Orang Minyak, meaning “oily man” in Malay, is a supposed ghost in the Malay culture. Orang Minyak is believed to be a man who was cursed after his attempt to win his love back with magic. The “oily man” is characterised by the grease on his naked body, which makes him hard to catch or see.

It is believed that the Orang Minyak can be found in several Malaysian towns and is infamous for raping young women. There is one version of this folklore which saw the Orang Minyak worshipping the devil in order to attain powers of the black arts. In order to do so, he had to rape 21 virgins within a week. In another version, the Orang Minyak is invisible to the non-virgins. This has led to a mass panic among unmarried women, causing them to wear sweaty shirts to give the impression to the Orang Minyak that they are with a man.

The popularity of the Orang Minyak has created a number of films that are based on this folklore. One such film is “Sumpah Orang Minyak” (The Curse of the Oily Man). Over the years, however, reputed sightings of the Orang Minyak have reduced. There was a possibility that the legend was used to cover up actual rapes that surfaced.