Anak Pontianak (1958)

An iconic regional monster, the Pontianak is commonly described as the vampire-ghost hybrid of a scorned woman who died during childbirth, often taking on the guise of a young seductress. In the film, the son of a Pontianak struggles with his supernatural instincts.

Filipino director Ramon Estella’s Anak Pontianak came on the heels of two immensely popular Pontianak-themed movies first conceived by Cathay-Keris – Pontianak and Dendam Pontianak (Pontianak’s Revenge). Directed by B. N. Rao, written by Abdul Razak and released in 1957, these two films are believed to be lost. The Shaw Malay Film Productions’ Anak Pontianak may probably be the oldest Pontianak film that still exists today.