I have always been fascinated with horror stories told by just anyone. With glee I read in The Star this morning that there was going to be a Malay horror movie, 'PONTIANAK HARUM SUNDAL MALAM' set for general release on the 20th of May featuring a 'Pontianak'.

To those new to Malaysian folklore, Pontianak has 2 definitions according to the Collins English dictionary - a female vampire; the ghost of a woman who has died in childbirth. The other is the name of a port in Indonesia, presumably crawling with them, hence the name.

Too bad I'm a few continents away from home because I'd love to see a Malaysian horror flick that's long overdue because of the recent restrictions imposed on Malaysian society, which I think is slowly being removed, maybe. I used to love watching the old black and white flicks on tv featuring the 'Orang Minyak' (literally means Oily Man) when I was a kid. Supernatural stories, be it books or movies were recently heavily censored by the Home Ministry but with the release of the movie, it looks like rational thoughts have prevailed.

I have only been away for almost 2 years now but judging from what I have been reading and hearing, there have been many recent changes. Some for the worse, some for the better. Whatever the changes are, it has to be gradual and not sudden. After all, the only constant is change.