Buzz
Often, structures like buildings, islands, and forests gain their eerie reputation from both their unsettling appearance and the horrifying tales tied to them. Take the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, for example, which once held slaves over 150 years ago and is infamous for stories of torture and executions. A 2001 article from a South African news site revealed that security guards at the castle were too frightened to patrol due to unexplained screams, ghostly voices, and phantom footsteps.
Such tales continue to draw the curious. The Castle of Good Hope is a highlight of Cape Town’s ghost tours, attracting crowds eager to witness its chilling aura firsthand. But what truly makes a place unsettling? Is it the historical events that occurred there, or does the knowledge of these events alter the atmosphere? Regardless, the following locations are guaranteed to send shivers down almost anyone’s spine.
10. Takakanonuma Greenland Amusement Park
While Japan is celebrated for its samurai swords, vibrant festivals, exquisite cuisine, and cutting-edge technology, it also has a darker side. From the controversial dolphin hunts to the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the nation has faced its share of tragedies. Additionally, it frequently endures devastating natural disasters like massive earthquakes and tsunamis.
Unsurprisingly, the island nation is also home to numerous eerie legends. One such tale revolves around the Takakanonuma Greenland amusement park in Fukushima, which was abandoned in the 1970s after operating for just two years. Whispers suggest that multiple fatalities occurred on its rides, while others claim the park shut down due to poor ticket sales caused by lack of interest.
The park briefly reopened in 1986 but closed permanently in 1999. Today, it sits forgotten in a dense forest. Nearly every photograph of the park captures it enveloped in a heavy mist, amplifying its eerie vibe. The images also reveal how nature is gradually reclaiming its territory, with vegetation creeping over the remnants of roller coasters and other attractions.
Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of this place is that, officially, it never existed. It doesn’t appear on any maps, and no official records or information about it can be found.
9. Cinco Saltos
The eerie spirits of Cinco Saltos, Rio Negro, Argentina, are believed to stem from dark rituals. One legend tells of a baby who drowned in Pellegrini Lake near Bajo Negro, a site notorious for witchcraft. It’s said that the ghost of the infant still lingers near the lake. Visitors have claimed to hear a child’s cries, yet no one has been able to locate where the sounds originate.
Tales of robed figures conducting mysterious ceremonies have also circulated, alongside sightings of UFOs in the vicinity. In 2009, the preserved body of a young girl was discovered in a cemetery, untouched by burial. Her remains had been placed in a box and stored in an ossuary since the 1930s. After this revelation, numerous witnesses reported seeing a ghostly figure wandering the cemetery grounds.
8. Dragsholm Castle
Dragsholm Castle in Zealand, Denmark, is another chilling fortress that sends shivers down visitors' spines. It’s rumored to be home to approximately 100 ghosts, including James Hepburn, the fourth Earl of Bothwell, a nobleman imprisoned there for five years until his death in 1576 or 1578. Driven mad by years of solitary confinement, his spectral figure is said to appear riding into the castle’s courtyard on horseback.
The castle is also haunted by tales of a Grey Lady and a White Lady. The White Lady’s story is particularly unsettling. She was the daughter of a former castle owner who fell in love with a commoner, a forbidden act in her time. Enraged, her father murdered her and concealed her body within a wall.
Today, the White Lady is said to roam the castle, trapped in her eternal prison. During plumbing renovations in the 1930s, workers reportedly uncovered a skeleton dressed in white within the walls, adding credibility to the haunting legend.
7. Pelabuhanratu
Nyai Roro Kidul, the daughter of King Prabu Silwangi and Princess Kadita, is a legendary figure in Indonesia known as the Princess of the South Sea (the Indian Ocean). Her story began when she leaped off a cliff into the ocean, either drowning or, as some versions claim, transforming into a sea goddess. It’s believed she haunts this part of the sea, and those who dare to swim there while wearing her favored color, green, risk being dragged underwater to their doom.
Kidul’s presence is also said to linger in Room 308 of the Samudra Beach Hotel in Pelabuhanratu (or Pelabuhan Ratu). Legend has it that Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president, ordered the room to remain open for her spirit. The room now serves as a shrine dedicated to the Princess of the South Sea, adorned with green furnishings, a green wardrobe, and numerous portraits of Kidul.
6. Mount Everest
Mount Everest stands as a breathtaking testament to nature’s grandeur, but it also serves as the final resting place for many climbers, including Andrew Irvine, who perished in 1924 during his summit attempt. Those who venture to climb the mountain may encounter Irvine’s spirit or one of the roughly 200 others who met similar fates. The sight of frozen climbers’ bodies along the route has been likened to walking through a morgue.
One of the most haunting tales is that of an unidentified climber, believed to be Tsewang Paljor, an Indian mountaineer who died on Everest in 1996. Known as Green Boots due to the distinctive footwear still on his feet, his body became a grim landmark for climbers ascending the north side of the mountain. Green Boots was reported missing in 2014 but was found again in 2017.
5. Quinta Da Juncosa
Quinta da Juncosa, an old farmhouse in Penafiel, Portugal, is said to be haunted by the Baron of Lages. Consumed by suspicion of his wife’s infidelity, the Baron tied her to a horse and terrified the animal, causing it to drag her to her death.
After discovering his wife’s innocence, the Baron, overwhelmed by guilt, killed his children and took his own life. His tormented spirit is often seen at Quinta da Juncosa, unable to move on, while his wife’s ghost also roams the grounds, eternally restless.
4. Akershus Fortress
Akershus Festning, or Akershus Castle, is a medieval stronghold constructed around 1300. It features dungeons, banquet halls, staterooms, and even a chapel. At one point, it also served as a prison.
Akershus is renowned as Norway’s most haunted site, with seven royals buried on its grounds. However, the tale of a demon dog guarding the fortress captures the most intrigue. Legend has it that a dog was buried alive at the entrance to transform into a vengeful spirit after death, tasked with protecting the area. The spectral hound reportedly terrified soldiers stationed there whenever it appeared.
Modern visitors to the fortress have also claimed sightings of Mantelgeisten, a faceless ghost of a woman dressed in a long robe.
3. Calcasieu Parish Courthouse
On November 28, 1942, Toni Jo Henry became the sole woman to face the electric chair in Louisiana. After aiding her husband’s jailbreak, she and an accomplice robbed, tortured, and killed Joseph P. Calloway, concealing his body in a haystack in Calcasieu Parish. Following three trials, Henry was sentenced to death. Before her execution, she shared a final conversation with her husband and appeared cheerful on her last day, only expressing dismay when her hair was cut.
Both visitors and staff at the Calcasieu Parish courthouse believe Henry’s ghost lingers there. Reports include unexplained electrical issues, the scent of burning hair mingled with cheap perfume, equipment activating on its own, flickering lights, and the eerie feeling of being watched. Some have even heard a distant woman’s voice, doors locking by themselves, and screams echoing through the stairwells.
2. The Reina Sofia Museum And The University Of Cordova
Originally a 17th-century hospital, Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum was once tended by churchgoers and religious figures. Today, visitors have reported sightings of ghostly nuns roaming its halls and hearing disembodied voices. Some even claim the elevators operate on their own, with no one pressing the buttons.
The museum isn’t Spain’s only eerie location. At the University of Cordova in Andalusia, the older section of one building is said to be haunted by spirits, including women who died during childbirth, deceased teachers, and the ghost of an irritable soldier who threatens anyone who disturbs him.
1. Hellingly Hospital
Opened in 1903 as a solution to the overcrowded Haywards Heat Asylum, the East Sussex County Asylum was later renamed Hellingly Hospital. It gained notoriety for its harsh treatment of patients, who endured painful procedures and frequent disease outbreaks due to poor health and safety standards.
After its closure in 1994, the hospital became a hotspot for both seasoned and amateur ghost hunters. Reports included loud footsteps echoing through the empty asylum, sudden feelings of sickness, mysterious mists filling rooms, cries of pain, and even instances of time distortion. The site was eventually demolished for a housing project, and the ghostly activity reportedly ceased soon after.
