With Halloween just around the corner, everything haunted is in trend!
Do ghosts really exist? The places listed below will certainly make think…
While some places are serene, some are downright scary! Surrounded by mystery and horrifying tales, these locations are famous for spooking out visitors since time unknown. So, for the upcoming Halloween, we present to you our top picks for the world’s scariest places.
1) Hoia-Baciu Forest
The trees are not the only weird thing about this forest; jhmoncrieff.com
Where? Cluj-Napoca, Romania
What’s Spooky?
Romania is a country of gloomy castles and grim fairytales, but nothing comes close to this eerie forest. Known as the “Bermuda Triangle” of Romania, this dense woodland is notorious for everything related to paranormal. Visitors and hikers have complained about experiencing anxiety, intense nausea, migraines, headaches, and mysterious rashes and burns. The ghostly nature of the forest has also been held responsible for affecting the animals and trees here. Hoia-Baciu forest rose to fame in the 1960s when two different photographers captured images of disc-shaped objects hovering above the forest.
2) Sedlec Ossuary
An inside view of the Sedlec Ossuary
Where? Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
What’s Spooky?
Sedlec Ossuary might seem like an ordinary medieval gothic church from the outside, but the inside is truly a work of art. That is if you consider decorating a church with 40,000 bones an art! This place is the brainchild of Frantisek Rint, a woodcarver who was hired by the House of Schwarzenberg to organize human bones at the ossuary. And what a job he did! Garlands made of skulls, six large bone pyramids, skull candle-holders and bone candle bars are some of the things that welcome you here. However, it’s the chapel’s centrepiece, which features a giant chandelier featuring at least one of every bone in the human body, which truly steals the show.
3) Eastern State Penitentiary
Countless souls are believed to be trapped in here
Where? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
What’s Spooky?
Believed to be haunted, Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous prison in the world. It housed notorious criminals like Al Capone who were thrown into solitary confinements. As a witness to more than 1,200 brutal deaths, this prison is considered to be a breeding ground of restless spirits who make their presence obvious via strange noises, footsteps in the yards, wails in the corridors, disembodied laughter and cold spots.
4) The Whaley House
Looks can be deceiving; Irina88w, Dreamstime.com
Where? San Diego, California
What’s Spooky?
Not a surprising entry on the list is – The Whaley house. Dubbed as the most haunted house in America, this 1857 building is haunted by a creepy little girl (a friend of the Whaley children), Thomas Whaley – the family head who committed suicide, and “Yankee Jim” a convict who was hung off a wagon in the exact spot where the house exists. Visitors to this house, which is now turned into a museum, have claimed to witness windows mysteriously fly open, the spirit of family head Thomas Whaley roam the upper landing, and a little girl in the dining room.
5) Edinburgh Castle And Mary King’s Close
The mighty, but haunted Edinburgh Castle
Where? Edinburgh, Scotland
What’s Spooky?
Ghost sightings at The Edinburg Castle is not uncommon. Tourists have spotted a headless drummer boy, French and American prisoners of war and phantom dogs wandering the pet cemetery. The tunes of the lost piper echoing off in the walls have also been heard. In 2001, a team of scientists conducted the largest ghost hunt ever in the castle wherein they spent ten days investigating. Their research reported paranormal activities like sudden drops of temperature and the feeling of people tugging at their clothes. However, Edinburg didn’t just earn the title of the most haunted city in Europe with just the castle! The Mary King’s Close, an alleyway beneath the City’s Chambers is reported to have been haunting the city from as early as the 17th century, when residents who had the plague were sealed into their homes and left to die.
6) Capuchin Catacombs
You can scream in 3..2..1….
Where? Sicily, Italy
What’s Spooky?
With remains of over 8,000 souls held here in open caskets slowly decomposing and rotting, this place certainly creates the perfect backdrop for a nightmare. Originally built as a cemetery for the Capuchin friars in the mid-1500s, this catacomb became the resting place for majority of the aristocrats in the 17th century. The cold and dry basement of the monastery is home to bodies as old as 400 years! The locals believed this natural mummification to be an act of God, so the corpses were hung from the catacomb walls like relics. Currently, five subterranean limestone corridors are lined with over 2,000 skeletons, each labeled with the name and date of death.
7) Tower Of London
Hidden inside are tales of torture and tragedy…
Where? England
What’s Spooky?
The massive white Tower of London has not only dominated the city’s landscape, but also history books and night time ghost stories. This tower is where most of the monarchs met their tragic end! Used as a prison for those convicted for treason, the tower has housed the likes of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, and the “Nine-Day Queen” Lady Jane Grey. While the Tower Green is home to the often spotted headless souls of these ladies, the Bloody Tower narrates the gruesome tale of the young sons of King Edward IV who were murdered on orders from their uncle. The Queen’s Tower is also reportedly haunted by Arbella Stuart, the cousin of James I who was imprisoned and later murdered here. It’s common to spot apparitions that fade into the walls and curtains at the infamous Tower of London.
8) Catacombs Of Paris
The city of Paris holds underground secrets
Where? Paris, France
What’s Spooky?
Who knew the city of love held an underground labyrinth full of remains of over six million Parisians? Back in the 18th century, when the overcrowded cemeteries posed a threat to public health, bones were moved underground to these catacombs. To get a rough idea about what lies in here, visitors are allowed to venture 130 steps down the chilly tunnels and crypts lined with human bones, and this is just the start of the 200 miles long passageway. So, next time you stroll along the streets of Paris, remember you might just be walking over a haunted tunnel filled with human bones.
9) Savoy Hotel
The Heritage Savoy Hotel remains haunted to this very day; Indiatvnews.com
Where? Mussoorie, India
What’s Spooky?
The beautiful hill station of Mussoorie is full of legends and tales, and some of them are quite eerie. One such horrifying tale has its origin in Mussoorie’s Savoy Hotel. Back during the British reign in 1911, a spiritualist named Frances Garnett-Orme stayed at this hotel and was found murdered under suspicious circumstances. Investigation revealed that she was poisoned. Her death ignited a series of mysterious and spooky incidents that have continued to this very day. The staff and the guests have complained about disturbing noises, and spotting a spirit in the lobby. Locals believe it’s the spirit of Frances that is still on a hunt for her murderer. This legend has found place in Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mysterious Affair at Styles’ and Ruskin Bond’s ‘In a Crystal Ball – A Mussoorie mystery.’
