Ghost stories, wailing women, abandoned buildings, full moons, vengeful spirits and raging winds – all the spooky things that make Halloween so much fun.
If you love a good fright and the thrill of bumps in the night our Top 10 list of supernatural destinations will get your heart pumping. Visit… if you dare!
Montpelier Hill, County Dublin, Ireland
Ruins built on top of a prehistoric burial site, the mysterious Hell Fire Club, black magic and howling storms – all these add up a place that is just asking to be haunted.
Stewards House was built around 1765 by the Conolly family as a hunting lodge and almost immediately gained a reputation for frightening occurrences. In the late 1960s, two tradesmen working on the house were confronted by a ghostly figure and a black cat with glowing red eyes. Further apparitions were reported, including an Indian gentleman and two nuns who had taken part in black masses on the hill.
Aradale Mental Hospital, Victoria, Australia
Opened in 1867 as Ararat Lunatic Asylum, Aradale housed tens of thousands of people described as “lunatics”, “idiots” and “imbeciles”.
The building saw some of the most controversial psychiatric treatments in Australia and around 13,000 people died within its walls over its 130 year history. As a result, Aradale is considered one of the most haunted locations in Australia. Ghost tours of the hospital operate every Friday and Saturday night.
Mont Saint-Michel, France
Over the years there have been a number of sightings of ghostly monks wandering through the eerie Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy (main image by Iker Etxebarria Urkaregi). There has been a monastery on the rocky World Heritage site since the 8th century and with such a stunning location it’s no wonder a few spirits have stuck around over the years.
Island of Dolls, Mexico
If the Chucky horror film Child’s Play ever gave you nightmares the Island of Dolls (Isla de las Muneca) in Mexico will send shivers down your spine.
A short drive from Mexico City is the World Heritage Site of Xochimilco, famous for its canals and artificial islands (chinampas). The best known chinampa is the Island of Dolls where toys by the hundreds hang in trees and it is said to be one of the most haunted sites in all of Mexico.
This spooky monument is the work of Julián Santana Barrera who lived on the island for over fifty years collecting old dolly parts from canals and rubbish tip, and hanging them from trees to keep away evil spirits.
It is said he started this ritual to appease the ghost of a young girl who accidentally drowned on the island. Some visitors claim to have seen the dolls move and have heard them call out to them.
Santana Barrera died of old age in 2001, but some insist he was killed, others say he was driven insane or that say the dolls played a part in his demise.
Pelabuhan Ratu, Indonesia
Palabuhan Ratu is an isolated fishing village, and popular surfing destination, on the south coast of West Java and is home to an ancient spirit.
Locals say the mythical Queen of the Southern Sea of Java, Nyai Roro Kidul, committed suicide by jumping off the cliffs and into the ocean. Rumour has it that if someone wears green when swimming (the Queen’s favourite colour) he or she will be pulled by her ghost into the depths below. An annual holiday in her honour is held every April 6 and the local Samudra Beach Hotel keeps room 308 furnished with green colours and reserved especially for the Queen.
Mission San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, California
An Indian girl, a headless Spanish soldier, and a bell ringer are some of the spectres said to haunt this 18th century Spanish mission.
According to legend a young native girl named Magdalena was killed when the Great Stone Church collapsed in an earthquake in 1812. Magdalena fell in love with an artist named Teófilo, but they were too young to marry so carried on a secret affair. When the earthquake struck Teófilo rushed into the church to save Magdalena just as the building tumbled down around him. When the rubble was cleared the lovers were found among the dead, locked in an embrace.
It is said on moonlit nights you can sometimes see the face of a young girl illuminated by candlelight high up in the ruins.
Arundel Castle, Sussex, England
The restored medieval castle of Arundel is home to a family of four ghosts. Founded on Christmas Day 1067, the spirit of the first Earl of Arundel has been spotted in the Castle’s Keep and there have been reported sightings of a blue man in the castle library since the 1630s.
Another spirit is that of a young woman who haunts the castle on moonlit nights dressed all in white. It is said she jumped to her death from one of the towers after a tragic love affair.
The fourth famous spirit is that of a white owl-like bird. Legend says if the white bird is seen flying in one of the windows a castle resident, or someone closely to them, will die.
Saint Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
St Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse built in Florida by the American Government in 1824, but it was during the rebuilding of the current tower in the 1870s that this haunting tale begins.
Visitors and workers have witnessed moving shadows, heard voices and unexplained sounds, and seen the figures of two little girls who drowned in an accident while the tower was being built (they are thought to be the daughters of Hezekiah Pittee who was in charge of the lighthouse’s construction). Other reports include a woman seen on the lighthouse stairway or walking outside the buildings and the figure of a man who roams the basement.
Ackergill Tower, Scotland
Today Ackergill Tower is a hotel, events venue and category A listed building, but 500 years ago something more gruesome took place. Legend has it that a beautiful young woman named Helen Gunn was abducted by John Keith and later flung herself (or possibly fell) from the highest tower to escape his advances. Her ghost is still seen wearing a long red rustling ball gown and long black hair.
Union Cemetery, Easton, Connecticut
If you’re on the hunt for ghostly encounter you’d be hard pressed to find a better location than a spooky cemetery and none has had more reported sightings than Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut.
Dating back to the 17th century, Union Cemetery has the honour of being one of the most haunted cemeteries in the US. The most well-known resident spook is a spirit known as the “White Lady”. People have not only seen her with their own eyes, photographed and videoed her, some have even “hit” her with their cars as they drove past the cemetery!
