'What I want to do with my story is capture the reader’s attention from page one — get them so immersed that they forget they are reading', says Tunku Halim.
In Malaysia or Indonesia, it’s very rare to find someone who doesn’t believe in ghosts,” says writer Tunku Halim Tunku Abdullah. He explains that this spine-chilling category is such a popular genre in varying creative media across the world because “even those who don’t like horror have a fascination for it. Particularly in Malaysia, we have a very rich mythology like the pontianak, toyol, orang minyak, possession, black magic and all the other spirits. Even the educated believe in this stuff”.
Dubbed the Stephen King of Asia, Halim, 61, has produced a staggering number of works over the last three decades, delving into Malay myths, legends and folklore. “I don’t classify all my stories as horror. Some are psychological thrillers and paranormal romance. They can be called Asian Gothic,” he says.
“It’s just that when I started, I published two short-story collections of horror, followed by my debut novel. So then, I got put into this box — or coffin, if you will: When you think of the genre in Malaysia, you think of Tunku Halim.”
Reading law at the University of Sussex in the UK, he then worked as a legal counsel for some years before switching from precision to prose and devoting himself to crafting unsettling stories. “As a teenager, I always thought that being an author would be wonderful, but my mum had other ideas. She gave me the option of law, accounting or medicine. I chose law because it involved using words!”
Halim’s creative writing journey began with short descriptions of the eerie tales surrounding Kuala Lumpur’s Jalan Damansara, which links Bukit Damansara to Section 16 in Petaling Jaya. “I made notes about this scary winding road with jungle all around, and that became a story. I wrote a few more and I said, why not come out with a collection?”
Since then, he has made his mark in the niche market with titles such as The Rape of Martha Teoh & Other Chilling Stories, The Woman Who Grew Horns & Other Works, Gravedigger’s Kiss, Horror Stories and, most recently, My Lovely Skull & Other Skeletons.
The local trailblazer in the genre points out that scary films paint the category in a bad light, with narratives that follow typical, established formulas confirmed to elicit fear and anxiety in viewers. “I don’t like watching horror movies because, generally, they have a very low budget, hence affecting the plot and acting. They always have some woman going down into the cellar. The electricity is somehow not working but she has to go down anyway. Then she will be attacked by some spirit in the house. Yet, the family never leaves and just stays.”
According to him, these shows largely rely on shock and gore, but it is different for creative writing. “Writing has to be more sophisticated. You have to have a strong plot. What I want to do with my story is capture the reader’s attention from page one — get them so immersed that they forget they are reading. That is what I want to achieve.”
How does he ensure that he sends shivers down his readers’ spine and keeps them engaged, then? “There are many ways to draw people in. With any kind of story, there has to be some sort of problem that needs to be resolved. Mine is always associated with supernatural elements or something disturbing or fearful.”
Creative writing is like any other skill, he says. For dark fiction, the trick is to show, not tell. “For example, when you say ‘the door opened by itself and I felt frightened’, that is ‘telling’. But ‘the door opened by itself and I felt goose bumps’ is ‘showing’. So, when I say that, subconsciously, the reader will imagine what is happening and that will trigger the instinctive reaction. This is how you create tension and fear.”
While it is not possible to draw every chilling scene from his own experience — “very rarely does anything happen to me, so I use my imagination a lot” — Halim tends to map out a storyline just from being curious about a particular setting or situation he comes across.
He explains the inspiration behind one of the anthologies in his latest release. “I walked past this house quite often. It’s a typical bungalow but dilapidated, empty and falling apart, and no one looked after the garden, and so it looked like a jungle. I wondered, how come nobody lives here? Why doesn’t someone buy it and build a new house? One day, I saw an old woman in shabby clothes sitting just outside the front door. Right away, that sparked my imagination for a story called The Garden.”
When not working, Halim loves spending time outdoors. Walking, travelling and just doing activities that allow him to engage with the real world fuel his creativity. He also steers clear of social media as he thinks it is a major distraction and interrupts one’s ability to generate ideas. “I value my privacy above anything, but I also think [social media] is addictive and I do not want to get addicted to anything.
“For most people, social media is the default thing to do. As soon as they feel slightly bored, they pick up their phone and start to scroll through the different apps. So, there is no opportunity to be bored, but not doing anything is actually very important because that’s when I think about what to write or other things I want to do in my life.”
For the new generation of authors, however, having an online platform is almost like a requirement for their work to be considered for publishing, Halim acknowledges. It is unfortunate that it has come to this but boasting a strong social media presence demonstrates their “ability to sell”. For this veteran wordsmith, however — even with just a blog on WordPress, which he occasionally writes for — his opuses still make their way to the bookstores, and some are reissued with updates to suit the contemporary context.
For instance, Vermillion Eye, which is used as study material at the National University of Singapore, will be republished by Penguin Random House next month, 25 years after it was introduced. The story explores three distinctive characters in one compelling account of love, lust and vengeance.
“They wanted me to refresh the text and make it up-to-date. So, I had to bring in technology, which made a big difference to the story. In the original copy, my main character is a pimp based in Sydney. To get customers, he would go to the red-light district and approach passers-by. But that’s totally changed because Kings Cross is now gentrified. People want to move here, it’s a nice place to live. Pimps don’t go out looking for clients anymore; it’s all done online. So, I had to tweak some parts to take this into account.”
Vermillion Eye: 25th Anniversary Edition will be launched at the George Town Literary Festival next month with a new look to commemorate the shift in the literary scene over the last 30 years, where readers now indeed judge a book by its cover.
Given his years of experience in the field, Halim is praised as much as he is criticised. He is aware of both bouquets and brickbats but does not let that deter him from pursuing his passion. “I don’t write for fame and I don’t do it for money. I write for satisfaction and because it is a fulfilling thing to do,” he says.
His advice for aspiring authors: “Write because it is something you want to do. Don’t write with the purpose of getting published. If you do get published, that’s a huge bonus, but the joy is in the act of writing itself. It is also the cheapest hobby you can have because all you need is a pen and paper.”
This article first appeared on Oct 27, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
