'The Penanggalan of Seletar'

Do you recall Russell Lee's 'True Singapore Ghost Stories'? The first book was published in 1989, and till now, there're 25 of them. You must have read one or two books and remembered those stories passed around campfires and drinking sessions at chalets. Reading those books is my secret indulgence. Hahaha. I just like horror. Local horror is fun because it's so near home. And it always makes me wonder if I walk along quiet roads at night. The author 'Russell Lee' is somewhat of a mystery too. He writes under a pseudonym, and he shows up at book signings in a skin mask, blazer and a hat. 👽

On Youtube, we now have 'Ghost Maps' by HANTU. Supported by SingLit Station, the series follows the narrator Hariz Arthur Maloy as he tells us stories of the supernatural in Singapore and around Southeast Asia. So it's on Youtube, but the visuals in the clips contain nothing horrifying. You see empty streets, leaves, the moon and such, always in the night. But there's nothing going on visually. It's just a background to the narrative. HANTU is inspired by true stories recounted by various people, and records its stories like an audiobook on Youtube. It does require a fair bit of concentration to listen to the narration.

If this is up your alley, then happily listen to all. I waive all judgement on content or plot or whatever. They're just stories interwoven with local culture, folklore and heritage. The recent Entry #10 in the 'Ghost Maps' series is titled 'The Penanggalan of Seletar: True Southeast Asia Horror Stories.' Rizal and his buddies went off in search of good food, having heard about super spicy chicken wings and such (this would be Singaporeans in any city) in the Seletar area, off Jalan Kayu. Rizal drove, but he couldn't really find the way there. But they finally did. After that fun meal of "lots of laughs, lots of spicy wings and lots of milk to help with that spice", at 9pm, they drove off home and they got lost again, and it seemed as though "every turn seemed to be the wrong one". The drive wasn't fun anymore because it felt like "it always ended up in a dead end" in a forested area or in the middle of a construction site. 

The boys finally drove down a dirt road and ended up at another construction site. There was light in the distance, and front passenger Joey suggested going there to ask for help. Rizal wasn't sure- that didn't seem like a normal light. But they drove closer. Joey panicked and said they needed to go back. Rizal, in the driver's seat, couldn't see anything, but heeded his friend's suggestion and turned back.

However, Rizal noticed the light moving towards the car. Then Rizal saw what Joey had seen — "a woman's head with guts entangled around its spine, and nothing else." The creature saw the car and its occupants and was “snarling hungrily” at them. The car and its passengers drove off in a huge hurry. Rizal and Joey seemed to have been the only ones who saw anything. The other two in the backseat were totally bewildered. They managed to find their way out to the main road on Jalan Kayu, and the penanggalan (also known as 'hantu penanggal') didn't follow. 

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