Buzz
We're experiencing a retail crisis: the Retail Apocalypse. In the last twenty years, as online shopping has taken over, becoming the preferred method for most consumers in nearly every industry, brick-and-mortar stores are closing at an alarming rate. Malls, once bustling shopping destinations and social hangouts, have turned into vacant, derelict structures. These abandoned spaces are massive.
With hundreds of vacant storefronts and vast empty areas, these ghost malls have become magnets for criminals, the homeless, and reportedly even supernatural forces. As time passes, these decaying monuments to obsolescence continue to worsen, becoming sites for more illicit activity. Abandoned malls are undeniably eerie, and this list highlights ten of the most unsettling ones.
10. The Acropolis, Mexico City
The Acropolis was a shopping center located in the Naucalpan de Juárez suburb of Mexico City. It thrived during the late 1980s, but by the late 1990s, declining foot traffic led to its closure. Since then, it has remained abandoned. While many deserted malls share a similar atmosphere, the Acropolis stands out for its distinct and particularly unsettling aura.
The mall was built as a homage to Ancient Greek culture, as its name suggests. Upon entering, visitors passed through towering white Greek columns, designed to intentionally appear worn down, mimicking the real ruins. Inside, the theme continued with columns scattered throughout, open storefronts reminiscent of an agora, and stucco walls evoking Spartan homes straight from the film 300, all aiming to bring you closer to the feel of ancient ruins. This is what makes its current decay so unsettling: a space that once evoked ancient ruins is now becoming one. The juxtaposition of artificial aging and genuine decay serves as a striking reminder of impermanence.
9. Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center, Hawthorne
Hawthorne Plaza is situated in the city of Hawthorne, just outside Los Angeles (not New York). It operated from 1977 to 1999, but over the years, it fell victim to rising crime rates and an evolving economy. Since its closure, it has been repurposed as a film set—not for amateur student projects or YouTube shorts, but for major productions like Teen Wolf, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Despite occasional film use, the area remains mostly deserted, and over time, it has deteriorated significantly. Looters have stripped the mall of anything removable—plus some things that weren't. Much of the mall now lacks handrails, windows, or doors. Walls are caved in, and windows have been shattered. Staircases lead to nowhere, and as for the gaping holes in the floor—you might not want to ask where they lead.
8. Wayne Hills Mall, Wayne
The Wayne Hills Mall in Wayne, New Jersey, was in operation from 1973 to 2015, and during its remarkable 42 years, it became more than just a mall for the local community. A variety of articles and video essays about the mall describe it as a welcoming hub, a social gathering spot, and a particularly popular destination during Christmas. For many, memories of Wayne Hills are wrapped in warmth, nostalgia, and comfort. However, after its closure, it transformed into a literal nightmare.
The harsh New Jersey weather took a heavy toll on the mall, with wet, heavy snow eventually causing parts of the roof to collapse. As a result, the interior endured half the year plagued by flooding, ice, and snow accumulation. Mold and decay thrived during the warmer months, leading the Wayne Hills Mall to become a damp, deteriorating wasteland that appeared far older than its actual age, just before demolition.
7. Rolling Acres Mall, Akron
The abandoned Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio, became so hazardous that the mayor of Akron had to make a public appeal for people to avoid it. While the mall was open, it had already been a hotspot for violent crime, and conditions only worsened after it closed, which wasn’t much of a surprise considering the place was now empty.
The most infamous incident occurred in 1986 when the field behind the mall became the site of the brutal torture and murder of Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery. The shocking details of the case garnered nationwide attention. Alongside occasional thefts in the area, Rolling Acres developed a terrible reputation. This negative image is widely believed to have contributed to the mall’s closure. It seemed almost destined for ruin. After the mall shut its doors, the body of another murder victim was found there. As if that wasn’t enough, a man was fatally electrocuted and caught on fire while attempting to steal copper wiring inside, among other tragic events.
6. Randall Park Mall, North Randall
When Randall Park Mall opened in 1976 in North Randall, Ohio (what's going on with Ohio?), it claimed the title of the largest mall in the world. Between 2013 and 2015, just a few years after it closed in 2009, photographer Johnny Joo captured a series of haunting images that showed the mall’s dramatic decline.
Each photo tells a more sorrowful story than the last. Many of the images reflect the aftermath of rushed closures in the months following Christmas, such as a lonely Christmas tree still adorned with decorations, standing amidst a mess of mud, broken glass, and crumbling plaster in the center courtyard. Even more haunting is the now-iconic image of a single Christmas teddy bear, abandoned in front of a long stretch of decay and filth.
5. Old Town Mall, Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland, already has a reputation for being less than safe. When you add a 200-year-old outdoor mall the size of a neighborhood into the mix, you get a perfect combination of ghost town and crime hotspot.
Originally known as the Bel Air Market, Old Town Mall was constructed in 1818 and has a long history of decline and failed attempts at revitalization. By the 1980s, it had fallen into a state of disrepair, transforming into a dangerous wasteland with little to its name—unless you count the fact that its violent crime rate is about five times higher than the national average. Yikes.
4. Dixie Square Mall, Harvey
The Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois, operated from 1966 to 1978. After closing its doors for good, it gained fame as the setting for the iconic mid-mall car chase in the 1980 film Blues Brothers. Since then, it has deteriorated in a way that might surpass any other abandoned mall.
In the years following its closure, the mall became the subject of numerous national news reports highlighting the trespassing, vandalism, and theft that plagued the property. These reports documented its gradual decline more thoroughly than most, noting the exact moment the last window was shattered and when someone made off with its famous “Dixie” sign. Conditions only worsened from there; the mall was hit by two fires, and at least one brutal murder took place on the grounds. Honestly, this seems like one “historical” site that really should be erased from existence.
3. Metro North Mall, Kansas City
It’s nearly impossible to find a list of abandoned malls that doesn’t mention Metro North Mall in Kansas City, and for good reason. If there’s one authority on ghost malls, it’s photojournalist Seph Lawless, who has explored countless decaying buildings and published books documenting his discoveries. Lawless once told HuffPo, "The abandoned Metro North Mall in Kansas City is by far the creepiest place I’ve ever stepped foot in."
It’s hard to dispute that claim, and after seeing his photos, you wouldn’t want to. The mall is largely engulfed in darkness, with only a few rays of light piercing through the roof, illuminating areas that are yellowed, moldy, warped, and covered in graffiti. In truth, Metro North Mall no longer resembles a mall—it’s more like a creepy, forgotten, haunted asylum.
2. New World Mall, Bangkok
The New World Mall in Bangkok, Thailand, became infamous worldwide after its closure, as its story is unlike any other ghost mall in existence.
The mall shut down in 1997 after the Thai Supreme Court ruled that seven out of its eleven floors violated safety standards. Two years later, a fire caused its roof to collapse inward. As the rainwater flooded the lower floors, it became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. To combat this, locals introduced various fish species—tilapia, mango fish, carp, koi, and catfish—to eat the mosquito larvae. By the time it was drained in 2015, the mall had transformed into a vast lake filled with over 3,000 fish.
1. Gwinnett Place Mall, Duluth
Chances are, you’ve glimpsed the interior of Gwinnett Place Mall, even if you didn’t realize it. The now-abandoned mall served as the filming location for StarCourt Mall, the central hub in Stranger Things season three. Despite its prominent use in a widely popular show, the mall couldn’t escape its grim past.
Over the years, the deserted mall has been the site of a troubling array of crimes. A quick search through news reports reveals numerous incidents involving drugs, prostitution, and violent assaults. The most chilling event occurred in 2017, when Georgia State University student Silling Man was discovered murdered and left to rot in the back room of a Subway in the food court.
