10 most haunted places in the world

Julian was unaware of the dark history of the area when he moved there to become a recluse. Legend says that three young girls were playing near the water in the 1920’s, when one of the girls fell in and drowned in the murky waters. Locals believed that ever since her death, the young girls’ spirit has been unable to leave the island. It soon grew quite a reputation as a haunted place, and locals wouldn’t go near it at night for fear of what they may see.

Julian claimed that as soon as he moved on the island a little girl began speaking to him. The girl told Julian how she had died, and that she was trapped on the island. He began to get the dolls for this little girl, often selling off fruit and vegetables that he had grown on the island, so that he could buy old dolls for her to play with.

During its more than 100 years in operation, the Moundsville Penitentiary in West Virginia was one of America's most violent correctional facilities and the final stop for almost 1,000 criminals. The prisoners lived in cramped quarters, which led to riots. Many men were hanged or killed in the electric chair, while others were murdered by other prisoners. The prison closed in 1995, but according to some, the tortured spirits are still behind bars and in the bowels of the prison and may be seen or heard on a tour.

Widely considered California's most famous ghost town, Bodie was founded in 1859 after William Bodey discovered gold near what is now called Bodie Bluff in the Eastern Sierras. The outpost of 200 original structures has the distinction of being the nation's largest unreconstructed ghost town, and is also one of the coldest places in the US outside Alaska. With this in mind, it's best to visit before November.

This once-vibrant town in the Ozarks touts itself as the "World's Largest Living Ghost Town." The community dates back to the 1870s, when R.H. Nichols founded it and successors eventually built a flour mill. After an adjacent town was chosen as county seat, Elk Falls' population dwindled. Today, fewer than 200 people live there but a handful of original buildings stand. Among them: nearly 40 outhouses, which are part of a popular annual tour.

Few ghost towns are harder to get to than this one, situated at the end of a 60-mile dirt road in the middle of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. But few are more worth the trek. The town once sat adjacent to the nation's most lucrative copper mill; today all of the original mill buildings (and some of the surrounding assayer facilities) remain. Owned by the National Park Service, the town has become a living museum, with tours that take visitors into the (rehabilitated) mines.

For a truly harrowing experience, take a nighttime flashlight tour of the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary. It’s believed that inmates were driven insane by solitary confinement, torture and disease while the prison was in operation from 1829-1971. It has since been left in a state of “preserved ruin,” making for a seriously bone-chilling experience. Imagine being led out of your isolated cell for the very last time as you walk down Death Row, and get a true taste of imprisonment in the underground isolation cells under Cellblock 14. While there, you may notice that some prisoners were never able to escape.

Kila is located on the way to Alwar and Jaipur in Rajasthan in India. As per a legend there was a black magic sorcerer who cursed the residents of the palace that they all would die an unnatural death and their spirits will stay there for centuries to haunt the fort / kila forever. This fort would really freak any living mortal. One can seldom find a temporary household in the close periphery of this fort. Let us reveal you one more fact about this place. The village households found here are without roofs as there persists a popular belief and experience that the moment a rooftop is built on a house it collapses. This is said to be the most haunted place in India and amongst world's most haunted places. People are not allowed to spend the night in the fort, for obvious reasons. Believe us it is also said that anybody who has been to this place after dusk never comes back !

This is just like watching a horror flick of Alfred Hitchcock in reality. By the time dusk settles down the ultimate horror environment starts to descend on the panorama. Highgate cemetery is one ideal place for ghost hunters. Headless statues, creaky pathways, unmanaged grass pavements and lest we forget the typical hooting of owls is a common feature to be found in this place. High gate cemetery also scores the top slot in being the haunted places in United Kingdom. Still one cannot ignore the Gothic architecture, beautiful serene ambiance and lest we forget the shivery silence which overrules the entire arena!

This one is for those brave hearts boasting hard of their fearless spirits. This is located beneath the railway track that connects Niagara falls to Toronto and New York. As per a legend about a century ago there was a farm house located just near the south entrance of this tunnel. One night the farm house caught fire and a young girl doused in flame screaming for help running wild.Nobody knows the story how the farm house caught fire. She ran through the tunnel if in case she could get some help but alas she was burnt completely and collapsed. So from that day onwards whoever tries lighting a match in the tunnel the spirit comes out screaming and haunting the person till dead. Check out for yourself the truth!

The Old Changi Hospital is a former hospital in Changi, Singapore. It was built back in 1935 as part of the old Changi military base. During the occupation of the Japanese the compound was used by the notorious Kempeitai (the Japenese Secret Police) as a prison and torture camp. After the end of World War II, the building was again a hospital, and remained so until 1997, when it was replaced by the Changi General Hospital. It has stood derelict and decaying ever since.

The building is now haunted by its past, with Japanese soldiers, people that were executed, and the patients that died here. Apparitions of an old man has been seen walking down the corridors, and a woman has been seen walking through the rooms. The spirits of children are know to haunt the old children’s ward, and the ghosts of bloodied Japanese soldiers have been seen also. Loud bangs and unexplained screams are also a common occurrence

Mary King’s close is an underground warren of streets and dwellings. It was once a thriving trade area where Edinburgh’s tradesmen used to live and work however, in 1645 the close was believed to have been abandoned after an outbreak of the plague. Those that were infected stayed behind in isolation. The location is now a popular tourist destination, running daily tours to people interested in learning about the history and the legends associated with the close.