Shadow Figure Said to Seize Over 100 at Malaysian School; Exorcists Summoned

KELANTAN, MALAYSIA — According to a post on r/HighStrangeness, a secondary school in Kelantan state, SMK Pengkalan Chepa 2, became the center of a nationally followed disturbance in April 2016, after a small group of students reported a black, shadowy figure in its toilets and hallways.

Local belief, the post says, soon tied the figure to the Pontianak, a vengeful female vampiric spirit of Malay folklore. Within days, those affected reportedly suffered paralysis in the limbs, uncontrollable screaming, fainting, pressure in the head, and the sensation of a heavy presence pinning them down.

The post notes that the outbreak was not confined to the young. At least 11 teachers are said to have reported the same symptoms. One described a great weight on her arm followed by dark flashes; another said a black entity tried to enter her body as her head swelled and went numb. In all, more than 100 people were reportedly affected.

School authorities suspended classes and, according to the post, summoned Islamic scholars and traditional healers known as bomohs, who led prayers, recited verses from the Koran and performed rituals meant to rid the grounds of djinns. The post says screams were nevertheless heard in classrooms after reopening, and that similar episodes briefly appeared at three neighboring schools.

Medical and social-science voices take a different view. The post cites Dr. Robert Bartholomew, among others, as describing a textbook case of mass psychogenic illness, in which stress in strict, high-pressure settings produces genuine physical symptoms. Critics, it adds, argued that calling in exorcists lent weight to the fear and prolonged it.

Faculty and local residents, the post says, remain convinced the grounds were truly haunted, speculating that students had offended resident spirits by littering on the old campus. The author leaves the question open: psychology amplified by culture, or something stranger.