Kuntilanak ( Pontianak or Puntianak, or often abbreviated as kunti) is a ghost who is believed to have originated from a pregnant woman who died or a woman who died of childbirth and the child has not been born. The name "puntianak" stands for "dead woman beranak"
This myth is similar to the myth of the ghost langsuir known in Southeast Asia, especially in the Indonesian archipelago. Kuntilanak ghost myth has long been a common myth in Malaysia after being taken by immigrants from the archipelago.
Pontianak city got its name because it is said Abdurrahman Alkadrie, founder of Pontianak Sultanate, disturbed this ghost when will determine the palace establishment.
Generally, kuntilanak depicted as a beautiful woman with long hair and long shirt white color. In Malay folklore, kuntilanak figures are depicted in the form of beautiful women with hollow backs. Kuntilanak is portrayed as delighting to terrorize the villagers for retaliation. When Kuntilanak appears, it always followed with a smell of frangipani flower. It is said that men who are not careful can be killed after kuntilanak changed into a form of blood sucking. Kuntilanak is said to often emerge as a beautiful woman who walked alone on a quiet street. Therefore, this story may be aimed at avoiding women's groups rather than being harassed by youths who fear Kuntilanak when walking alone on a quiet street.
In horror stories and horror films on Malaysian television, kuntilanak is portrayed to kill prey by sucking blood on the back of the nape, like a vampire.
Somewhat different from the picture according to Malay tradition, kuntilanak according to Sundanese tradition do not have holes in the back. The type that has a hole in the back as described above is called Sundel Bolong. Kuntilanak is said to also like a certain tree as a place to "reside", for example waru that grows leaning to the side (popularly called "waru doyong").
