The Revenge Of The Pontianak, a horror movie co-directed by Singaporean film-maker Glen Goei, has scored the highest-grossing weekend take of any Malay-language movie in recent years.

Since it opened last Thursday, the story of a ghost that haunts a village in the 1960s has grossed $256,000 as of Sunday. It opened across 24 screens.

The weekend take surpasses that of recent Malay-language titles such as Satan's Slaves (2017), Dukun (2018) and Hantu Kak Limah (2018), which are all horror titles.

Co-directed by Goei and Malaysian actor and director Gavin Yap, the film is a nostalgic update of the classic local movies of the 1960s, which are based on South-east Asian folk tales of dead women who return as ghouls, typically after dying while giving birth.

It stars Malaysian actors Nur Fazura in the title role and Remy Ishak as the male lead. Singaporean actors Shenty Feliziana and Hisyam Hamid play supporting characters.

The film will be released in Malaysian cinemas next Thursday.

John Lui