By Bridget O’Neill
We are taking you around the world with 10 eerie locations. This list is not for the faint of heart!
Predjama Castle in Slovenia
This collection of eerie destinations is only for the most fearless of travelers. From the Green Lady who wanders the halls of a French château with empty eye sockets to a black magician's curse on an Indian fort that still permeates the landscape today, this is a world tour of ghostly delights. Paranormal hunters, skeptics, and believers alike will find bucket list destinations that center around those who kicked the bucket centuries ago.
This list is not for those who scare easily. It is also a reminder of just how important it is for humans to not repeat our dark history. Don't forget to pack your EMF meter, infrared sensors, and night vision goggles for this trip to 10 of the eeriest ruins in the world.
10 Meet The Green Lady Of Château De Brissac
Keep one eye open, or the Green Lady will visit you in your sleep. Charlotte and Jacques de Brézé were the owners of Chateau de Brissac in the mid-1400s. Charlotte's marriage was unhappy. Her disappointment in the match drove her into the arms of her huntsman. One day she and her lover were caught in the act by Jacques. He allegedly terminated them both into pieces with his sword in a fit of rage. It is said that Jacques fled the castle eventually because the ghosts of Charlotte and her lover wouldn't leave him alone.
Visitors must be aware that Charlotte still roams the halls moaning late at night. They will recognize her because she still wears the green dress she was finished in...and there are gaping black holes where her nose and eyes should be.
Related:12 Most Haunted Places On The East Coast
9 Keep Your Eyes On The Ground At Leap Castle
Welcome brave guests to Leap Castle, the most haunted location in all of Ireland. Scary stories abound in these ruins. A priest who was the older brother of Teige O'Carroll was terminated while delivering a sermon by his younger brother. The Bloody Chapel as it is now known still lights up with no warning late at night, an end of life rattle from a long-dead holy man. In the 1920s workmen found a secret dungeon hidden in the walls of the same chapel where they found so many human remains on top of wooden spikes that it took three carts to remove them all. Visit Leap Castle if you dare.
- Visit: Take A Private Tour
8 Predjama Castle Is A Cave Castle With Countless Secrets
A cave castle in Slovenia was bound to be haunted, wasn't it? Predjama Castle was home to Erazem Lueger, a Slovenian Robin Hood/robber baron that stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Lueger got in a fight with a member of the Habsburg ruling class in his village and wound up terminating him. The victim's family hunted for Erazem to no avail while he hid beneath the castle in a hidden cave. Eventually one of his servants gave up his hiding spot and the Habsburg military blew up his location with cannon fire. Erazem Lueger still wanders the halls of Predjama Castle seeking revenge on his rich enemies and may be seen on a tour of the building and its spooky caves.
- Visit: Castle and Cave Tours
7 Become A Card Carrying Member Of The Hellfire Club
In 2006, dozens of people waited outside this location in Dublin on 6/6/6 for the coming of the antichrist. The building was rented in the 1700s by Irish members of the Hellfire Club, a group known for its love of anything that involved sex and alcohol. One night a priest came to the club and witnessed members sacrificing a black cat. The priest managed to pull off an exorcism and banish the evil spirit from its small body. A young farmer was invited to the club's activities on another evening and was found shaking, horrified, and it said he never spoke again. The ruins are now a popular hiking destination in Dublin, but visitors shouldn't be shocked if they hear otherworldly sounds or are hit with odd smells; it's just the devil's playground.
- Visit: Hellfire Club Tour
Related:Visit The 13th Century Chillingham Castle: England's Most Haunted Castle
6 Himeji Castle. Come For The Beautiful Architecture, Run From The Girl In The Well
Did you know the inspiration for the horror movie The Ring originated from the most famous castle in all of Japan? Himeji Castle is the finest example of 17th-century architecture in all of Japan and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once upon a time, the castle was the home of a samurai named Tessan Aoyama, who fell in love with his servant Okiku. When Okiku refused his hand in marriage he concocted a plan to frame her for stealing a gold plate. If she didn't marry him, the accusation could result in maltreatment or termination. Okiku held strong and denied him, so the samurai finished her by throwing her down the palace's well. Travelers can visit Okiku's well today, but they should be aware that they may hear her shrieking from the depths.
- Visit: Himeji Castle Tickets
5 Bhangarh Fort, Don't Accept Gifts From Strangers
The most haunted place in all of India is a 17th-century fort located on the border of the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan that was abandoned 300 years ago. The main legend of the fort is about Princess Ratnavi and her black magic-conjuring admirer. The beautiful princess was given makeup that was bewitched by the magician to make her fall in love with him. The princess was suspicious and poured the cosmetic over a massive boulder that wound up crushing her suitor and ending his life. Before his last breath, he cursed the area of Bangarh, and it has been haunted ever since. At night strange sounds of wandering souls echo through the landscape. Locals say no one would ever think to build a home near the fort because, inevitably, the roof would collapse soon after.
4 The Separate Prison Is No Longer A Quiet Secret
Port Arthur was a British penal colony in Tasmania where men, women, and children were sent for any violation. The Separate Prison was at the forefront of devising new methods of imprisonment. Instead of physical punishments, prisoners were subjected to early experiments with solitary confinement. The "silent system" was the method of reform in Port Arthur. Prisoners were forced to be silent at all times and wore masks or hoods whenever they were outside the walls of their cells. Many inmates developed mental health issues and lost their minds while incarcerated at Separate Prison. Today travelers to this Tasmanian must-see locale can take an evening ghost tour to the ruins, where they may hear the howls of the incarcerated who are no longer silenced.
- Visit: Port Arthur Ghost Tours
3 The Eerie History Of Haw Par Villa
Who would have thought that the gates of Hell are located at a 1970s Singaporean theme park? Haw Par Villa is an Asian cultural park dedicated to building attractions that tell traditional Chinese and Buddhist stories. The eeriest of all the exhibits is the Ten Chambers of Hell. The statues within represent the worst horrors committed by early Chinese emperors as well as recreating spooky mythological tales. Travelers beware, it is said that the figures in these chambers are actual humans that have been finished and dipped in wax to create the scary scenes that are present. Security guards say that the figures come alive at night, and they can hear their sounds.
- Visit: Ten Chambers of Hell Tickets
Related: These 10 Haunted Places In New Zealand Will Spook The Life Out Of You
2 Bring Smelling Salts To Monte Cristo Homestead
The Monte Cristo Homestead is a great excuse for any ghost hunter to take a trip to Australia. Christopher Crawley was a wealthy hotelier that resided in his beautiful home with his wife Elizabeth and their seven children in Junee, Australia. Christopher died from heart failure and blood poisoning which occurred when a large boil on his neck ruptured (gross and scary). Something broke inside of Elizabeth the day Christopher died, and she only exited the home twice in the next 23 years before her own passing. Both are said to still roam the home; visitors have seen the calm Crawley in his bedroom and have felt stern Elizabeth's stern presence in the form of cold blasts of air. Since the original owner's death, there have been many tragedies that have occurred on the property. One of them includes the story of a maid Christopher impregnated. Her son had a terrible accident resulting in a head injury. His mother chained the boy to her bed in the coach house, and his sounds were heard throughout the town for years until the authorities found him. Today visitors know the boy is near when they hear the sound of rattling chains. Visitors to this site may see flickering lights, a feeling of overwhelming nausea, and intense feelings of sorrow; it's also possible that they may faint on tour.
- Visit: Ghost Tour and Sleepover
1 Ancient Ram Inn Is Satan's Favorite Vacation Spot
The gates of Hell may be in Singapore, but the portal to Hell is in England near Stonehenge at Ancient Ram Inn. Originally a priest's home when it was built in 1145 on top of an ancient pagan burial site and Potter's field, it is also considered to be a demonic opening where evil abounds. John Humphries has lived at the Ancient Ram since 1968. His first night of sleep was interrupted when an ungodly force grabbed him by the arm and drugged him across the room. Evidence of satanic rituals has been found by Humphries in his home including a collection of children's bones in the staircase surrounded by broken daggers. He believes that daggers were broken in a sacrificial rite after the finishing off of the victims. John is still attacked and haunted by the ghosts that also call his residence home. Travelers are always welcome to visit the inn at their own risk.
- Visit: Ghost Hunt and Sleepover