GHOSTS POPULARIZED: A TRANSNATIONAL STUDY OF INDONESIAN AND AMERICAN HORROR FILMS
Abstract
As a type of horror film widely watched by people in both Indonesia and the United States, ghost-themed movies contain a wealth of information that can be gleaned through research. Indonesian culture, which has various ghost myths, makes the discussion on ghosts interesting and useful, particularly if it is also linked to the transnational perspective. This descriptive research focuses on analyzing ghost characters in Indonesian and American horror films to identify portraits associated with ghosts in Indonesian horror films and to examine the changes occurring in American ghost movies from a transnational perspective. The study incorporated Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach to interpret ghost characters in Indonesian horror movies selected by using the purposive sampling technique to gather the data based on the specific themes needed in the study. The result showed that ghost portraits in Indonesian horror films could signify anger, vengefulness, as well as solitude. Apart from that, by using a transnational perspective to study the phenomena of ghost films in Indonesia and the US, this study found that American ghost movies have developed an American version of ghost characters, and there was a similar pattern – the idea of possession and haunted houses in Indonesian and American ghost films.
Downloads
References
Adi, I. R. (2011). Fiksi Populer: Teori dan Metode Kajian. Penerbit Pustaka Pelajar.
Adziz, A. C. A., Hashim, R., & Mustafa, H. (2022). The Influence of Psychology in Supernatural Beliefs through Enjoyment in Watching Horror Movies. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 7(48), 536–561. https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.748041
Agustiningsih, D. D., & Rostiyati, A. (2019). Kontruksi Perempuan dalam Film Hantu Sundel Bolong. Jurnal Penelitian Sejarah dan Budaya, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.36424/jpsb.v5i1.25
Auerbach, N. (2004). Ghosts OF Ghosts. Victorian Literature and Culture, 32(1), 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1017/S106015030400049X
Barret, L. F., & Barret, D. J. (2016). What Do Ghost Feel? Emotion in the Afterlife. Association for Psychological Science, 29(8), 22–24.
Bissell, S. (2017). The Ghost Story and Science. In The Routledge Handbook to the Ghost Story (pp. 40–48). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315644417-4
Campoli, A. (2015). A Ghostly Feminine Melancholy: Representing Decay and Experiencing Loss in Thai Horror Films. Plaridel, 12(1), 14–35.
Cherry, M. (2023). Feeling Revengeful. Passion: Journal of the European Philosophical Society for the Study of Emotions, 1(1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.59123/passion.v1i1.12633
Clemen, G. D. B. (2004). Ghastly Ghost!. Genoa: Black Cat Publishing.
Cohen, E. (2008). What is Spirit Possession? Defining, Comparing, and Explaining Two Possession Forms. Ethnos, 73(1), 101–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/00141840801927558
Febrina, D. P. (2017). Hybridity in Popular Culture: a Transnational Analysis of American Adaptations of Japanese Movies in 21st Century. Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies, 4(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v4i1.47857
Goldstein, D. E., Grider, S. A., & Thomas, J. B. (2007). Ghosts in Contemporary Folklore. In Haunting Experiences. Utah State University Press.
Griffin, E. (2012). A First Look at Communication Theory. Mc Graw Hill.
Huang, X. (2019). Different Understanding: Tibetan Ghost Culture in the Eyes of “The Other.” Bulletin Social-Economic and Humanitarian Research, 4(6), 77–85. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3592557
Ironside, R. (2018). The Allure of Dark Tourism Legend Tripping and Ghost Seeking in Dark Places. In The Supernatural in Society, Culture and History (pp. 95–115). Temple University Press. https://tupress.temple.edu/book20000000009554
Jin, D. Y., & Yi, H. (2020). Transnationality of Popular Culture in the Korean Wave. Korea Journal, 60(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.25024/kj.2020.60.1.5
Jung, S. (2019). Loving ‘it’- Explaining the Motivation for Horror Movie Consumption. Proceeding of the European Marketing Academy. https://doi.org/https://proceedings.emac-online.org/pdfs/A2019-9755.pdf
Keener, C. S. (2010). Spirit Possession as a Cross-cultural Experience. Bulletin for Biblical Research, 20(2), 215–236.
Kirana, D. C. (2012). Reception Studies on Feeling of Risk and Vulnerability For Horror Movie Audience. International Conference on Indonesian Studies: “Unity, Diversity and Future,” 203–212. https://icssis.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/09102012-17.pdf
Kurniawan, Y. (2023). Mistikasi dalam Urban Legend: Film Horor di Indonesia Pasca Orde. Jurnal Ceteris Paribus, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.25077/jcp.v2i1.19
Lakonawa, P. (2013). Agama dan Pembentukan Cara Pandang Serta Perilaku Hidup Masyarakat. Humaniora, 4(2), 790. https://doi.org/10.21512/humaniora.v4i2.3507
Lauser, A. (2016). Ghost Movies, the Makers, and their Audiences: Andrea Lauser in Conversation with the Filmmakers Katarzyna Ancuta and Solarsin Ngoenwichit from Thailand and Mattie Do from Laos. In Ghost Movies in Southeast Asia and Beyond (pp. 256–279). BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004323643_013
Lilek, B. (2020). Horrors of Society: The Reflection of Soietal Fears in American Horror Films. Digital Literature Review, 7, 125–135. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33043/DLR.7.0.%p
Luniar, S. S., & Febriana, P. (2022). The Kuntilanak Image in Mangkujiwo Movie: Roland Barthes Semiotics Analysis. Indonesian Journal of Cultural and Community Development, 11. https://doi.org/10.21070/ijccd2022774
Martin, G. N. (2019). (Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02298
McGraw, J. G. (1995). Loneliness, Its Nature and Forms: An Existential Perspective. Man and World, 28, 43–64.
Meliala, D. S. S., & Bezaleel, M. (2016). Analisis Film Horor Indonesia Produksi Tahun 2014 (Studi Kasus: Mall Klender dan Kamar 207). ANDHARUPA: Jurnal Desain Komunikasi Visual & Multimedia, 2(01), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.33633/andharupa.v2i01.979
Novaco, R. W. (2016). Anger. In Stress: Concepts, Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior (pp. 285–292). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800951-2.00035-2
Obilor, E. I. (2023). convenience and Purposive Sampling Techniques: Are They the Same? International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research, 11(1), 1–7.
Oktavianus, H. (2015). Penerimaan Penonton terhadap Praktek Eksorsis di dalam Film Conjuring. Jurnal E-Komunikasi, 3(2), 1-12. https://publication.petra.ac.id/index.php/ilmu-.
Pandoan, T. (2015). Spirit Possession in Buddhism. In Spirit Possession around the World: Possession, Communion, and Demon Expulsion Across Cultures (pp. 54–62). ABC-CLO. https://www.abc-clo.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A426C
Paquet-Deyris, A.-M. (2012). The Mechanics of Fear: Organic Haunted Houses in American Cinema. Transatlantica, 1. https://doi.org/10.4000/transatlantica.5988
Paranta, V., Alfarabi, A., & Vuspa, E. (2023). Citra Perempuan Sebagai Objek dalam Film Horor. Syntax Literate ; Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia, 8(5), 3309–3320. https://doi.org/10.36418/syntax-literate.v8i5.11877
Pasmawati, H. (2018). Fenomena Gangguan Kesurupan (Dalam Perspektif Islam dan Psikologi). EL-AFKAR : Jurnal Pemikiran Keislaman Dan Tafsir Hadis, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.29300/jpkth.v7i1.1244
Perlman, D., & Peplau, L. A. (1998). Loneliness. In Encyclopedia of Mental Health. Academia Press. https://peplau.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2017/07/Perlman-peplau-98.pdf
Permana, K. S. A. (2014). Analisis Genre Film Horor Indonesia dalam Film Jelangkung (2001). commonline DEPARTEMEN KOMUNIKASI, 3(3), 559–573.
Potegal, M., & Novaco, R. W. (2010). A Brief History of Anger. In International Handbook of Anger (pp. 9–24). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-89676-2_2
Prawiranauli, N., A, A. I., & Wahjudianata, M. (2018). Stereotipe Perempuan Indonesia dalam film horror “Pengabdi Setan.” Jurnal E-Komunikasi, 6(2).
Prohászková, V. (2012). the Genre of Horror. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(4), 132–142. https://www.aijcrnet.com/journals/Vol_2_N0_4April_2012/1.pdf
Puglise, C. (2020). What Does a House Want? Exploring Sentient Houses in Supernatural Literature. Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural, 9(2), 299–326. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/765255
Rudy. (2025). Understanding the Concept of Exorcism: An Analysis of the Horror Film Kuasa Gela (2024). Jurnal IdeBahasa, 7 (1), 56-67.
Scheiding, O. (2019). Worlding America and Transnational American Studies. In The Routledge Companion to Transnational American Studies (pp. 41–50). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315163932-4
Scrivner, C., Andersen, M. M., Schjødt, U., & Clasen, M. (2023). The Psychological Benefits of Scary Play in Three Types of Horror Fans. Journal of Media Psychology, 35(2), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000354
Setyaningsih, T. W. (2023). Rekreasi Ketakutan: Sebuah Kajian Menonton Film Horror Masa Pasca Pandemik. Jurnal IMAJI: Film, Fotografi, Televisi, Dan Media Baru, 14(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52290/i.v14i1.00
Szulc, Ł. (2022). Culture is transnational. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779221131349
van Doorn, J., Zeelenberg, M., & Breugelmans, S. M. (2014). Anger and Prosocial Behavior. Emotion Review, 6(3), 261–268. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073914523794
Vittrup, S. (2022). Why Do We Enjoy Scary Movies? Leviathan: Interdisciplinary Journal in English, 8. https://doi.org/10.7146/lev82022132076
Volkan, K. (2020). Encounter with the Demonic: Western, Eastern, and Object Relations Approach. Psychology, 11(9), 1454–1470. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4236/psych2020.119092
Widiyanto, I. F. (2018). PSYCHIATRIC OR DEMONIC DISORDER? Jurnal Abdiel: Khazanah Pemikiran Teologi, Pendidikan Agama Kristen Dan Musik Gereja, 2(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.37368/ja.v2i1.58
Yusof, A. M., Hashim, R. S., Yusof, N., & Harris Satkunananthan, A. (2017). Unravelling the Family-based Haunted House Film Patterns in Malaysian and American Haunted House Films. 3L The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 23(4), 170–183. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2304-13
