🔮 Main Takeaway
Ding dong! Spooky season is here, and Southeast Asia doesn’t need to borrow its scares from Halloween. Most of us grew up with our own ghosts: the pocong, the pontianak or kuntilanak, the manananggal, the krasue. The region has a long tradition of supernatural storytelling, and this October’s horror releases show how stories familiar to local communities become terror on the big screen.
Behind the jump scares and eerie atmosphere, these films also say something about cultural identity, traditions and the fears that persist across the region.
📰 Why It’s on Our Radar
October means Halloween, and Halloween means horror. That makes it a good time to find a film that makes the weekend a little more spine-tingling. The four releases below come from four countries, and each has its own flavour of fear.
What sets them apart is that several draw on myths, supernatural beliefs and folklore rooted in local culture. So besides the thrill, you also get a look at the stories behind the terror.
One to note: Indonesian horror has long leaned on Javanese myths and beliefs. Pirunduk, from South Kalimantan, brings something less familiar even to many Indonesian viewers.
🎬 What’s Haunting Southeast Asian Cinemas?
Looking for something spooky to watch this weekend?
Here are some of Southeast Asia’s October horror releases to add to your watchlist.
Where Is My Head 2 - Cambodia 🇰🇭
Release: October 22, 2026
A writer investigating a ghost haunting a troubled film production uncovers a darker story: an actress seeking revenge. As strange things happen behind the scenes, the line between filmmaking and supernatural terror starts to blur.
The scare factor? A haunted production, restless spirits and a revenge-driven mystery. It follows Where Is My Head?, released in April 2024 by Cambodian horror specialist Sastra Film.
Pirunduk - Indonesia 🇮🇩
Release: October 22, 2026
Set in 1980s South Kalimantan and directed by Billy Christian, the film stars Aulia Sarah as Siti and Bucek Depp as Badarudin, the wealthy and harsh husband she is married off to in order to settle her father’s debt. Trapped in an abusive marriage, Siti turns to black magic to gain control over him. The path she chooses comes with dark consequences. Yoriko Angeline, who is from Banjarmasin herself, also stars as Ratih, a young wife and floating-market trader.
The scare factor? Revenge, black magic and supernatural terror. Pirunduk draws on Banjar mystical beliefs from South Kalimantan. In Banjar oral tradition, the name comes from a word meaning to bow or subdue. The production also uses jukung boats and a Banjar-style heritage building from 1928.
Giring - Malaysia 🇲🇾
Release: October 29, 2026
Directed by Marlin Malalin (also known as Marlin Brandon), who also wrote the original story, the Sabah-made film stars Rodih Madun as Golimas, alongside Adeline Tsen as Surronggo, Duncan Tubong as Joseph and Ray Redzuan Awang as Pagong. The cast also includes Tati Eliana Tonny and Bell Ngasri, a well-known Malaysian comedian and actor.
After his wife and daughter die under mysterious circumstances, Golimas refuses to accept the official explanation and starts investigating the deaths himself.
The scare factor? A dark mystery of supernatural horror set in Sabah in 1966. The film is rooted in a myth of the Bandau community in Kota Marudu, Sabah, about a traditional bell called “Giring” that is believed to summon spirits. It is produced by 7A Borneo Sdn Bhd. That’s just three years after Sabah joined the new Federation of Malaysia, so the film’s backdrop adds a layer of history to the story. Like Pirunduk, it brings a regional belief from Borneo to the screen, a side of Southeast Asian folklore many viewers haven’t seen on film before.
Mantsa (Stain) - Philippines 🇵🇭
Release: October 7, 2026
Not all horrors come from ghosts. Directed by Louie Ignacio, the film stars veteran actress Pilar Pilapil as Lola Pacita, alongside Gelli de Belen, Khai Flores and Shira Tweg, with Snooky Serna and Gelli’s sister Janice de Belen in special roles. Pilapil was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe in 1967. Mantsa is a psychological thriller about trauma, family secrets and painful realities that can be more frightening than anything supernatural.
The scare factor? Tension built around the things people would rather keep hidden. Instead of a traditional ghost story, the film looks at the horror in everyday life.
👻 Local Legends, Familiar Fears: What Makes Southeast Asian Horror Different?
Southeast Asian horror doesn’t follow a single formula, but each country weaves its own folklore, beliefs and social experiences into its stories. Four things make it worth watching:
🕯️ Rooted in local beliefs: Spirits, black magic and supernatural practices come straight from local belief, so the fear feels close to home.
🧠 Beyond ghosts: Trauma, family conflict, buried secrets and social pressure are just as frightening as any spirit.
📖 Stories passed down: Folklore and oral tradition carry tales from one generation to the next. Film introduces them to a much wider audience.
🌏 Different cultures, different fears: What terrifies one country may not mean the same elsewhere. A ghost your grandmother warned you about might get a shrug from a viewer in the next country. That diversity gives the region’s horror its character.
Southeast Asian horror is more than a pile of ghost stories. It shows how communities make sense of fear through belief, tradition and everyday life. Which of these would you watch first? Tell us which legend scared you most growing up.
🍿 Bottom Line
Halloween may be the peak season for horror, but Southeast Asia has plenty of spine-chilling tales that hold their own. From black magic to vengeful spirits, October’s lineup offers more than a thrill.
Behind every scare are the beliefs, traditions and cultural memories that shape how the region tells its stories.
🧩 Need More Angle?
A Companion to the Horror Film Sisterhood of Terror The Monstrous Feminine of Southeast Asian Horror Cinema
(DHM/ZIL/VBD)