Residents of a village in Thailand have taken to hanging red shirts outside their homes in an effort to fend off what they believe is a sinister spirit responsible for a series of mysterious deaths. The proverbial ghost panic reportedly erupted after a whopping 13 men in the community of Ban Tha Luang died over the course of the last three months.

Since the unfortunate individuals were seemingly healthy when they passed away, concerns began to spread throughout the village that their demise was due to a vengeful spirit. Specifically, it is suspected that the murderous apparition is the ghost of a widow who is roaming the streets and taking the lives of unsuspecting men.

When the thirteenth 'victim,' Boon-uan Baebphimai, was discovered dead in the middle of a road last week, many villagers became convinced that their community was being targeted by the spirit. As such, they turned to a traditional Thai method for protecting against malevolent ghosts: hanging a red shirt outside their homes.

Attached to the crimson clothing is a sheet of paper with a message warning families with only one son that they are particularly vulnerable to the widow's ghost. While it is likely a matter of personal belief as to whether or not the tactic will prove successful in avoiding the wrath of the spirit, one assumes that it has provided some peace of mind to those worried that they'll become the 14th victim of the evil apparition.