Woman in the Red Dress

In Taiwan, many terrifying stories are rooted in local folklore, and one of the most famous is the tale of the "Woman in the Red Dress." This eerie legend has been passed down through generations, with slight variations in each region, but its essence remains the same: a chilling encounter with a vengeful spirit.

The story begins one night when a young man was walking home along a secluded path. The path was surrounded by thick trees and looked harmless during the day, but at night, it became ominously quiet and unsettling. As he walked down the road, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a woman in a bright red dress standing at the other end of the path, slowly approaching him.

The woman’s face was pale, and her eyes seemed vacant and lifeless. She moved slowly, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the night, as if she had no intention of stopping. Despite the rising chill in the air, the young man continued to walk, pretending not to see her.

However, as the woman came closer, the young man suddenly heard her speak in a low, hollow voice: "Why won't you look at me?"

A wave of terror surged through him, but he kept his gaze forward, determined not to acknowledge her. But as he passed by her, a coldness washed over him, as if invisible hands were brushing against his skin. Unable to resist any longer, he turned his head to look at the woman.

What he saw made his blood run cold. Her face was empty—there were no eyes, only two dark, hollow voids where her eyes should have been. Her lips curled into an eerie, sinister smile, one that seemed to carry endless grief and anger.

Terrified, the young man turned and fled, but no matter how fast he ran, the woman in the red dress kept following him, her footsteps growing louder and louder. Exhausted, he stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to get up. The next day, villagers found him lying by the side of the path, his eyes empty, his face ashen, as if his life had been drained away.

From that day on, no one dared to walk that path at night. People said the Woman in the Red Dress still wandered there, waiting for the next unfortunate soul to cross her path.

This story serves as a warning to this day: some places, especially desolate, forgotten paths, hide more than just nature—they conceal unspeakable horrors.