Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on Malaysian urban legends. Since it’s October and all, we decided to add a tinge of local flavour to your Halloween plans. Stay tuned for Part Two. Enjoy! 😀
Until not so very long ago, legends, superstitions and old wives’ tales were still being told to inspire or scare children into acceptable behaviour. But in our highly urbanised world, we’d like to believe that we have intellectually evolved beyond such stories.
The lore or yore seems to have lost their allure for us, the educated folks of the post-modern era. We view such stories as out-dated nonsense, an echo from our primitive past.
But as quickly as post-modern societies have abandoned the tales of the past, new folklore – urban legends – have risen in their place. And just as traditional tales tapped into the fears rooted in traditional beliefs, urban legends tap into fears related to the modern living.
Many urban legends warn of horrific crimes, contaminated foods, supernatural phenomena or other situations which would affect society.
Ironically, despite the pride we take in the enlightenment of the modern world, there seems to be a primal fear in us that continues to drive us to share these cautionary tales. Perhaps the human psyche that is so firmly rooted in the sensational, the grotesque and the supernatural that it can never be erased.
Perhaps it springs from a genetically-ingrained tribalism, where we need to warn “our people” of a certain danger, in order for the community to survive.
But my guess is, urban legends are popular simply because they strike that perfect balance of the shocking, the sensational and the unverified – the exact ingredients of gossip.
Malaysia has its fair share of urban legends. But some are definitely scarier than your run-of-the-mill crime or computer virus alerts. Here, are some of Malaysia’s creepiest urban legends.
We can’t tell all the different versions of these stories that are out there, so we present to you the most compelling versions we’ve heard of. (Please note, we are not endorsing any of these stories, nor do we necessarily believe in them.)
1. THE MYSTERIOUS TAXI PASSENGER
The story is often told of a taxi driver who was working the night shift. As he drove through the quiet city roads, the dashboard clock slowly counted down to midnight. Suddenly, he saw a beautiful young woman standing at the corner of a traffic light junction. She had long black hair and was dressed in a flowing white dress.
He stopped his cab to ask if she needed a ride. The young lady turned slowly to stare at him. Then she got into the cab without a word. As soon as she entered the car, the taxi driver was hit with a strong scent of jasmine flowers. When he asked where she wanted to go, the girl simply handed him a piece of paper. On it was written a number and the name of a road.
The taxi driver was not familiar with the location and asked the girl if she could help direct him. She nodded silently. However, the young lady did not say a single word throughout the ride, only nodding her head to indicate when the taxi driver had taken the correct course.
At last, they found the road, which was situated well away from the city center. It was narrow – just enough for one car to pass – and dark, as there were no working streetlights. It was now almost midnight and a light mist had formed, making it difficult to see along the road. As the taxi driver inched forward carefully, he tried to make out the addresses on the houses on his left and right. To his growing horror, there were no houses in sight – just endless rows of grave stones!
He broke out in a cold sweat and the back of his neck prickled. Not daring to look into his rear view mirror now, he nervously asked the young lady if this was really where she wanted to go. There was no answer from the back seat. As he slowly guided his cab through the darkness, he desperately hoped that there was a house somewhere ahead where the girl lived.
At last, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He dared not turn around but simply stopped the car. He heard the rustle of money and felt the girl hand him the cash. He took the money in his shaking hand and stuck it in the ashtray compartment without counting it. He heard the rear door open and close. Then he sped off down the dark, winding road and headed straight home without a glance behind.
The next morning, curiosity got the better of him and he returned to the place where he had dropped the young lady. It was indeed a vast cemetery, sliced through by the narrow road he had driven along the night before. He found the lot number that the girl had given him. Chills seeped into his bones when he saw the woman’s picture staring back at him from a fresh gravestone. As he got back into the cab, he remembered the money in the ashtray. To his horror, it was all Chinese hell notes! He threw it out of the cab and sped away.
Later, he found out that that a girl had died the week before in a horrible accident at the very junction he had picked her up from. It was a hit and run, and it happened at around midnight. The driver was never caught.
2. WHAT’S THAT LUMP IN THE HOTEL BED?
A group of college friends planned a weekend trip to a popular highland resort in Malaysia during their semester break. Being smart college kids, they booked only one twin sharing room. They figured they could cram at least 4 people into a room with 2 single beds. All they had to do was pull down the mattresses from the divans and, “voila!” – 4 beds!
The day came and they excitedly caught the bus up to the highlands. When they reached the hotel, they quickly dumped their backpacks in the room and proceeded to check out the attractions at the resort. They spent the afternoon thoroughly enjoying themselves. As evening approached, they decided to return to their hotel room for a rest before heading out for dinner.
As they took turns showering, some of them lazed on the beds. One of the friends complained that his bed felt lumpy, but they decided not to complain to the hotel management because they were over-occupying the room.
After dinner, they proceeded to check out the nightlife. It was close to midnight when they decided to knock off for the night. Returning to their room, they got ready for bed. But when they pulled the mattresses off the beds, they got the shock of their life!
To their horror, they discovered a corpse of a woman sandwiched between the mattress and divan of one of the beds! In a panic, they immediately called the hotel management. Keen to avoid any negative publicity that would affect their business, the hotel management paid off the kids handsomely to keep quiet.
3. THE YELLOW VOLKSWAGEN OF KARAK HIGHWAY
The Karak Highway is widely regarded to be extremely haunted. This is due to its dubious reputation of having the highest accident rate in the country. Whether it’s ghosts creating the accidents or the accidents creating the ghosts, it’s a question that can never be satisfactorily answered. Amidst the general feeling of hauntedness surrounding this highway, there are several supernatural stories that stand out.
Among them are the reported sightings of a mysterious yellow Volkswagen driving along the highway. You can only see this Volkswagen at night, and if you do see it – be extra careful. Otherwise, you may become another accident statistic – or worse!
The story goes that if you encounter this yellow Volkswagen, it will be blocking your lane. It would be moving very slowly, forcing you to overtake it. Once you have overtaken it, you will notice that a short while later, your headlights will show that you are approaching a yellow Volkswagen that is being driven very slowly. If you overtake it again, a short while later you will see that you are approaching a yellow Volkswagen that is being driven very slowly – again!
And if you look closely enough, you would see that there is actually nobody in the driver’s seat! Most motorists are warned to not overtake the car or it will keep appearing in front of you. Although, sometimes when you are overtaking it, the little car will speed up and disappear into the darkness.
4. JANET’S GHOST
There are many variations to the story of Janet’s Ghost, with incredibly vast differences in detail. But all of them involve a female apparition who haunts Kuching. It goes something like this.
Janet is said to have been a young Chinese nurse in Kuching’s public hospital. She is said to have disappeared around the late 60’s. At that time, kidnappings were rampant in Kuching and the disappearances were believed to be linked to the construction of the Satok bridge.
If construction of the bridge was held up for any reason, it meant that the territorial spirits were displeased. Human sacrifices would have to be made to appease them. Virgin girls were preferred and only their heads would be used. The usual method was to decapitate the victims and embed their heads in the concrete pillars. This is believed to be the fate that befell Janet.
Janet’s headless body was eventually found in a culvert, Her grieving parents buried her in a red dress and red shoes. The Chinese believe that if a woman died wearing red, she would return as a vengeful spirit. Perhaps her parents intended for Janet to return and exact justice on her killers.
Then the sightings began. Terrified villagers living at the outskirts of Kuching city reported seeing a mysterious woman dressed in red, trying to attract the attention of the menfolk. It is often reported that Janet would hitch a ride with motorcyclists, but at the end of the ride she would disappear, leaving behind a stain left on the seat that had the stench of rotting flesh.
There are also frequent stories of a red-clad woman catching a ferry to cross the Sarawak River. Once she reaches the other side, the woman disappears and the money paid turns into leaves or Chinese hell notes. Because of this, ferry operators will not work after 10pm, even to this day. A woman in red is also frequently sighted wandering around the Kuching public hospital.
Janet’s Ghost is so feared that residents of Kuching to refuse to even mention her name for fear of getting a visit from her at night.
