Based on the Malaysian legend of the orang minyak, or oily man, a supernatural creature born of crude oil and fueled by vengefulness towards those who wronged him, the film is a highly fictionalized take on the myth by Shaw Brothers studios, combined with elements from Hollywood slashers popular in Asia at the time. There had been at least three Malaysian film versions of the story prior: a trilogy comprising Sumpah orang minyak (1956), Orang Minyak (1958) and Serangan Orang Minyak (1958). He would turn up again many years later in Orang minyak (2007) and Pontianak vs. Orang Minyak (2012), the latter pitting the oily man against another figure from Malay folklore, a vengeful ghost woman.