known as Krasue: Inhuman Kiss, is a 2019 Thai supernatural horror film directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri. It was selected as the Thai entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but was not nominated. In 1940s Thailand, a krasue lives a normal life as a woman by day, but at night her head detaches from her body and seeks out for flesh and blood.
