As soon as you enter its creepy domain, you feel a sudden sense of foreboding enter your whole being. Chills run up and down your spine, your heart starts to beat faster and you feel as if you can’t move a muscle. Suddenly all you want to do is run and get out of there without any thought of ever coming back.

This is what it feels like when we enter a haunted place. It’s a very nerve-wracking and hair-raising experience, like entering another dimension. You feel that there are unseen beings around you, just lurking around in the shadows, or passing through walls. If you’re unlucky, they’ll even make their presence felt by moving objects or making creepy sounds.

Here are ten of the scariest places known to us today, and the chilling stories behind their haunting. Think you can be brave enough to visit them?

10. Tragic, sisterly love: Berry Pomeroy Castle (Devon County, England)

Seeing a ghostly white figure is very common when it comes to hauntings, and this England castle is a good place for it. Located near Totnes, this large, once-grand castle is haunted by the spirit of Margaret Pomeroy.

 

Margaret was killed by Eleanor, her less beautiful and insane sister, when she found out that they were in love with the same man. Driven by jealousy, Eleanor locked Margaret in the dungeon underneath the tower, and left her to starve to death.

Known as the White Lady, Margaret continues to roam the castle’s ruins. She rises from the castle’s ramparts, and beckons visitors to follow her. According to witnesses, she leaves a lasting feeling of hatred and fear, while others whisper that death comes when she’s sighted.

9. The Land of Dracula: Transylvania

Transylvania is a place that many people find scary, especially since it’s known as the home of the famous fictional monster, Count Dracula.

 

Count Dracula may not be real, but he was fashioned from a real life figure, Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Dracula in Turkish), the ruler of Wallachia. His home, Bran Castle, is famous for its chilling history. When the Turks surrounded him, Vlad fled, and his son fell from the saddle while they rode, causing his death. His wife, refusing to succumb to the invaders, threw herself outside the window instead.

8. The spooky Macbeth castle: Glamis Castle (Angus, Scotland)

Glamis castle is popular because it’s the setting of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Macbeth. It’s also popular because of its strange and mysterious hauntings.

 

Known as the ancestral home of the Earls of Strathmore, this castle has seen centuries of angry and demonic hauntings, including those of an aristocrat who moans about losing a card game, a tongueless woman in the garden, the mysterious Grey Lady (said to be the soul of Lady Janet Glamis) and the Monster of Glamis Castle, an evil deformed child who was imprisoned in the castle in the 19th century.

When you walk through this castle, make sure that you don’t get lost in the secret rooms or pass by the clock tower and chapel, where paranormal activity is said to be high.

7. The Bride of Lammermoor’s story: Baldoon Castle (Bladnoch, Scotland)

This castle’s haunted history is still shrouded in mystery, although many agree that the fate of the Bride of Lammermoor was the origin of the hauntings. The Bride is Janet Dalrymple, who was arranged to be married to David, the son of Sir David Dunbar.

Janet loved a man named Archibald, but married David even though it was against her will. On the eve of their wedding, a horrible tragedy struck. Frightful screams were heard coming from their room, and when the door was opened, the groom was severely wounded and the bride was covered in blood and cowering in one corner.

Many speculations were made regarding the horrifying incident. Some say Janet did it, while others pointed their fingers to Archibald. Some whisper that it was the devil’s doing. The mystery was never solved. David survived, but Janet was driven insane, and died a month after the incident, on September 12, 1669.

The Bride of Lammermoor’s ghost continues to haunt Baldoon castle, wandering the ruins. Every September 12th, during the anniversary of her death, her presence is stronger, and her figure can be seen more vividly.

6. Chills From Below: Underground Vaults of Edinburgh (Scotland)

The Edinburgh vaults were discovered only in the 1980s, but they have a dark and chilling history, making them one of the most haunted sites in Scotland. Believed to have been abandoned because of their excess moisture and water, these vaults have existed since 1785. They were used mainly by the homeless people of the city. Because of their impoverished situation, the people were often subjected to illnesses and outbreaks, causing numerous painful deaths in the vaults.

 

The Edinburgh Vaults are now said to have very high paranormal activity that are spooky and disturbing. You’ll feel that the chill emanating from the place is not only because of its cold atmosphere, but also from its ghostly inhabitants.

5. Empire of The Dead: Catacombs of Paris (France)

When you think of Paris, you usually think of the Eiffel Tower, fine dining and beautiful city lights, not of a place that’s haunted by ghosts. On the contrary, Paris has a site that’s known for its chilling and haunted nature that’s buried deep in the city. This is the famous Catacombs of Paris.

 

The history of the catacombs dates backs to the early 19th century. When the city began expanding, the problem of housing became a prominent problem.

Planners and engineers decided to move millions of bodies out of the cemeteries around the city and into the dark passageways underneath the city. Numerous skulls line the corridors of this Empire of the Dead, representing the many Parisians who have died centuries ago.

Many visitors swear that they see shadows moving in groups in one area of the catacombs, as if following them throughout the tour. Ghostly apparitions, floating orbs, and strange noises have also been recorded in this site.

4. Jack the Ripper’s Territory: Whitechapel/Spittalfields (London, England)

Whitechapel/Spittalfields is just like any typical London territory, but it used to be a haven of bawdy houses, rowdy soldiers and prostitutes. It became well-known as the site where the grim and brutal Jack the Ripper murders occurred.

 

In the autumn of 1888, five poor prostitutes were found dead in different areas of Whitechapel on different occasions. Their bodies were horribly slaughtered and mutilated. The crimes were believed to be the doing of a serial killer called Jack the Ripper. Although he was never identified and the murder mysteries were never solved, Whitechapel’s scary reputation remained.

Aside from the ghosts of Jack’s five victims, other spirits were also believed to haunt this area. These spirits include the noiseless and mysterious black carriage that disappears in front of you, a group of Roman soldiers and a sea captain’s ghost.

3. The Asian Auschwitz: Unit 731 Experimentation Camp (China)

Located in Harbin, Manchuria, Unit 731 saw the most ghastly and inhumane tortures ever done to Chinese civilization.

 

During World War II, when Japan conquered Manchuria, over 3,000 prisoners were directly killed in this site, and over 250,000 were left to die through warfare experiments. Their deaths were not quick.

Unit 731 prisoners were infected with different diseases, such as bubonic plague, cholera, anthrax, and then subjected to vivisection without any anesthesia. Sometimes, they would even regain their consciousness during the dissection. Their limbs were also amputated, and then reattached to other areas of their body. There were also prisoners who were used as target practice for grenades and bombs.

Today, Unit 731 is sanctioned as a future learning center. Even so, the horrors of its past still resonate through the place. Numerous ghostly images and paranormal activities are reported from this site. Ghostly figures, ghost lights and pained voices are often seen and heard from Unit 731.

2. The Deadly Fighting Arena: The Colosseum (Rome)

When the Colosseum is mentioned, the first picture that would enter your mind is one of majestic gladiators fighting each other to death, while thousands of spectators cheer loudly, enjoying the fight. It’s gory, brutal and exciting.

The Colosseum is still grand, standing as a majestic structure representing the power and culture of the Roman people. It also serves as home to numerous spirits and ghostly creatures.

The lives of gladiators, prisoners and even animals remain in the vicinity, giving the magnificent structure an eerie and ominous feeling. The bloodshed that occurred thousands of years ago in this place makes it one of the most haunted sites in Europe.

Colosseum visitors report strange activities happening while they’re in the vicinity, such as being touched or pushed, and experiencing cold spots. The sound of weeping, swords clashing, and animal noises can be heard throughout the stadium. Seeing figures of ghostly citizens walking up and down the seats and Roman soldiers standing at the exit ways is also common.

1. The Death Camp: Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Poland)

Auschwitz was known as the Death Camp, an extermination center created by the Nazis to eliminate the Jews.

It was estimated that 2.1 to 2.5 million Jews, Soviet soldiers, Gypsies and Poles were gassed to death in this place, and their bodies were burned in piles nearby. This horrifying history makes Auschwitz the most haunted place on Earth.

When you visit this camp, you’ll be instantly overwhelmed by the foreboding and melancholic aura. Many visitors even abandon their group tours or simply break down in tears.

 

Cold spots, a feeling of being touched, tugged or grabbed by unseen figures, and whispers of “leave!” or “help us!” are often experienced. The painful and horrific memories of the past have definitely placed their imprint on the place.

 

If you think you’re brave enough to venture into these haunted areas, go ahead and visit them. The chances are that you’ll get that cold foreboding feeling together with goosebumps as soon as you step inside. If you’re lucky, you might even run into a ghost or two. Happy haunting!

Reading about these scary places can definitely get you researching How To Get Rid Of  Ghosts. But if not, you may want to know more about paranormal events or acquaint yourself  with the Top Ten Most Terrifying Horror Movie Characters.

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