Everybody loves a good scare and most of us have an innate curiosity towards all things paranormal. We enjoy swapping ghost stories, sharing personal experiences of ESP, and debating the validity of supernatural phenomenon.
On evenings when tales of macabre and gore are running high and you are desperate to steal the thunder in the group, start talking about the most haunted places in the whole world. We guarantee all eyes will be on you for the rest of the evening.
The Tower of London (London, England)
Over the last 1,000 years The Tower of London has been witness to dozens of murders and executions, not to mention inhuman torture. No wonder then it has been an active scene for other-wordly activities, including the shapeless figure of Lady Jane Grey who was beheaded in 1554, the spirit of Ann Boleyn, who was also beheaded in 1536 and the spectral forms of Sir Walter Raleigh, Henry VI and Thomas A Becket.
Among the more gruesome ghost stories is that of Countess of Salisbury who, after being sentenced to death in 1541, ran away from the scaffold, only to be followed by her executioner and hacked to death. Till today the scene is enacted on Tower Green, right down to its bloody details.
Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
There are various reasons why the Eastern State Penitentiary has had its place in the spotlight, not the least of which is the fact that it was home to the notorious Al Capone. Although this forbidding looking Gothic structure was designed to hold 250 prison inmates in solitary confinement, it is believed that as many as 1,700 prisoners were crammed into the cells.
Extreme misery, cruelty and death have left behind their imprint on the walls of this structure that boasts of several different haunting activities. From a strange figure that is seen lurking around in the guard tower to sounds of evil cackling from cellblock 12 to ghostly faces in cellblock 4, there are enough spooky tales about the Eastern State Penitentiary to keep fans of supernatural activity enthralled for a whole a year.
Ballygally Castle (Ballygally Bay, Ireland)
Ballygally Castle was built in 1625, but today it has converted into a hotel. As is the norm in most European castles, this one is also haunted, although the most notable ghostly figure is more endearing than spooky. Lady Isobel Shaw, wife of James Shaw (the guy who built the castle) was locked in her room and left there to starve to death. Having crossed over to the nether world, Lady Show now passes time by knocking on doors and disappearing when guests open it.
Bhangarh Fort (Rajasthan India)
There are various stories explaining the abandonment and subsequent haunting of the Bhangarh Fort built in the first half of the 17th century. Interestingly most of them revolve around curses. In one, a holy saint cursed one of the descendents living in the forts while another featured an evil sorcerer besotted by a beautiful queen.
Whatever the story, the belief that the fort is haunted is so deeply rooted in the mind of the natives that even the Indian Army refused to patrol the fort at night. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has placed signboards discouraging tourists from “Entering the borders of Bhangarh before sunrise and after sunset”. Even today visitors claim to feel uneasy and restless when walking around the premises.
