The Painted Skin is a classic Chinese horror story written by Pu Songling in 1740. It tells the tale of a hapless scholar who falls for a gorgeous woman, only to find out she’s actually a demon wearing a skin suit—yikes. Naturally, he has to call in a Taoist priest for an exorcism.

The story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked desire and has become a staple phrase in Chinese for “evil in disguise.” Drawing from ancient zhiguai-chuanqi stories about shapeshifting women and monsters, The Painted Skin uses the skin itself as a creepy plot device, symbolising a thin barrier between the human and supernatural worlds.

Moral of the story: if they look too good, it's either an Instagram filter or a demon in a skin suit.

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