According to Malay legend, Orang Minyak is a creature that abducts young women by night.

Supposedly, the creature is able to climb

walls and grab victims while evading capture due to its slippery coating. According to some folklorists, the Orang Minyak has been
alternately described as appearing naked, or wearing "a black pair of swimming trunks". A number of stories describe the Orang Minyak
as a rapist that only targets virgins. The Orang Minyak has been traditionally blamed for rapes, beginning in the 1960s, and
superstitious Malay female students would attempt to ward off the creature by donning sweaty clothing "to give the appearance of
someone who had just been with a man".[2]
Some versions of the legend hold that the Orang Minyak is an evil human warlock rather than a supernatural creature. Science
writer Benjamin Radford described the tales as "rooted in myth and folklore" and characterized the creature's supposed abilities as
"implausible". According to Radford, "if a person actually covered himself that way, greasy hands and feet would make it difficult to turn
doorknobs or run around, not to mention crawl up the sides of buildings or grab a struggling captive". [1]
In one version of the legend, popularised in the 1956 film Sumpah Orang Minyak (The Curse of the Oily Man) directed by and starring P.
Ramlee, the Orang Minyak was a man who was cursed in an attempt to win back his love with magic. According to the story, the
devil offered to help the creature and give him powers of the black arts, but only if the Orang Minyak worshipped him and raped 21
virgins within a week. In another version, the creature is under control of an evil shaman or witch doctor.
Malaysian newspapers occasionally report claimed sightings of the Orang Minyak. In 2012, the residents in Kampung (Village)
Laksamana, in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia, claimed to have seen and heard the creature in the vicinity of the Pangsapuri Laksamana
and Jalan Laksamana.[3] Several years earlier, local newspapers carried sensational reports of a knife-welding rapist covered in oil,
ostensibly in imitation of the Orang Minyak.[4]

In popular culture[edit]
The legend has appeared in a number of films, including:

 Sumpah Orang Minyak (1956), directed by P. Ramlee

 Serangan Orang Minyak (1958), directed by L. Krishnan[5]

 Oily Maniac (1976), from the Shaw Brothers, directed by Meng Hua Ho

 Orang Minyak (2007)[6]

 Pontianak vs Orang Minyak (2012), directed by Afdlin Shauki[7]

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b Radford, Benjamin. "The Legendary 'Oily Man' Monster Terrorizes Malaysia". Live Science. Purch.
Retrieved 12 June 2018.

2. Jump up^ Ong, Charmaine. "Orang Minyak or "Oily Man"". USC Digital Folklore Archives. University of Southern
California. Retrieved 12 June 2018.

3. Jump up^ "'Oily man' strikes fear in Malaysian village residents". 2 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.

4. Jump up^ Bernama (November 16, 2005). "Orang Minyak Rapist On The Prowl At HKL". Malaysian National News
Agency :: Bernama. Kuala Lumpur. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2011.

5. Jump up^ Serangan Orang Minyak[permanent dead link] at Sinema Malaysia

6. Jump up^ Orang Minyak Archived 31 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine. at Sinema Malaysia

7. Jump up^ Pontianak vs Orang Minyak Archived 29 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. at Yahoo! Malaysia Movies