For semi-perverse reasons, we all love a good scare, especially on this momentous night! Happy Halloween from us, here are 7 horrifying places you’d probably pay a ton not to sleep in.
#1 Haunted Doll Forest, Mexico
People say that there was once a girl who drowned in a canal, and all that was left of her was her doll. A loner by the name of Julian decided to celebrate the death of this girl by constructing an altar and bringing decrepit dolls to the island to hang them in the trees. He had a garden with amazing produce which he used to trade for more dolls to hang. In 2001, the man who offered dolls for all his life was found dead, floating in the waters of the same canal where the little girl drowned.
#2 Old Changi General Hospital, Singapore
One of the most haunted places in Singapore (as this writer personally attests) is the Old Changi Hospital. Formerly a British military hospital, it was occupied by the Japanese in WWII and some of the wards were rumoured to have been used as torture chambers by the Japanese. Screams and shadows (again, personally attested) are often heard in the corridors and linkways.
#3 Aokigahara Forest, Japan
At the foot of Mt Fuji, lies the famous Aokigahara Forest, where mysterious happenings are often reported; compass needles jerk and jump about, disconcerting silence veils the entire place where one would normally hear sounds of wildlife and experienced hikers were rumoured to get lost or confused, travelling in circles in this oddly silent place. It is now known as the most popular place for people to go to meet their end, with shoes and clothes as evidence of such happenings.
#4 Hellingly Hospital, England
Just in case you wondered who had the brilliant idea to name this place, it’s actually the name of a small village in South West England. We don’t know who decided to name the village Hellingly. Perhaps he fancied a laugh. Once a psychiatric asylum, it was home to many a mental patient until patient numbers declined and it was forced to close in 1994, leaving the buildings to fall to ruin.
#5 Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
Because of one abbott who came back from Golgotha with Holy Soil, many people clamoured to be buried in Sedlec, where the cemetery had to be expanded. In the 15th century, a Gothic church was built near the cemetery and its basement, used as an ossuary. The bones remained there till a woodcarver was appointed to place the bones in order. We guess he got creative.
#6 Capuchin Catacombs, Italy
Evidently, these catacombs came to be because families wanted the corpses of their loved ones to be removed of all their vital organs shortly after death, stuffed with hay and left to dry. They are then propped up in clothes to line the hallways of the catacombs and left to decay. What a way to remember the dead.
#7 Poveglia Island, Italy
Known as the most haunted spot in Italy, Poveglia was served as a dumping ground for plague victims, a mental hospital and a quarantine spot for maritime travellers. As the plague worsened, it became strewn with bodies and massive plague pits were created to store the dead bodies. Other than that, it’s a great scenic spot.
Related: Top 10 Underground Wonders In The World
Would you go ghost hunting in these horrifying places, nomads?
Main photo: 1. Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
