
Orang Minyak
Also known as: Oily Man
A slippery, oil-coated humanoid that terrorizes Malaysian towns at night, impossible to catch or hold.
1960s
Peninsular Malaysia
Human-sized
Hostile, predatory
Periodic reports and panics
The Lore
The orang minyak, or 'oily man,' is an urban legend from Malaysia describing a naked humanoid figure coated in black, greasy oil who attacks people at night. Reports have surfaced periodically since the 1960s, often triggering local panics. Some accounts attribute supernatural origins, claiming the figure sold its soul for the ability to become invisible and slippery. Others suggest the orang minyak is simply a human criminal using oil to avoid capture. Multiple arrest claims have been made, but the legend persists.
Body Type
Folklore Origin
Media Appearances
- Orang Minyak (2007 film)
You might also like

Sigbin
MediumA blood-drinking creature from the Philippines that walks backward and hides in the shadows of its owner.

Aswang
HighThe Philippines' most feared shapeshifter hides as your neighbor by day and hunts as a beast by night.

Jenglot
UnknownA tiny, wizened mummy-like figure found across Indonesia, said to be alive and fed with human blood.

Gashadokuro
HighA towering skeleton formed from the bones of the unburied dead, rattling through the night to bite off heads.

Manananggal
HighA vampire that tears its own torso free and flies through the night on bat-like wings, trailing its entrails below.

Popobawa
HighZanzibar's most feared entity attacks at night and demands that victims tell others, or it returns.

Grafton Monster
UnknownA headless, pale giant spotted lumbering through a West Virginia town in 1964.

Ahool
MediumA giant bat with a 10-foot wingspan, screaming through the jungles of Java.