The Asian continent also has plenty of horror movies and TV series based on its culturally diverse urban legends. Unfortunately, there’s just far and few between when it comes to books. Luckily, I was able to dig up some gems that are written by Asians themselves. In this list, you’ll find horror stories based on urban legends: a white lady who is said to be haunting a street, scary college tales in India, a girl killed and thrown into a well, babies tossed in coin lockers, and urban legend ghosts in Southeast Asia. But before we get to them, just a note: I was only able to include books in English, specifically, ones from majority English-speaking countries such as India, Singapore, and the Philippines. I’m sure that there are more of these out there but that they aren’t available in English. Find below are eight urban-legend horror books by Asian authors. Get ready to be frightened by a different kind of horror this scare season! This terrifying mix of urban legend stories is sure to please horror seekers. This compilation is replete with urban legend creatures such nuno sa punso (dwarf), tikbalang (half-human, half-horse), and the white lady that haunts the Balete Drive. The story goes that this lady was murdered and her body was thrown near the premises, and so she haunts the place now. You might be familiar with this one already, too, as a Netflix TV series adaptation of Trese came out last year. “Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?” follows a girl with the same name who was a student at St. Brebeuf’s, somewhere in the Philippines. Anamaria was left alone at school when a gardener killed her and even hid her body. No one knows what happened to Anamaria until the gardener died and a storm felled a tree where her remains were hidden. “If you look at the roots of the tree at night you might see Anamaria’s face…If you stand in the Black Garden and stay absolutely silent you will hear her crying and calling for help,” the author writes. And if someone goes near her, she kills them. The Girl From the Well adds a little bit of twist. The book follows Okiku, also thrown down the well, as she kills criminals such as murderers and rapists. Everything changes when Okiku meets a boy who has attracted a powerful spirit. The book is divided into six short stories, and each features a unique horror element. Just this year, a complete edition of the book was released. Pontianak is a known urban legend ghost in three Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It’s somewhat similar to a white lady, but it’s one who died while pregnant or giving birth. Meanwhile, pocong is another urban legend ghost that is common in Indonesia. It’s a creature covered in white cloth, its face puffed with powder. The book borrows from this popular urban legend: Two boys are left at a bus station coin locker. However, they grow up to be orphans, harboring resentment against the women who abandoned them. The book is full of gore — a different level of horror.
