Paranormal experiences are not an unknown affair. Every religion or culture speaks about good and evil, God and Satan, blessed and cursed. There are many locations all around the world that are said to be possessed by something unexplained or mysterious. If you do not believe in spirits and haunted mansions, I assure you after reading this article – you will start having faith in these phantom creatures.
Following are the Top 10 terrifying places that can be found on earth. The countdown is backed by the history of true ghost stories that make them world’s scariest places of all times.
10. Spittalfields/Whitechapel, East London, England
The Spittalfields/Whitechapel area of East London was commercially growing during Middle Ages. It mostly consisted of wealthy moneylenders that were either Jewish or Anglos. The town grew as such that it seemed like an exact replica of cities found in classic Shakespearian plays. But like there is other side to every coin – poverty too prevailed in Whitechapel that consisted of poor prostitutes, thieves and soldiers.
In 1888, East London saw some brutal murders that left whole world shocked and stunned at sadistic tortures. Five prostitutes namely – Mary Nicholls, Catherine Eddowes, Elizabeth Stride, Annie Chapman and May Kelly were found horribly disfigured and mutilated. All these murders happened in period of four months, often described as “Autumn of Terror”. The most astonishing fact about these incidents is that no one could ever find out who did such nasty crimes. The murderer, infamously named as “Jack the Ripper” remained a mystery forever.
Today, the residents of Whitechapel experience many unusual sensations and eerie feelings a lot of times. Many believed that Jack’s disfigured victims still roam the streets. Some have seen a ghostly black carriage that disappears as you blink your eyes. You can even hear the marching of dead Roman soldiers making this Spittalfields 10th most terrifying place.
9. Bran Castle, Walachia, Transylvania, Romania
This fortress was owned by Vlad Dracula. The castle was used to torture the Turkish prisoners and kill them slowly. Famously known as Vlad the impaler, Dracula was known to have sadistic pleasure in tormenting his captives. Although he enjoyed his power and imposed his gruesome punishments on Turks, Vlad and his family faced a tragic end.
After Turks surrounded the fort, Dracula tried to escape with his son tied to his back. But unfortunately, his son fell on the way and died on the spot. His wife also killed herself by jumping off a tower. It is believed that Vlad escaped through a secret tunnel and vanished into the mountains. Legends say that he still haunts the castle and the surrounding mountains. Many of the visitors had good share of paranormal experiences inside the prison. It is believed that the tortured souls still wander the dungeons of the castle trying to escape from their tortured deaths making Bran Castle the 9th most horrific location of world.
8. Coliseum, Rome, Italy
In Caesar’s rule, Coliseum was an amusement zone for Roman citizens. But the operations carried on this very ground were nothing but lust for gore and blood. Thousands of people sat around this field as audience while Gladiators fought against each other in, what can be described as most inhuman fights. Many religious culprits were punished to death as their flesh was torn apart by hungry tigers and lions while everyone watched in amazement and in spirit of entertainment. This monument was also used to kill animals for sports events. Below the Coliseum, there are secret vaults that kept the prisoners for life till they died.
Even today, as you pass by this evil shrine you can feel the peculiar numbness. Many visitors have experienced cold spots, unseen push and even whispers! You may be able to hear clashing weapons or animals like lions roaring. Unknown apparitions around the sitting area are quite common. Many have even sighted a ghostly guard at night time.
With such history of bloodshed and deaths, there is no doubt why Coliseum seems to be haunted and possessed by something unknown.
7. Underground Vaults, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The underground vaults of Edinburgh have its own spooky tales to tell. In olden times around 1980’s, they were used by the traders as store rooms to keep their goods. But due to excessive humidity, they soon were abandoned. They also served as home for poor and starving. But with outbreak of diseases and plague, the residents caught the sickness which resulted in their rotting death.
These cells are supposed to be very haunted. The activities evidenced here are far more active and alive than in any other place. People have actually come back with bruises, scratches and feeling of nausea that resulted in out of control vomiting. In fact, the intensity of these actions is so strong that the famous “Most Wanted” crew did not return back to these haunted vaults voluntarily. Most of the pictures taken inside the vaults have unexplained entities in them. Many tests have been performed here in order to explain the unanswerable but no test has been able to explain such kind of disturbance and supernormal phenomena making these Edinburgh Vaults not just haunted but also a hazardous to all those who make visit out of curiosity.
6. Haunted Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
According to the legends, during the Civil War of 1863 that took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania soldiers saw a ghost apparition of a person who looked exactly like George Washington on a white stallion. Although they almost lost the battle, the unexplained phenomenon urged them to the victory. It is believed that even today George Washington’s ghost roams the war field on his horse. The place where this war took place is not a pleasing sight. Many soldiers faced early death while fighting for their country. Although it appears now that they do not want the living to forget them or that historic event in anyway.
Whoever has toured the battlefield, has felt chills and great amount of uneasiness. There are regular reports by visitors of evidencing a ghostly apparitions or heart wrenching moan of a dead soldier. You can even hear sounds of cannons and rifle fire as if the civil war is still on – only invisible! The paranormal activity is not confined to the battlefield. Gettysburg’s streets have their own stories to tell. The house of Jenny Wade, a civilian who became victim of this combat is said to haunt her house in Gettysburg even today. You can even feel the chills of invisible sentry of the gatehouse of the National Cemetery. You can hear the footsteps and the eerie feeling in all its form.
There are popular walking tours that guarantee you some unforgettable experience when you are in haunted Gettysburg. You can stay in the rest house that was formerly the hospital that treated the soldiers. There are good chances that you will be sharing your room with “something not friendly”. For the tragic history and its serious aftermath that has left even science confused – Haunted Gettysburg is 6th scariest place that can be found on earth.
5. Unit 731 Experimentation Camp, Harbin, Manchuria, China
Nothing can be more gruesome and inhuman than what Japanese performed which can only be referred as torture from hell. In the Unit 731, something deadly was happening everyday. After Japan took over Manchuria at the beginning of World War II, civilians were made to face their worst nightmares. The doctors performed cruel experiments that ended with 3000 dead prisoners and rest of 2,50,000 of them were subjected to biological warfare experiments. They were injected with diseases like cholera, anthrax, even bubonic plague. They treated the prisoners as non-living beings and called them “logs”. They even performed surgeries on them without providing them anesthesia. The whole town suffered a tragic end and was tormented to death. Frost bite and live bombs experiments were quite common. After testing on their subjects, the doctors left undead tormented logs on the railway tracks to end their sufferings.
Having such a horrifying past, Unit 731 is meant to leave one stunned. For many decades, reports of unusual activities in various parts of Unit have been told. It is believed that a ghostly figure roams the frostbite units. Weird noises and sounds can be heard and orb like images appear in the photographs taken. The old channel quarters has its own set of spirited experiences. When BBC television was filming a documentary, crew members experienced unusual difficulty with their lights – a valid proof of ghostly existence. It is observed that these activities have increased which can only mean that these unfortunates are becoming more and more impatient for justice as the time is passing by.
4. Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Oswiecim, Poland
During Hitler reign, Auschwitz-Birkenau was used as an extermination centre in 1940s. This camp had poisonous gas chambers that were used to kill large number of people in 20 minutes. It is believed that around 2.5 million Jews, Poles, Gypsies were poisoned to death in these cells. After their deaths, valuables like jewelry, watches were snatched from their bodies. Then the corpses were taken to crematoria ovens or sometimes even burned openly! These chambers had capacity of 4420 people.
This mass-murder factory is now open for paid tours. But whoever have entered these chambers have unique feeling of depression. Some even break down in terror without any reasonable excuse. Some leave their tour groups before completing their expedition. To this day, area surrounding this camp has not developed in its natural form. All you find is deadly silence. People have experienced chills and intense amount of gloominess at certain corners of the cell. Reports say that people are often “touched” by unseen hands. It is believed that a visitor even felt someone whispering words “Please and leave” in her ears!
There are various photographs that reveal there is something unusual happening in these death chambers. Considering all these evidences, it is pretty clear that Auschwitz-Birkenau is at least not a friendly place to visit.
3. Aokigahara Forest, Japan
This Japanese forest is often referred as “One of the Seven Gates to Hell”. Also known as Sea of Trees, Aokigahara is a forest found at the base of Mt Fuji. It is also a suicide point for many. Almost 500 suicides occur in this place every year! The residents of the area believe that there is high intensity paranormal behavior found in this area and the woods are possessed by monsters, goblins, and beasts.
Due to the creepy legends, the woods are popular among tourists. Many even try to go for expedition inside the woods but they never return back. It is believed that deposition of iron inside the forest grounds hampers the settings of compass making the visitors loose their way out of this deadly forbidden land. Even those who have got back from the forest – the lucky ones – describe these jungles as arena that has no human contact and a field of high supernatural activities. The only human connection in this deep forest is found in decomposed dead bodies. Many have encountered ghost apparitions of the dead. The photographs have certain paranormal element in them too. Devices like EVP have shown a great amount of paranormal effects on them.
Innumerable deaths and a lot of mysteries surrounding Aokigahara Forest has made it 3rd most terrifying place.
2. Greyfriar Kirk Grave, Edinburgh, Scotland
We all know that graveyards are creepy places known to have some ghost stories attached to them. Well, Greyfriar Kirkyard is considered to be scariest cemetery in entire world. This graveyard situated in Scotland has been named after Greyfriars Bobby, a loyal dog who guarded his master’s tomb for 17 years till he died.
The graveyard has been in news for paranormal activities for a long time now. The regular stench while passing the area and the cold spots are experienced by many. At night, people have even heard screams from the graves and frequent weird noises.
The famous “Mckenzie Poltergeist” is said to hurt many visitors. Many people are often bruised, pinched and bitten while they are at certain areas of graveyard. Strange sensations are also felt. A school boy who hid in the cemetery to escape from the beating of his teacher is believed to have lost his mind. Many people have even got injuries without having any recollection of how they got it.
Greyfriar Kirkyard seems to be a land of those that are neither living nor dead. It may sound fascinating for some, but this place is surely not safe considering the consequences of it on many.
1. Catacombs, Paris, France
As Paris city grew rapidly in its population in olden times, the increasing shortage of land was evidenced by its citizens. So the ancient architects and engineers came up with a solution. They decided to demolish the cemeteries and thereby extend the city. That led to skeletons and bones of dead being shifted to an underground place called Catacombs. Catacombs, which is often called as “Empire of the Dead” is the spookiest place that can be found in our world and is No.1 on our list.
This place is highly depressing. After all, the feeling of hundreds of bones and skulls with empty eye sockets staring at you is not pleasing sight. If lucky, you can even find more than the awkward silence in between these unusual walls. Many tour groups have complained that they have experienced strange happenings, while some have felt like being followed by “something invisible”.
Many incidences have occurred where people have lost their way and have disappeared in its dark corridors forever. Ghost apparitions are quite common in Catacombs. It will highly be unusual not to get the eerie feeling inside this underground dungeon. You may often get a feeling of being grabbed or touched by these unexplained creatures too. Besides all this, there are many evidences that prove that Catacombs is a centre for paranormal activities. Photos with strange lights, orbs, disfigured entities are quite common. Some valid proof is also recorded by EVP devices. The intensity of these events is so high that sometimes tours are often cancelled due to uneasiness and creepy atmosphere.
Catacombs may be a unique monument in history of Roman Empire, but for many of us it will remain to be nothing but a nightmare. Considering its history and true experiences of the tourists, this place tops the list of most terrifying place on earth.
