August 2021 - Hauntu - Immersive Hauntu House

5 Lesser Known Facts about Witchcraft Killer – Mona Fandey

Most Malaysians recognise the name Mona Fandey, the person behind one of the most famous murder cases to grip the country. Made infamous by the gruesome murder of Datuk Mazlan Idris, a politician, Mona Fandey notoriously killed and dismembered his body into 18 parts along with her husband Nor Affendy Abdul Rahman and her assistant Juraimi Husin as part of a witchcraft ritual. Mona, who would live on in infamy, accurately predicted the immortalisation of her name. For some reason, “Mona Fandey” is once again trending on twitter more than 30 years after her crime. The images of her coldly smiling at cameras at time of her arrest, plastered across front pages of the newspapers still haunt us to this day. But who really was Mona Fandey? Who was the person behind the creepy smile? We put our investigative hats to work and dug up some lesser known facts about this stone cold killer.

1. Mona Fandey has a hit pop song.

Image credit: media.karousell.com

A person of genuine talent, Mona’s thirst for the spotlight began at a young age. When she was still a child, she was a water ballet dancer and was skilled enough to have her routines broadcast on television across the world. Her interest in the arts blossomed as she grew up, and Mona ventured into the music industry as a pop singer in her early twenties. It was during this time that she changed her name from Maznah Ismail to Mona Fandey. She had a music album called ‘Diana’ and did a few television appearances, one of which you can watch on Youtube. One of her most popular songs is “Ku Nyanyikan Lagu Ini” which is still easily streamable today.

2. She was a mother.

Image Credit – i0.wp.com

Besides having been married 3 times, Mona Fandey has 1 daughter and 2 step-sons from her third marriage to husband Mohd Affandi. It was clear that Mona loved her only biological daughter very much as can be seen in official documents of a statement made during her trial:

“My youngest daughter is my heart and soul. She is the light in my life” (The court wall clock showed 10.55am, Mona’s tears welling up as she told her daughter’s story). Yes, as a mother, and with you, your Honor, as a father yourself, surely you can understand the feelings of a mother. (wipes away tears with a handkerchief).”

Mona Fandey spent her last hours advising her biological and adopted children to grow up to be good people and also told her children “jaga diri baik-baik” (to take care of themselves well). A senior Prison officer said there was a lot of crying and hugging as the children spoke to their parents for the last time. 9 years after Mona’s death, one of her step-sons told the media how the 3 siblings had to live a life apart from society due to the rejection and stigma they faced almost everyday in their lives.

3. She was always smiling

Image credit – miro.medium.com

A quick google of her name and you will notice that Mona is smiling in almost every picture taken of her.

She famously smiled upon hearing her death sentence and said “I am happy and thank you to all Malaysians” . She was photographed smiling as usual as she was led from the court to prison. Some say that apart from being mentally-ill, she was obsessed about gaining superstar fame at any cost and that was why she was always smiling, even throughout the trials. They claim she was enjoying the attention, happy to be famous once again. However, it is also possible that her smiling demeanour was a coping mechanism that prevented her from breaking down in front of everyone. Then again, perhaps murderers lack the same emotional capacities as normal people. Whether she was doing it for the spotlight, or doing it as a response to the perverse interest of the public, we will never truly know.

4. She lived a very lavish lifestyle

Image credit – 3.bp.blogspot.com

Despite having a rather short stint in the music industry, she lived quite a lavish life, mostly with the money she made as a witch doctor. According to her trial statement, Mona Fandey owned a few houses and bungalows but didn’t like to stay at home. Instead, her and her husband loved to stay at hotels whenever they liked. She also had a collection of luxury cars including a Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and a Station Wagon. True to her diva nature, Mona loved to shop and paid to get a facelift done. In the 90s, these were high status and covetable items and habits and were by far not as common as they are today, a testament of her wealth that she made a point to display. True to her form, Mona wore expensive outfits to court each day as she stood trial, making sure she was always well dressed for the cameras.

5. She had a different, kinder side.

Image credit – assets.hmetro.com.my

According to Kajang prison officer, Seargent Azizah, who was stationed to guard Mona Fandey throughout her days in prison until the end, Mona was often seen performing the 5 compulsory prayers in Islam each day. She was also always reciting The Quran. According to the sergeant, Mona was friendly and would share cooking tips with her, and was forthcoming with stories about her children. Her ex husband, who is also a police officer, and her kids, swear by Mona’s character, claiming that deep down she was simply not a cruel person, as made evident in the statement, “She can’t even kill an ant. Even when she cleans the fish (during cooking) she cries, let alone dismembering a human being.” Perhaps there is more to Mona Fandey after all. According to some inmates that were at the prison during her stay, many unspeakable and mysterious things would happen while she was there. Perhaps Mona was just an ambitious woman who fell in way too deep with black magic and lost her way.

We all have many sides to us and so did Mona Fandey. Who she really was, in all facets of her personality, we will never truly know. However, there have been attempts at her portrayal in film and television. The movie “Dukun” is based on Mona Fandey and played by the famous Malaysian actress, Umie Aida. This film was made in 2006 and was planned to be released in 2007 but due to the controversial content of the film and protests by Mona Fandey’s family who voiced their dissatisfaction with the portrayal of events, the release was stopped. Only 12 years later was it given permission by FINAS (Malaysian Film Agency) for public release. Although there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty with regards to the actual events portrayed in the story, one thing remains true – her name is legendary until today. Mona’s famous final words before she was executed “I will never die” while smiling for the cameras would not be so creepy if it weren’t so true. Fun fact: Sarimah, a Hauntu character is often mistaken to be inspired by Mona Fandey due to similarities in costume and the ‘Bomoh’ ritual. Why don’t you be the judge of it and experience it yourself when we are allowed to reopen in the next national recovery phase?

6 Things to Avoid this Hungry Ghost Season

Let’s welcome the hungry ghost season. It’s the 7th month of the lunar calendar and that means, between August 8th to 22nd 2021, the veil that separates the material world from the spirit world is more porous than any other time of the year. In Chinese folklore, the Hungry Ghost Month sees Hungry Ghost spirits wandering into the human realm to feed. It is said that Hungry Ghosts are deceased spirits trapped in their own special hell of constant hunger, as a karmic consequence of their greed while alive. If you see paper or food offerings lining the roadside this month, do not be alarmed, they are offerings made by devoted Buddhists and Taoists to help feed the hungry ghosts who are only allowed into the human realm this time of the year. However, it is still wise to be on alert. According to Taoist tradition, there are 6 main taboos to absolutely avoid in the hungry ghost month. Ignore them at your peril.

1. Don’t turn your head

If you hear your FULL NAME being called at night from behind your back with no one around, it is likely a hungry ghost seeking attention. It is extremely important during Hungry Ghost festival to not turn your head to look behind you unless you want an overly keen ghost following you home. Indeed, nothing excites a ghost more than knowing you can see it, and many hauntings started simply when the ghost realised it could be seen. Once acknowledged, the ghost then latches onto the person and follows them around. To be on the safe side, don’t respond to your full name being called this month.

2. Don’t pick up random stuff used for Hungry Ghost Ritual on the street

photo credit – AirAsia

During Hungry Ghost Festival, Taoist devotees celebrate this festival by giving offerings to ghosts to earn merit. You may see them perform a hungry ghost ritual where they burn clothes and paper money in the street as well as leave food out for the wandering, hungry spirits. If you see coins or clothes or random items that look like they don’t belong on the street, don’t take it. It may have already been claimed by a hungry ghost and you stand to have that spirit follow you home! This is especially true for umbrellas as spirits love to hide in umbrellas. If you don’t quite fancy having a pet ghost at home, stay away from the burnt offering residue to avoid unnecessary trouble.

3. Swimming at night in Hungry Ghost Month

Photo credit – flickr

The older generation believes that swimming in the sea during the Hungry Ghost Festival is taboo. Back in the day, drowning at sea was much more common than it is today as fewer people could swim nor were there rescue services. Given the traumatic nature of ocean drownings, beings likely ended up stuck in limbo, unable to reincarnate into more peaceful or human realms due to the trauma of their deaths. These ocean ghosts look for human companions in the Hungry Ghost period. Swimming in the ocean especially at night in the seventh month of the lunar calendar may result in a “ghost pulling leg” situation by a spirit hungry for companionship.

4. Whistling at night

Photo credit- Buzzfeed

It is generally fortunate for us that ghosts and spirits tend to mind their own business until you do something to provoke them. Sometimes, something as innocent as whistling at night is enough provocation to elicit a reaction. In addition, nights are considered the darkest and most eerie time due to the strong Yin energy synonymous with sleep, death, the moon, and deep, hidden emotions. Beware or you may really cause trouble to yourself by attracting unwelcome beings of a darker Yin energetic imprint when you whistle at night.

5. Photo taking at night

Photo credit – Quora

While the intrepid ghost hunters amongst you might want to take advantage of the increased spirit activity and try to catch them on camera, most of us probably would rather not see or hear them. During the Hungry Ghost month, avoid photo taking or video recording especially at night as you may find yourself capturing more than you bargained for. Sure, a photo of a ghost might be harmless enough if an orb or shadow but there is always a chance you capture a mangled, sunken face as well. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

6. Avoid going out at night

Photo credit – Bloody Disgusting

This seventh month of the lunar year is definitely not made for the party animals and night owls. It is taboo to be out past 8 pm as you very likely will encounter a spirit. Depending on how observant one is, the decline in night time activity during the hungry ghost month is palpable in areas where there is a larger Taoist or Chinese Buddhist presence. As well, people are advised to follow their instincts when stopping to help others on the roadside this month. It is always better to call the police if your gut tells you not to stop. You don’t want these spirits to follow you home or to latch onto you. On the upside, these hauntings tend to be temporary and only apply to the 15 days of Hungry Ghost month. However, people have reported being ill for the entire hungry ghost period as a result of being careless and accidentally inviting spirit hauntings.

There are many lores, taboos, and superstitions surrounding Hungry Ghost month. While it may have a creepy name, this month is the only time deceased spirits who experience an eternity of hunger get to feed. As far as we know, no great harm comes to anyone who has encountered a Hungry Ghost beyond fleeting illnesses and their own personal anxiety, fear and panic responses. If you are the court trouble type, feel free to try out all the above. Similar encounters by these people, watch their video here.

BONUS: If you have a pet dog, pay attention to their behaviour this month as their exceptional hearing and smell can easily sense the presence of spirits. If you find your dog looking directly at a wall or into empty space, growling or barking, then you can confirm that something is present and it is most likely a Hungry Ghost spirit. There is no need to panic though, the ghost will likely continue wandering if you ignore him. If you feel like it, feel free to leave a little offering and send the spirit away with good wishes. That way, you are unlikely to be bothered again.