Ghosts Around The Globe

Author: Tan Sri Son

Asia

Japan

Yūrei – General term for ghosts, often seen in burial kimono.

Onryō – Vengeful female spirit, such as Oiwa.

Kuchisake-onna – The Slit-Mouthed Woman.

Gashadokuro – Giant skeleton spirit made from starved people’s bones.

China

Gui – Generic ghost or spirit.

Mogwai – Malevolent spirits or demons.

Nu Gui – Vengeful female ghost in red.

Hungry Ghosts – Tormented spirits from Buddhist tradition.

India

Chudail – Spirit of a woman who died with deep anguish or violence.

Bhoot – Common term for ghost.

Preta – Hungry ghost found in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.

Pishacha – Flesh-eating demon spirit.

Malaysia

Pontianak – Spirit of a woman who died during childbirth.

Toyol – Ghost child summoned to steal for its master.

Langsuir – Older and more dangerous version of the Pontianak.

Hantu Raya – A powerful servant ghost or demon.

Indonesia

Kuntilanak – Indonesian equivalent of Pontianak.

Pocong – Ghost in a burial shroud, hopping due to being tied.

Genderuwo – Hairy male demon spirit.

Leak – Balinese sorcerer spirit with a flying head.

Philippines

White Lady – Classic road-side haunting of a woman in white.

Kapre – Tree-dwelling giant spirit.

Tiyanak – Ghost baby that lures and attacks travelers.

Aswang – Shape-shifting creature, part vampire and part ghoul.

Thailand

Phi Tai Hong – Spirit of someone who died tragically.

Krasue – Floating woman’s head with trailing organs.

Mae Nak – Ghost of a woman who died in childbirth.

Phi Pop – Possessing ghost that eats organs.

Vietnam

Ma – General word for ghost.

Hồn ma nữ – Female ghosts, often tragic or vengeful.

Con ma đói – Hungry ghost.

Korea

Cheonyeo Gwishin – Virgin ghost dressed in white.

Munyeo Gwishin – Pregnant woman’s ghost.

Jangsanbeom – Shapeshifting ghost beast with human voice mimicry.

Europe

United Kingdom

Anne Boleyn’s Ghost – Said to haunt the Tower of London.

The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall – Famous ghost with photo evidence.

Black Shuck – Hellhound spirit of East Anglia.

Headless Horseman – Featured in English and Scottish legends.

Ireland

Banshee – Wailing spirit who heralds death.

Púca – Mischievous or ominous spirit.

Dullahan – Headless rider carrying his own head.

France

La Dame Blanche – White Lady ghost near roads and rivers.

Phantom of the Opera – Ghost figure from Parisian lore.

Ghost of Château de Brissac – “Green Lady” who haunts a castle.

Spain

La Santa Compaña – Nighttime procession of ghostly souls.

Duende – Trickster spirit or goblin.

El Silbón – Whistling ghost also found in Latin American folklore.

Russia

Rusalka – Female water ghost of drowned women.

Domovoi – House spirit who may protect or haunt.

Koschei – Undead villain figure in Slavic folklore.

Germany

Frau Perchta – Winter ghost who rewards or punishes.

Erlking – Malevolent spirit who preys on children.

Poltergeist – Noisy ghost associated with physical disturbances.

Americas

United States

Bell Witch – Spirit haunting a family in Tennessee.

Resurrection Mary – Vanishing hitchhiker near Chicago.

Bloody Mary – Mirror-summoned ghost legend.

The Flying Dutchman – Ghost ship seen at sea.

Mexico

La Llorona – Weeping ghost mother seeking her drowned children.

El Charro Negro – Ghostly horseman linked to vengeance or temptation.

Nahuales – Shape-shifting spirit beings from indigenous lore.

Brazil

Mulher de Branco – The White Lady, a tragic female ghost.

Caboclo D’água – River spirit guardian.

Corpo Seco – Undead man too evil for heaven or hell.

Canada

Grey Lady of Halifax – Resident ghost of the citadel.

Ghost Bride of Banff – Bride who died on her wedding day.

Fort Garry Ghost – Spirit sighted in a historic hotel.

Africa

Nigeria

Ogun Oru – Spirit possession during sleep or paralysis.

Mammy Water – Water spirit often portrayed as a mermaid.

Ekong – Ghost of vengeance tied to war.

South Africa

Tokoloshe – Mischievous and dangerous dwarf-like spirit.

Grey Lady of Uniondale – Female ghost who haunts a highway.

Water Ghosts – Spirits believed to lure people into drowning.

Oceania

Australia

Ghost of Fisher’s Ghost Creek – Famous haunting in Campbelltown.

Min Min Lights – Mysterious glowing lights in the Outback.

Quinkan – Aboriginal ancestral spirits linked to caves.

New Zealand

Taniwha – Mythical guardian or monster from Māori lore.

Wairua – Spirits of the deceased in Māori tradition.

Kēhua – General Māori term for ghosts.

Pontianak Of Perlis

Author: Tan Sri Son

The Midnight Passenger - Horror Story about the Pontianak of Perlis

In the silent heart of Perlis, where rubber plantations stretched endlessly into the night, an eerie stillness often blanketed the land. The villagers whispered of things best left undisturbed after dusk — stories of shadows that moved without wind, of cries heard from the treetops. Among the most feared of these tales was the story of the Pontianak — the vengeful spirit of a woman who died in childbirth, known to haunt men, appearing as a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and a scent of frangipani that turned rotten the closer she got.

Farid, a 26-year-old taxi driver from Kangar, never paid much attention to ghost stories. Practical and driven, he worked the graveyard shift, ferrying passengers between rural towns and villages. One late night in November, he was driving along a lonely stretch of road near Padang Besar after dropping off a passenger. The only light came from his headlights, cutting through the thick fog that curled around the trees.

As he passed a large, old banana tree — a plant often feared in Malay folklore — he noticed a woman standing by the roadside. She wore a white kebaya, her long black hair hiding much of her face. She seemed out of place, barefoot, yet elegant.

Out of courtesy and concern, Farid slowed down and rolled down his window.

"Kak, nak ke mana? Mau tumpang ke bandar?"

(Sister, where are you headed? Need a ride to town?)

She nodded slowly but said nothing. Silently, she entered the car and sat in the backseat. Farid glanced at the rearview mirror. For a moment, he thought her eyes were red — but when he looked again, she was just staring outside.

They drove for a while in silence. The air grew colder. Farid tried to strike up a conversation, but she didn’t respond. He noticed something strange — there was no reflection of her in the mirror.

His hands trembled slightly. Then, the sweet scent of frangipani filled the car. It became stronger, almost suffocating — until it suddenly turned rancid, like rotting flesh.

Farid’s heart pounded. He dared not turn around.

Suddenly, she whispered:

"Dia bunuh aku… waktu aku mengandung…"

(He killed me… when I was pregnant…)

Farid slammed the brakes. The car screeched to a halt. In the mirror, the woman was no longer there. But when he turned around, she was floating above the seat — her face now grotesque, eyes glowing, mouth stretching unnaturally wide with fangs like a beast. Her hair writhed like snakes, and a blood-curdling scream pierced the night.

The next morning, Farid's taxi was found abandoned by the roadside near the banana tree. He was discovered hours later in a ditch, shivering and incoherent, repeating the same words:

"Dia naik... dia naik... dia tak turun..."

(She got in... she got in... she never got out...)

Since then, no one dares to stop near that tree. Villagers tie red cloth around its trunk — a warning and a plea for the Pontianak to stay at peace.

To Be Continue............

Author: Tan Sri Son

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