Yem

Inspired by a Malay legend about two friends whose relationship is tested by conflicting loyalties.

A village comes alive with fear when a nefarious ‘oily man’ terrorises women in the dead of night. At their wits end, the local police enlist the help of talented police inspector Dasuki to trap and end the oily man’s mischief. Orang Minyak was digitally restored by the Asian Film Archive in 2018 using a 16mm black & white composite release print from its collection.

Produced by Cathay-Keris, this omnibus of three stories (with different directors) was adapted from mystery tales featuring Detective Inspector Latiff (S. Roomai Noor), a character created Pelham Groom, a former British officer and genre writer who settled in Singapore. Latiff’s ‘Watson’ is a female Chinese forensic doctor (Mary Lim), and the first story 'Mud on Her Shoes' hinges on the romance between an English expat and a Malay woman. The second story is the titular 'Hantu Rimau'. The third tale ’Double Knock Out’, heralded as the first depiction of a local boxing match, was shot in Happy World (later renamed Gay World), one of the night-life amusement parks known as the ‘Worlds’. 'Mud on Her Shoes' directed by L. Krishnan, 'Hantu Rimau' directed by B.N. Rao, 'Double Knock Out' directed by S. Roomai Noor