Halloween is upon us. Get ready for Scream masks at your front door, and Squid Game tracksuit-wearing party-goers. To get the spine-tingling, we have revealed the scariest places from around the world – including a Dracula Themed trip you can experience yourself. Here are the 13 terrifying locations ranked on the Scare Factor from 1-5. The haunt is about to get real, visit if you dare…
1. The Kehoe House, USA
Savannah, Georgia has a whole lot of southern charm and a whole lot of ghosts. Many believe the city is cursed because old burial grounds were covered up, paved over, and built upon… quite literally one of the most haunted cities in the U.S.
The Kehoe House is a perfect way to enjoy the spirits of Savannah – it’s a beautiful bed and breakfast in the historic district with a reputation for ghostly guests.
Spooky Fact: The Kehoe family had ten children and rumors say two of them tragically died in the house. Many believe the twins still haunt the house – guests have reported hearing children laughing and feeling children stroke their hair and cheeks while sleeping.
Creepy Meter: 3.5/5
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2. Aradale Hospital, Australia
Over its 130-year history, this hospital is said to be the location of over 130,000 deaths. The asylum is now abandoned and is considered to be one of Victoria’s creepiest sites. With over 60 buildings and 100 acres, and countless reports of paranormal activity in Aradale… it is most definitely haunted.
Spooky Fact: Visitors of the building often experience unexpected fainting, nausea and pains while walking through certain rooms.
Creepy Meter: 4.5/5
3. Snake Island, Brazil
Completely off-limits, this slithery island is completely terrifying, especially if you have a fear of snakes (aka ophidiophobia). Just 25 miles off the coast of Brazil, Snake Island lives up to its name and is home to a host of extremely venomous snakes. One species particularly deadly, the golden lancehead, is said to have venom 3-5 times stronger than Brazilian mainland snakes.
Spooky Fact: The 110 acre-island is said to have around 4,000 snake inhabitants, an estimated one snake for every six square yards. Eek.
Creepy Meter: 4/5
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4. Bran Castle, Romania
Contiki is offering brave souls the chance to experience Bran Castle, aka Dracula’s Castle. The creepy fortress was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s dark tale. The visit is part of Contiki’s new Castles, Bikes, and Hikes – Detour Mini Adventure – and available to book with Contiki now. A local guide will retell the terrifying myths and facts about the castle, and the trip gets even scarier with bears, wolves, lynx, and worst of all, bats.
Spooky Fact: Although Dracula is said to be a fictional character, Stoker modelled the predator after a real-life villain, Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. This fearsome character was a blood-thirsty ruler of Wallachia and did actually stay at Bran Castle.
Scare Factor: 3.5/5
5. Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada
This 131-year-old hotel is known for its amazing views of Banff National Park and also for the guests who have checked in but never checked out. The most popular lingering guests are said to be that of a burning bride, the bellman and a bartender.
Contiki is offering brave souls the chance to experience Bran Castle, aka Dracula’s Castle. The creepy fortress was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s dark tale. The visit is part of Contiki’s new Castles, Bikes, and Hikes – Detour Mini Adventure – and available to book with Contiki now. A local guide will retell the terrifying myths and facts about the castle, and the trip gets even scarier with bears, wolves, lynx, and worst of all, bats.
Spooky Fact: Although Dracula is said to be a fictional character, Stoker modelled the predator after a real-life villain, Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. This fearsome character was a blood-thirsty ruler of Wallachia and did actually stay at Bran Castle.
Creepy Meter: 3.5/5
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6. Hoia-Baciu Forest, Romania
The Hoia-Baciu Forest in Transylvania is often referred to as the world’s most haunted forest and Romania’s Bermuda Triangle. The forest was named after a shepard and a flock of 200 sheep disappeared in the area. It is believed those who enter the forest may never return back home.
Spooky Fact: People brave enough to enter have reported seeing UFOs, unexplained lights, while others have received unexplainable rashes, nausea, scratches and other physical harm.
Creepy Meter: 3.5/5
7. Poveglia Island, Italy
Known as the most haunted island in the world, Poveglia sits just off the coast of northern Italy, near Venice. The history of this tiny island is the stuff of nightmares. It was a former quarantine station for over 160,000 plague victims, a mental asylum where illegal experiments took place and a series of bloody battles.
Spooky Fact: Now completely abandoned and illegal to visit, thrill-seeking travelers have heard screams, seen human bones wash up onshore and the island’s soil is said to be composed of 50% human ash.
Creepy Meter: 5/5
8. Winchester House, USA
The infamous Winchester house located in San Jose, California was built by Sarah Winchester. Legend has it, Sarah believed her husband and infant daughter died prematurely as payback from the angry spirits who were killed by the Winchester rifle.
Sarah spent over 38 years trying to escape and confuse the vengeful ghosts by building staircases to nowhere, sealed-off rooms and secret passageways. The Winchester Mystery House spans over 24,000 square feet with 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and 6 kitchens.
Spooky Fact: Visitors have seen doorknobs turn themselves, heard footsteps in Sarah’s bedroom, temporarily lost their vision and been overcome with icy chills.
Creepy Meter: 3.5/5
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9. Castle of Good Hope, South Africa
The Castle of Good Hope is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town, so of course there are plenty of spooky stories. Today, many visitors and workers mention feeling a chilling presence inside the castle walls.
Spooky Fact: The bell in the Bell Tower has been closed off for centuries after a soldier hung himself with the bell-rope. To this day, the castle bell is still heard ringing on its own.
Creepy Meter: 3/5
10. Carrington Psychiatric Hospital (Now: Unitec Institute of Technology), New Zealand
Auckland’s first asylum was built here in 1853 and is now used by Unitec’s departments of architecture, design, and contemporary arts. Not only were numerous deaths reported while the asylum was open, the hospital was also ruined by fire – twice.
Spooky Fact: The ghosts from the asylum’s past now haunt students and staff of Unitec. Reports of paranormal activities include items moving off shelves, flickering lights, voices when no one is around and being pushed on stairs.
Creepy Meter: 4/5
11. Tao Dan Park, Vietnam
What makes the sprawling Tao Dan Park one of the most haunted places in the world? Vietnam locals believe a young man was killed in an attack and returns to the park every night searching for his lost love.
Spooky Fact: By day, visitors can enjoy a nice walk in the park, but by night a young man’s ghost and apparition may come lurking in the shadows of the park’s trees.
Creepy Meter: 2/5
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12. Manly Quarantine Station, Australia
This quarantine station in Sydney’s harbor was used to hold settlers who came off of ships that were suspected of having diseases like the bubonic plague or smallpox. As a result, hundreds died during the quarantine process and the station is now referred to as Australia’s most haunted site.
Spooky Fact: Unlike other haunted locations, almost every building and place across the station has had reports of spotted apparitions or ghostly figures.
Creepy Meter: 3/5
13. Tower of London, England
The Tower of London is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks. The tower has over 1,000 years of history with ghastly happenings including gruesome executions, murders and torture. Visitors have noted experiencing repulsive smells, ice-cold rooms and sightings of ghosts surrounding the tower.
Spooky Fact: The most notorious apparition is Anne Boleyn who was beheaded on Tower Green. She has been spotted a number of times wandering the grounds, holding her severed head.
Creepy Meter: 3/5
