The Predominance of Female Ghost Characters in Indonesian Movies in the Period 2020-2025: Social Culture Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i1.8722Keywords:
Cultural Symbols; Female Ghost; Horror MoviesAbstract
This article examines the portrayal of female ghost characters in 30 Indonesian horror movies released between 2020 and 2025, analyzing their prevalence through the lens of Stuart Hall's theory of representation. A qualitative approach will be employed for the purpose of examination. The study posits that female ghosts serve as potent symbolic representations of social and cultural anxieties. A tripartite framework is used, focusing on the construction of language, images, and cultural symbols with the main analytical categories: gender norms, ritual practices, mythology, and spiritual beliefs. The data reveal that female ghosts are used to symbolise women who have been violated, betrayed, or forced to transgress established socio-cultural boundaries. The continued predominance of these figures reflects the horror genre's crucial function as a cultural tool for reflecting and regulating society's most deeply rooted gender ideologies.
References
Adielah, U., Subki, I. T., Saiba, E., Sukmana, O., & Sulistyaningsih, T. (2025). Representation of Women in Indonesian Horror Films: A Sociological Analysis Of Gender Towards Stereotypes and Objectification. Sosioedukasi, 14(4), 2814–2824. https://ejournal.unibabwi.ac.id/index.php/sosioedukasi/article/view/6543
Adiprasetio, J. (2023). Deconstructing Fear in Indonesian Cinema: Diachronic Analysis of Antagonist Representations in Half a Century of Indonesian Horror Films 1970-2020. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(2), 1–16. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2023.2268396?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Ancuta, K. (2020). The Waiting Woman as the Most Enduring Asian Ghost Heroine. Edinburgh University Press, 22(1), 81–97. https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/gothic.2020.0039
Annissa, L. W., & Adiprasetio, J. (2022). Ketimpangan Representasi Hantu Perempuan Pada Film Horor Indonesia Periode 1970-2019. ProTVF, 6(1), 21–42. https://jurnal.unpad.ac.id/protvf/article/view/36296
Apple, M. (2020). Culture, Identity, and Power. Educational Policy, 34(3), 548–554. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350290455_Culture_Identity_and_Power
Fa, J. L., Ningsih, D. L., Dwitama, W. R., & Taufiq, M. A. (2023). Language Style of Horror Movies and Audiences Psychological Response. Modality Journal, 3(2). https://ejournal.uinbukittinggi.ac.id/index.php/modality/article/view/8003
Febrian, S. J., & Salsabila, N. F. (2024, April 1). The Struggle Against Patriarchal Culture for Gender Equality in Indonesia. Modern Diplomacy. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/04/01/the-struggle-against-patriarchal-culture-for-gender-equality-in-indonesia/
Furwana, D., Muin, F. R., Zainuddin, A. A., & Mulyani, A. G. (2024). Unlocking the Potential: Exploring the Impact of Online Assessment in English Language Teaching. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 12(1), 653-662.
Haq, Z. U., Qureshi, A. W., & Khan, R. N. (2023). Terror or Horror: A Critical Analysis of the Effects of Transition in Horror on the Characters in the Selected Novels. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(12). https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/15414
Hendrwinata, S. K., Rasmi, N. K., Ayu, D. D., Ilma, D. R., Nahara, N. P., & Fawzy, D. (2024). Stereotipe Perempuan Dalam Poster Film Horor dari Era Tahun 1980 Sampai 2015: Analisis Wacana Kritis Sara Mills. Mediakom, 8(2), 165–183. https://ejurnal.unmuhjember.ac.id/index.php/mdk/article/view/3590
Isnaini, H. (2022). Citra Perempuan dalam Poster Film Horor Indonesia: Kajian Sastra Feminis. Dialektika: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra Dan Budaya, 9(2), 172–184. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f2ab/c9f45e7cb447eff73f0e3bb91a75dd4e3e22.pdf
Jones, D. (2021). Horror: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. https://academic.oup.com/book/33342
Khasanah, U. L., & Merina, B. (2024). Papuan Indigenous Women in a Patriarchal Culture: A Qualitative Study. Proceeding of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities Innovation, 1(1), 79–95. https://prosiding.appisi.or.id/index.php/ICSSHI
Landau, S. (2024). Passionate Women, Vengeful Spirits: Female Ghosts and the Japanese Gothic Mode. Manusya: Journal of Humanities, 1–23. https://brill.com/view/journals/mnya/27/1/article-p1_024.xml?srsltid=AfmBOoqPkwd_aTSvuPb4IKyPGbXiFyj17kPOXlYiSYzAaXekYgltCjHN
Lestari, P., & Sihombing, L. H. (2022). Between Profit and Quality; A Challenge of Indonesian Cinema. Kalijaga Journal of Communication, 4(1), 35–50. https://ejournal.uin-suka.ac.id/dakwah/kjc/article/view/2399#:~:text=Indonesian%20cinema%20should%20prioritize%20quality,critical%20to%20overcome%20those%20challenges.
Masruddin, M., & Nasriandi, N. (2022). Lexical and Syntactical Errors Performed by Junior High School Student in Writing Descriptive Text. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 10(1), 1094-1100.
Meng, X. (2024). Reflection and Reconstruction of Reality in Film Art. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 8(7), 1765–1770. https://www.hillpublisher.com/ArticleDetails/3611
Prastiwi, D. N. (2023). Potret Perempuan dalam Lakon Horor: Objektifikasi dan Misogini yang Mendarah Daging. Equilibrium. https://wartaeq.com/misogini-horor/
Rahmalina, R., Gunawan, W., Saifullah, A. R., & Haristiani, N. (2025). The Construction of Fear in Indonesian Contemporary Horror Films: A Multimodal Analysis. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1). https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/IJAL/article/view/76915
Ren, W. (2025). What is a Movie-Characteristics of Film Media in the New Technology Era. International Journal of Social Science and Education Research, 8(1), 60–64. https://bcpublication.org/index.php/IJOSSER/article/view/7681
Srilaksmi, I. A. A., & Damasemil, C. (2024). The Construction Reality of Women Image as Patriarchal Objects in Indonesian Horror Film. Journal Audience: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 7(1), 51–62. https://publikasi.dinus.ac.id/audience/article/view/9905
Wijaya, F. R., Puspita, V., Kenny, K., & Sedharta, B. O. (2025). Haunting Narratives: Female Entities and Gender Inequality in Indonesian Horror Films. Humanities & Social Science Communications, 12, 1–12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04815-x
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Alvita Nurliani, Olivia Aida Sabrina, Euis Meinawati
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access)
