Taxi #45

The horror stories that we hear about taxicabs are those done by malefactors who abuse their passengers by overcharging, hold-up, and rape. But not this anecdote about Taxi #45 which is an urban myth from Davao City.

On a late night, a female hailed a cab to ferry her home. The moment she boarded the taxi she felt uneasy, something was off. To dismiss her anxiety, she engaged in a small talk with the driver so blah…blah until she noticed that there was no response. The driver just remained silent and unmoved.

Upon reaching home, she reached for the wallet to pay her fare. She handed over the money to the driver and was petrified to see his face was deformed with blood all over the body. She was aghast and immediately ran out of the vehicle. she turned around near her gate but the taxi was nowhere in sight.

The incident was reported to authorities but there was no record of Taxi #45 and the driver can’t be traced.

Source: https://expat.com.ph/

Haunted Kremlin

Apparently, Moscow’s Kremlin is haunted and former tsars and leaders still wander the corridors.It has been noted that apparitions of Nicholas the Second usually foreshadow impending disaster. Ivan the Terrible still lurks about too. He is occasionally spotted on the bell tower and people have reported that they have heard his footsteps. 

The story goes he can’t find peace even as a ghost because he killed his own son, a deed that still haunts him in his afterlife. Even Lenin has been sighted, although his spirit was seen by several people while he was alive, but unable to walk. He died three months after the sighting.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

Metro 2 – Tales of Moscow’s underground

Moscow’s vast metro is shrouded in urban legends and conspiracy theories. One suggests that the circle line was a happy accident that arose when Stalin put his coffee cup on the mass transit system’s plans. 

The cup stained, and on consideration the engineers thought a circle line would be a smart addition. Apparently there are huge radioactive rats that live in the metro tunnels too. One of the biggest legends, however, is that deep underneath the metro system that millions of Moscovites use each day is another metro system, even further down. 

Metro 2, as it is referred to, is said to be bigger than the other metro system and connects the Kremlin to the KGB headquarters to Moscow State University, to the government airport, as well as towns outside of Moscow.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

Why Verebinsky Bypass is also called the Tsar’s Finger

Some say the Verebinsky Bypass – the seemingly pointless, semi-circular detour on the otherwise straight train line between St. Petersburg and Moscow – can literally be traced back to Tsar Nicholas the First. Keeping in line with European development, the tsar decided to lay down train track to connect his nation’s first and second cities in the mid-1800s. 

Engineers on the project argued over the best route, and Nicholas the First grew frustrated at them. Apparently he seized the map and drew a straight line between the two cities and declared that that was where the tracks were to be laid. 

In autocratic imperial Russia, tsar’s word is law, and so the engineers went about building a railway path exactly how the tsar drew it: in a straight line, except for the little bump where the tsar had drawn over the tip of his finger in haste. Because of this, the bypass’s nickname is the Tsar’s Finger. In 2001 the kink was removed (150 years later).

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

The Monstrous Mongolian Death Worm

Rumored to exist in the rocky and unforgiving Gobi Desert, the Mongolian death worm is unquestionably one of China’s stranger cryptids. 

This nightmarish creature is allegedly red in color, somewhere between two and five feet long and as thick as a man’s arm. It should be noted that two to five feet is the most commonly stated length, though some sources suggest the animal can grow to much greater sizes. 

Sometimes referred to as the ‘intestine worm’ because of its ridged, intestine-like appearance, this cryptid is greatly feared by locals due to its highly toxic (or possibly acid-like) venom. According to local beliefs, the death worm has the ability to spray its venom from a reasonable distance and the substance is powerful enough to kill a camel or horse. 

Some tales assert the worm can also use electricity on hapless passersby. 

There have been numerous expeditions mounted to find the worm, including several that were filmed for television – including the popular mystery show Destination Truth in 2006-2007 – but all returned empty-handed. 

Read more at http://www.thatsmags.com/

Sau Mau Ping

This area of Kwun Tong district in Kowloon was a squatter village when a serious landslide took place in the early afternoon of June 18, 1972. In all, 71 people died, and many of those killed were children. 

The area was once referred to as “So Mo Ping” – in Cantonese, a “tomb-sweeping” place – as it had been the site of a cemetery during the second world war. 

 Officials later changed the area to its current name, conferring a new connotation of “nice and prosperous”. In fact, it is home to Sau Mau Ping Estate, one of the oldest public housing developments in Kwun Tong. 

Construction began in 1964, and it now has 18 residential blocks, providing 12,310 apartment units for more than 35,000 residents. Because of its tragic history, the nearby public hospital is often named as one of the most haunted places in Hong Kong.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/

The 'Haunted' Office Building in the Heart of Shenzhen

Vengeful, decades-old ghosts roam the hallways of Zhongyin Building, located near the heart of Shenzhen – or so the rumors say.

They’re blamed for the failures of Zhongyin’s businesses, said to have a preternaturally short lifespan. And at least online, an otherworldly influence is cited as the cause for the complex’s rock-bottom rent.

The ghosts haunting Zhongyin are said to date back to the bloody days of China’s Cultural Revolution, in the 60s and 70s, when the site of the building was allegedly used as an execution ground.

After Shenzhen’s founding and rapid development, some say developers decided to capitalize on the cursed plot of land, hiring a specialist for advice on putting its ghosts to rest. That’s how the office building ended up with two pointy towers that resemble candles, plastered over with auspicious, rose-tinted windows.

Zhongyin is, undoubtedly, an offensively pink monstrosity. But does it deserve its ghastly reputation?

Read more at http://www.thatsmags.com/

Tiu Keng Leng

Originally called “Diu Keng Leng”, or “hanging the neck hill” in Chinese, this is an area in Sai Kung district in the northeast New Territories.

First established on June 26, 1950, Tiu Keng Leng was once a refugee village that housed former Kuomintang officials and supporters who escaped from the mainland to avoid persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.

Fleeing by ferry from Mao Zedong’s newly established People’s Republic of China, 7,000 nationalist refugees arrived at the once abandoned place.

According to a long-time urban legend, the area was named after retired Canadian official Albert Herbert Rennie, who was said to have hanged himself in 1908. Another version states, however, that his failing business had prompted him to jump into the sea at Lei Yue Mun, located several kilometres away.

The earliest traceable name of the area was “Chiu Keng Leng”, or “ridge of mirror reflection” – derived by the Tanka residents, or boatpeople, who were inspired by the tranquillity of the adjacent waters.

The refugee encampment was shabby but self-sufficient with its own management and schooling system.

In 1961, the Hong Kong government declared Tiu Keng Leng a part of the Resettlement Department, thus allowing the then slum-like area to develop facilities and infrastructure. With its strong ties to the Taiwanese government, the area was sometimes referred to as ‘Little Taiwan’, and considered a stronghold against the spread of Communism during the cold war.

The original Tiu Keng Leng village was cleared before the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Residents were evicted to make space for developing the Tseung Kwan O New Town. There are also three old public housing estates in the area: Kin Ming Estate, Choi Ming Court and Shin Ming Estate.

In recent years the area has been redeveloped as a modern high-rise residential district. In 2006, Metro Town, a nine-tower, private housing estate was built atop the shopping mall podium and Tiu Keng Leng MTR station. Developed jointly by Cheung Kong Holdings, Nan Fung Group and the MTR Corporation, it provides about 3,700 private flats.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/

Bride’s Pool

In the warm light of day, this sun-dappled pool and waterfall located near Tai Mei Tuk in Plover Cove Country park paint quite the idyllic picture. However, when darkness and thunderstorms encroach, the once pleasant spot turns eerie.

According to legend, a bride was being carried in a sedan to meet her groom during a thunderstorm. But as the entourage passed by the water, one of the four porters slipped in the rain and the group was washed into the swollen pool, where the woman drowned due to her heavy clothing. Villagers were never able to recover her body or carriage. Until now, some have claimed to have seen a woman dressed in a red cheongsam brushing her hair at the nearby Mirror Pool.

Allegedly named after this tragically deceased bride, Bride’s Pool is thought to be one of the most haunted places in Hong Kong. Rumour has it the evil spirits of Bride’s Pool drag their victims into the water to ease their loneliness. It is believed the bride’s spirit constantly wanders the area, especially a section of winding road nicknamed “deadly curve”, where a number of fatal accidents have been reported.

In February, a car slammed into a tree on Bride’s Pool Road and exploded into flames. Last November, a 12-year-old boy was hospitalised after a biking accident on Bride’s Pool Nature Trail. As a result of these accidents and many more, the Civil Aid Service and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department included Bride’s Pool Waterfall on the city’s list of “black spots”, or high-risk locations. Still, the place remains popular among tourists and local residents alike for hiking, barbecues, and swimming.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/

Kuntilanak (Pontianak): ‘The Ghost of a Woman Who Died While Pregnant’

Indonesian folklore features a wide variety of tales about animist ghosts and spirits. The so-called ‘kuntilanak’ (or ‘pontianak’) is perhaps the most notorious of all. This mythical creature finds its origin in ancient Malay mythology, which describes the kuntilanak as a frightening female ghost. According to the traditional Indonesian animist belief system, the kuntilanak ghost is that of a woman who died whilst pregnant. A similar suggestion can be found in its alternative name pontianak, which is derived from pon (‘puan’, short for perempuan, meaning ‘a woman’), ti (short for mati, i.e. death’), anak (‘child’). Particular dwelling places of this kind of nature spirits are swamps, forests, banyan trees and banana trees.

Legend has it, that Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie (1771­–1808), the first sultan of the Pontianak Sultanate, supposedly reported he was haunted by a vengeful pontianak. The Pontianak Sultanate was built on the swamps along the west coast of Kalimantan. In Southeast Asian cultures, swamps are considered eerie places where nature spirits dwell. In spite of the local inhabitants’ advice to establish the sultanate elsewhere, the sultan remained indifferent towards the animist beliefs of the indigenous population of Kalimantan – the Dayak people. And thus, Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie fell victim to the pontianak. Due to this horrifying event the city was named Pontianak.

A kuntilanak or pontianak has the typical appearance of a ghost (e.g. a spiritual entity dressed in white). The female spirit’s face is covered by its long dark hair. However, it is also said, that a kuntilanak is able to transform in to an attractive lady. Though in fact the kuntilanak is a ghostly spirit, yet it can appear as if it is a real human being. Its human appearance is mainly characterized by female beauty. With its female physical attractiveness the kuntilanak attempts to seduce men. The reasons as to why the kuntilanak is after men remains a topic of debate. It is suggested, that in response to a violent death, the woman’s spirit is fueled by a burning desire for revenge against members of the opposite sex (i.e., men). In this way, then, a kuntilanak initiates retaliation on men because of the grievance of being unable to give birth to the child.

When the kuntilanak unveils its demonic nature it appears as a terrifying creature indeed. With its hands featuring unusually long, sharp nails the kuntilanak devours the body of its victim. In a desperate search for the unborn baby, the female ghost thus preys upon the male’s organs voraciously. Though the kuntilanak will only turn into a harmful ghost when the coffin nail is removed from the back of its neck or tip of the head, otherwise its appearance will remain like that of a most charming woman.

Since the kuntilanak generally is considered to be the ghost of a deceased person, it therefore makes sense that the spirit remains in a state of chaos and confusion after it died a violent death. Failure to recognize, understand, and accept its death caused the spirit to get stuck between this world and the next. Being trapped in an intermediate realm, the kuntilanak thus accumulates unwholesome karma through committing evil deeds. This accumulation of bad karma prevents the wandering spirit to pass on to the next life where it awaits a more fortunate rebirth. For this reason, dukuns and mystics often like to help these spirits accumulate merit and virtue so that they can proceed to the next life. Thus, when a violent death of a pregnant female has been reported, the next of kin often call a dukun for help in order to prevent the spirit of the deceased person turning into a kuntilanak.

The dukun will have to perform various sinister rituals at the grave of the deceased person. He will spend twenty-four hours at the cemetery grounds, where he engages in extensive acts of ritual worship whilst chanting various magic spells and invocations. Obviously, it requires great strength of mind and unwavering concentration to perform this ritual successfully, for the spirit of the deceased person will attempt to attack the dukun by whom it is invoked. Next, the dukun has to bind the vengeful spirit through recitation of powerful spells. Once the harmful ghost is subdued, the dukun expresses his intentions of good-will and explains that he wishes to help the spirit as an act of compassion. After the spirit has recognized the true intentions of the dukun, she will give the dukun permission to continue the ritual; the dukun may then proceed to extract bodily fluids from the corpse. This part of the ritual involves the use of a consecrated candle that will be used to burn the flesh of the chin of the female’s body with. The dripping fat from the burnt chin is collected in a tiny bottle.

Later, the content of the bottle is mixed with various other ingredients to enhance the mystical power of the oil. This oil is called minyak dagu, which literally means ‘chin oil’. In Thailand the oil is known as nam man prai (literally ‘spirit oil’). Minyak dagu is considered an extremely powerful magic item, which can be used for enchantment and seduction of the opposite sex. Since the kuntilanak has agreed to abide by the strict rules imposed by the dukun, the female spirit thereby is given the opportunity to perform meritorious deeds through serving human beings and to fulfill their wishes. Ultimately, through performing acts of good will, the kuntilanak accumulates good karma which allows the spirit to be reborn in a celestial realm.

Also, the kuntilanak is a popular theme in Indonesian and Malaysian horror movies. The first movie about this mythical creature was the Malaysian film ‘Anak Pontianak’, which was released in 1958. Then, in 1961, Indonesia followed with the movie called ‘Kuntilanak’. In the following years thereafter Malaysia produced another two pontianak movies (‘Pontianak Kembali’ and ‘Pontianak Gua Musang’ in 1963 and ’64 respectively). Indonesia would release their next kuntilanak movie in 1974, which again was titled ‘Kuntilanak’. Then it took another thirty years before a new movie about this female ghost was filmed; the Malaysian horror movie ‘Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam’ (2004). This movie became a great success, and thus it was soon followed by a sequel (‘Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2’) in 2005. In the same year Malaysia also released the first comedy horror movie about the pontianak (‘Pontianak Menjerit’). The revival of interest in the Malaysian pontianak soon took place in Indonesia, too. Hence, in 2006 another movie with the name ‘Kuntilanak’ was released. Since then, Indonesia has released another 8 movies dedicated to the popular folklore of kuntilanak. Considering the success, it is quite likely that Indonesia will continue to schedule future releases of kuntilanak horror movies. Though contemporary Indonesian horror movies may not always have a very original storyline, yet at the same time they serve as a powerful medium to preserve the general knowledge about Indonesia’s ancient animist beliefs related to ghosts and spirits.

Source: https://www.indomagic.com/

TOYOL OR TUYUL

Tuyuls are described as supernatural beings whose appearance is believed to look like a bald child, and tend to have childish behavior, supposedly not being very intelligent.

Particularly in Java, a popular belief circulates that one can "enslave" a Tuyul to do several things for his/her own benefit, such as stealing someone’s belonging or wealth. However, it doesn't come with a free price. The master (if the master is male, one of the female family/relatives) must "breastfeed" them in return of their services. If the master violates the rules, misfortunes will befall unto him/her and the family.

The Tuyuls are also believed as anxious beings, therefore they're always shown assembling in groups. To distract Tuyuls, one must put crabs on every corner of his/her house, since Tuyuls will play innocently with that animal instead of focusing on finishing their tasks that were given to them by their master. Some folktales add that green beans are also considered as effective item to distract Tuyuls.

A toyol or tuyul is an undead infant in South-East Asian folklore. It appears in the mythology of Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. It is invoked as a helper by shamans (dukun or bomoh) using black magic.

POCONG (Malaysia: Hantu Bungkus)

Origin

It’s considered a ghost of Indonesian origin, although it’s also known as Hantu Bungkus (The Wrapped Ghost) in Malaysia.

Appearance

The Pocong is commonly described as having a pale green, shrivelled and decaying face, with two deep empty holes where its eyes should be.

Shroud

Pocong is a word in the Indonesian dictionary, and what it refers to is essentially a cloth shroud that’s utilized to wrap a corpse before its timely burial.

In Muslim burials, the body would be tied in three places – over the head, around the neck and under the feet – after being enshrouded.

40 days

Legend dictates that a deceased person’s soul would linger on Earth for 40 days after their death. After these 40 days, the ties are supposed to be set free so that the soul could flee.

If the ties aren’t released, the corpse would take the form of the ghost we know as ‘Pocong’.

Hopper

Because the ties haven’t been untied from under the feet, the Pocong can’t actually move in the standard fashion. Instead, it hops along roads, barreling onward until it encounters some unlucky soul. It’s also capable of rolling on the ground.

Before you laugh at the ludicrous way in which it moves, consider that a single leap by a Pocong could stretch up to 50 whole meters. 50.

Hugs, anyone?

This is gonna sound insane, but folklore has suggested that you could become wealthy if you hug a Pocong. Supposedly it’s an extreme act of courage, and thereafter untying the knots (effectively releasing the soul) would cause the spirit to be grateful, and bless you with wealth.

Source: https://goodyfeed.com/

UVB-76 – The Buzzer

Since the 1970s, a phantom radio station has been broadcasting a mysterious buzz across its airwaves almost every other second. On top of this, every couple of months, a thick Russian accent recites the code U-V-B-7-6, and then the station resumes its buzzing again. The origins of the station, nicknamed The Buzzer, are unknown. Nobody knows who set it up or why it emits the buzz and code. Theorists believe the code could possibly relate to Russian military operations, nuclear war or atmospheric research.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

Russia’s royals aren’t dead

When the Bolsheviks captured the last tsar of Russia – Nicholas Romanov – and his family, they were given orders to execute all of them. 

Amid the Russian Revolution, the Romanovs faced the firing squad in July 1918, where their executors supposedly killed them, ending Russia’s royal lineage. By this stage the tsar had already abdicated the throne for both himself and his heir, Alexei, and was seeking political exile in the United Kingdom. 

His wife and four daughters had sewn jewellery and gems into their corsetry and undergarments to take with them, which in turn acted as a kind of armour. As the story goes, this ‘armour’ saved his youngest daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia, from death. This rumour was further exacerbated in Soviet times, when her body couldn’t be located and several women claimed to be the missing woman.

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

Anatoly Moskvin’s Parents Thought He Collected Vintage Dolls — They Were Really Young Mummified Girls

"We saw these dolls but we did not suspect there were dead bodies inside. We thought it was his hobby to make such big dolls and did not see anything wrong with it."

Anatoly Moskvin loved history. He spoke 13 languages, traveled extensively, taught at the college level, and was a journalist in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s fifth-largest city. Moskvin was also a self-proclaimed expert on cemeteries, and dubbed himself a “necropolyst.” One colleague called his work “priceless.”

Too bad Moskvin took his expertise to unhealthy new levels. In 2011, the historian was arrested after the bodies of 29 girls between the ages of three and 25 were found mummified in his apartment.

A Bizarre Ritual

Anatoly Moskvin was known as the ultimate expert on cemeteries in his city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. He attributes his obsession with the macabre to a 1979 incident when the historian was 13. Moskvin shared this story in Necrologies, a weekly publication dedicated to cemeteries and obituaries, to which he was an avid contributor.

In his last article for the publication, dated Oct. 26, 2011, Moskvin divulged how a group of men in black suits stopped him on the way home from school. They were en route to the funeral of 11-year-old Natasha Petrova and dragged young Anatoly along to her coffin where they forced him to kiss the girl’s corpse.

Moskvin wrote, “I kissed her once, then again, then again.” The girl’s grieving mother then put a wedding ring on Anatoly’s finger and a wedding ring on her dead daughter’s finger.

“My strange marriage with Natasha Petrova was useful,” Moskvin said in the article. Strange, indeed. He said it led to a belief in magic and ultimately, a fascination with the dead. Whether the story is even true is beside the point by now, as his disturbing thoughts would go unchecked for more than 30 years.

A Macabre Obsession Festers

Anatoly Moskvin’s interest in the corpse-kissing incident never abated. He began to wander through cemeteries as a schoolboy.

His macabre interest even informed his studies and Moskvin eventually earned an advanced degree in Celtic studies, a culture whose mythology often blurs the lines between life and death. The historian also mastered some 13 languages and was a many-times published scholar.

Meanwhile, Moskvin roamed from cemetery to cemetery. “I don’t think anyone in the city knows them better than I do,” he said of his extensive knowledge of the region’s dead. From 2005 to 2007, Moskvin claimed to have visited 752 cemeteries in Nizhny Novgorod.

He took detailed notes on each one and delved into the histories of those buried there. The hands-on historian claimed to have walked up to 20 miles per day, sometimes sleeping on hay bales and drinking rainwater from puddles.

Moskvin posted a documentary series of his travels and discoveries entitled “Great Walks Around Cemeteries” and “What the Dead Said”. These continue to be published in a weekly newspaper.

He even said he spent one night sleeping in a coffin ahead of a deceased person’s funeral. His observations were more than just observations, however.

Desecration of Graves

In 2009, locals began to discover the graves of their loved ones desecrated, sometimes completely dug up.

Russian Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Valery Gribakin told CNN that initially, “Our leading theory was that it was done by some extremist organizations. We decided to beef up our police units and set up … groups composed of our most experienced detectives who specialize in extremist crimes.”

But for nearly two years, the Interior Ministry’s leads went nowhere. Graves continued to be desecrated and no one knew why.

Then, a break in the investigation came following a terrorist attack at Domodedovo airport in Moscow in 2011. Shortly afterward, authorities heard reports of Muslim graves being desecrated in Nizhny Novgorod. Investigators were led to a cemetery where someone was painting over the pictures of dead Muslims but not damaging anything else.

This was where Moskvin was finally caught. Eight police officers went to his apartment after they apprehended him at the graves of the Muslims to gather evidence.

What they found there shocked them all — and shook the world.

Read more at https://allthatsinteresting.com/anatoly-moskvin

Mae Nak Phra Khanong (Thailand)

There once lived during the reign of King Mongkut (1851-1868) a beautiful girl named Nak, who was married to a man named Tid Mak. The love between Nak and Tid Mak bore fruit, and soon Nak was heavy with child. But as the Fates would have it, Tid Mak was called to serve in the Army, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife. While Tid Mak was away, Nak suffered a fatal complication while giving birth and died along with her child. But due to her deep love for her husband, Nak refused to cross over and instead remained as a ghost in their house.

When Tid Mak returned home, still blissfully unaware of his wife’s death, he found his beautiful wife and child waiting for him. Not wanting his husband to know of her deathly situation, Nak killed anyone who attempted to warn her husband that he was living with a ghost. And for a time they lived a life full of happiness and love, plus the occasional brutal death of nosy neighbors.

But Nak could not have it her way for long, as fate again intervened to stop her murdering shenanigans. One day, as Nak was preparing lunch for her husband, she accidentally dropped a lime off the porch. She quickly reached out to catch the lime, but in her haste she overstretched her arm, elongating it to inhuman proportions (apparently, Thai ghosts are like Mr. Fantastic). Unbeknownst to Nak, Tid Mak saw the whole thing and at last realized that Nak was a ghost. Fear gripped Tid Mak, who did not wantto spend his life hitched to a ghost. He fled their house that night and took refuge inside a holy temple so that Nak could not chase after him.

When Nak realized that Tid Mak had fled, her grief knew no bounds. Grief quickly turned to anger and she went on a murdering rampage. Her neighbors got the brunt of her wrath, and dozens died by her hands. Wanting nothing more to do with her, the neighbors hired an exorcist to lock her up in an earthenware jar (Asian Ghostbusters-style) and toss the jar over the canal. For years afterwards, the village was at peace.

But the story does not end there — several years later, someone accidentally fished out the jar from the canal and unwittingly released the ghost of Nak. The one who vanquished her this time was the famous Buddhist monk Somdej Toh, who imprisoned her spirit in the bone of her forehead and bound it on his waistband. The priest from The Exorcist should really take a lesson from this guy.

When Somdej Toh died, the relic was said to have passed on to the Royal Family to make sure Nak would not be released to do harm ever again. Imagine that — she has the Royal Family as jail wardens.

Source: https://www.toptenz.net/