People have a fascination with the macabre that calls them to some of the most bone-chilling corners of the world. Sometimes they find the very images that haunt their nightmares, but sometimes, they can find a source of inspiration plagued with a dose of the supernatural. I would love to find both.
There are plenty of places on the internet to find a list of destinations where you can try to encounter a ghost, or hear something go bump in the night. This list is not for that. This is a cultivation of my own bucket list, consisting of the creepiest places from around the globe, that give me shivers. Places that have stories, or exhibits, that slide into your psyche, and chill you from the inside out.
#10 The Island Of Dolls - Xochimico, Mexico
Linslade Las Muñecas, also known as the Island of the dolls, is an island filled with several decaying old dolls strung up in trees and is considered one of the creepiest tourist destinations of all time in Xochimico, Mexico. All this might start sounding creepy as hell, even though the darkest part of the story is yet to be told.
Once upon a time, there was a caretaker of the island named Don Julian Santana Barrera. There, on the shore of one of the many islands in the area, about 20 kilometers from the center of the Mexican capital, he made a grisly discovery. A young girl had apparently drowned and washed up off an island now known as Isla de las Muñecas – Doll Island.
Soon after this tragedy, Julian came across a doll floating near the same canal. He assumed the doll to be of that girl. So, he picked up that doll and hung it in a tree so that it gives a bit of peace to that little girl’s soul.
The guilt of not being able to save that girl’s life made Julian restless. He supposedly felt haunted, haunted by the spirit of the little ones, whose screams and lamentations could be heard again and again on the island – as Barrera finally reported decades later to his nephew Anastasio Santana. The girl kept whining and asking for toys, according to the eerie tale of the nephew, who still runs Doll Island.
He felt that one doll might not be successful in pleasing the child because she craved company. Scared by the spirit, he started collecting dolls, some from trash piles, others were found floating in the canal. He hung all of them meticulously from the branches of surrounding trees to stay protected.
However, there are quite a few who even claim that Barrera mutilated the dolls himself in his paranoia. The spirit of the dead girl simply could not be calmed – so he gave up trying to calm it and instead relied on deterrence. He cut off the limbs of the dolls himself and gouged out their eyes. Barrera was literally captivated by the island and its eerie aura, even reportedly having his nephew bring him food.
His delusion went so far that he chose a very special doll, which he named Augustina because he had fished it out of the water on August 28th, the day of Saint Augustine. Augustina, also known as “La Moneca”, accompanied him from then on, he was the only one who didn’t hang her in the trees, but put her in a different place every day – to protect her from the little ghost girl’s attacks? According to legend, Augustina granted wishes when he brought her small offerings.
He continued this behaviour until his death and during that time, collected more than 1,500 little dolls to protect the island. The dolls remain on their island home, some even untouched.
After so many years, the island’s original dolls have started to decay and resemble the corpses of children, leaving the impression of a living nightmare.
Take a tour here: https://youtu.be/elW75gXjDgo
#9 Hanging Coffins - Philippines
Serene, eerie and fascinating, the hanging coffins of Sagada are a unique Philippine tour destination. Hung from cliffs, these vibrantly colored caskets offer visitors a peek into over 200 years of history and local tradition.
This tradition stems from the indigenous Kankanaey of Sagada who believe that raising the coffins help bring the treasured deceased closer to heaven. After a family member passes away, the Kankanaey would hoist the coffin up the hill and fasten it to the side of the mountain. Afterwards, they would then place the deceased family member in the foetal position wrapped in cloth inside of it.
Throughout this process, if any family members or helpers were to get a drop of blood on him or her, it was considered good luck and to bring good fortune.
Today, the rituals are still practiced by the Kankanaey but many have made modern concessions to update these traditions. Additionally, many Kankanaey have incorporated Christianity in their worship but many still do traditional pagan and animist rituals during big events and life changing moments; especially during the time of death.
The ceremonies are predominantly performed by a village elder male called a Pangamaen or an elder woman called a Panginaen; however a male elder is preferred. In the event of a death, during the time of the wake, the whole family should be present and during the sacrifice, the whole village is welcome to partake in giving their last respects.
See it here: https://youtu.be/myEFOgmE1VI
#8 Nagoro "Scarecrow" Village - Nagoro, Japan
There are no more children in Nagoro. There is no school or shop, and hardly many humans left. The sleepy village in Shikoku, Japan’s smallest and least populated island, is inhabited by only about 30 people—and 350 life-size dolls to replace the townsfolk who have left or died.
Nagoro was never a crowded place. At its peak, it had around 300 residents, but the difficulty of living in the mountains has driven its inhabitants to pursue education and employment elsewhere.
Tsukimi Ayano, 70, was only 12 when her family left Nagoro for Osaka, where she raised her own family. In 2002, she returned to Nagoro to care for her ailing father and found her village almost empty and rather lonely. The last school, which had one teacher and two students, closed in 2012 when the kids finished sixth grade, a National Geographic feature on the town said.
When Ayano’s father died, she decided to use his old clothes to make a scarecrow to drive away the birds that destroyed her plants. Inspired by the lifelike beauty of the doll, she began making some more to represent the people she’d known who had either left the village or died.
“When I make dolls of dead people I think about them when they were alive and healthy. The dolls are like my children,” she said in The Valley of Dolls, a short film about Ayano and the dolls of Nagoro.
Take a virtual walkabout: https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/nagoro-doll-village-japan/view/google/
#7 Cachtice Castle - Čachtice, Slovakia
Čachtice Castle is inseparably linked with the infamous Elizabeth Báthory, known as the Blood Countess, and the implied inspiration behind the infamous "Bloody Mary".
At the age of 15, Elizabeth got married to Ferencz Nadasdy from another aristocratic Hungarian family. Cachtice Castle and the land of the surrounding 17 villages were part of her wedding gift.
In their marriage, she bore five children while Nadasdy spent most of his time serving in battles against the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, two of her children died as infants, so you'll mostly find information about Elizabeth having only three children.
She was known to be very strict with her servants and often imposed harsh punishments on them, while her husband Nadasdy encouraged her cruel tendencies.
There were stories of him smearing a girl with honey, then restraining her and leaving her outside to be bitten by insects for Bathory's pleasure. In that sense, the couple was a perfect match.
It was after the death of her husband in 1604 that Elizabeth moved to Cachtice Castle full time, and her cruelty worsened.
Local village girls started missing, and stories of Elizabeth's horrendous crimes became so widespread that local families hid their daughters.
As legend has it, she was investigated for murders of several hundred maidens and allegedly bathed in their blood. It is said that she believed the blood, especially of young virgins, would stop the ageing process and preserve eternal youth. That’s how the idea of her as a vampire came about.
Whether the accusations are true or fiction is unclear, but some resources claim that she was convicted of murdering over 600 women. This shocking number (if true) could mean she was one of the most notorious serial killers in human history. She was imprisoned at the Čachtice Castle in 1611, where she died confined at the castle which later turned into ruins. Archaeologists failed to find her grave during the two-year reconstruction completed in spring 2014.
While Elizabeth Báthory’s tenure at the castle was only a short episode in its history and there is no definite proof of her alleged crimes, her name draws thousands of tourists every year.
See more here: https://youtu.be/1QqGernWjns
#6 La Recoleta Cemetery - Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Recoleta Cemetery was inaugurated on November 17th, 1822. It has approximately 4,700 above ground coffins, crypts and vaults organized by tree lined streets and brick laid paths, on 14 acres of land that used to be the convent garden of the disbanded Recoletas Order of Monks.
94 of the vaults have been declared National Historical Monuments and are protected by the Argentinian State.
Recoleta Cemetery is no ordinary cemetery. Consistently ranked as one of the top three attractions in Buenos Aires, it houses 30,000 souls. The cemetery is labyrinth of narrow passageways containing a treasure trove of elaborate marble crypts and stunning sculptures. Recoleta is the final resting place of many of Argentina’s who’s who, including the country’s most famous first lady Eva Perón. And, it’s loaded with stories—tragic, bizarre, disturbing, and heartwarming tales of the dead.
See a virtual tour here: https://youtu.be/7eU-TYdn02c
#5 Catacombe dei Cappuccini - Palermo, Sicily, Italy
The Capuchin Catacombs are one of the most famous and eerie places in Palermo. This “museum of death” has been attracting curious people from all over the world since the 18th century, when it became an essential destination for travelers on the Grand Tour. Of all the mummies in Sicily, these are the most numerous and the best preserved.
The foundation of the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo dates back to 1599, when the friars decided to build a cemetery more suited to their needs. Until that year, they buried their brothers in a mass grave, lowering the bodies from above with a sheet. In 1597, the friars decided to create a larger underground cemetery by digging a room behind the high altar of the church of Santa Maria della Pace. While moving the bodies, they noticed that 45 bodies were left almost intact, mummified of course. The friars decided not to bury them, but to display them upright in niches built in the newly excavated corridor. Over the years, interest in these mummies grew and in 1783 the Capuchins decided to grant burial to all those who could afford the cost of embalming.
The warren of rooms are divided into separate sections. Priests are dressed in their clerical vestments and military and public officials still wear their dress uniforms. There are dedicated rooms for virgins, women, men, children and infants. Some bodies are embalmed and displayed in glass caskets while others are hung in a standing position from the walls. Many of the bodies are now protected by wire cages because people were taking bones as macabre souvenirs.
The Capuchin Catacombs are said to hold 8,000 bodies but the number is probably closer to 2,000, some of them quite notable. Rumor has it that celebrated writer of the novel The Leopard, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is here, but his body is actually buried at the nearby cemetery. There are members of the Sicilian aristocracy, lawyers, doctors, artists and even the son of a Tunisian king inside, their preserved bodies dressed in clothes they wore in life resting for eternity below the streets of Palermo.
Take a virtual 360 tour here: https://youtu.be/j0arrqnFIlc
#4 Hill of Crosses - Siauliai, Lithuania
Desecrated but never destroyed, set on fire but never burned down, the Hill of Crosses is a potent symbol of faith, hope, and freedom. And for pilgrims, it is another must-visit location in Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai is a hill covered with thousands of wooden crosses. During the Soviet era, these crosses were removed by the authorities, but locals continuously replaced them. In 1993, Pope John Paul II prayed here, and he often mentioned the sacred site in his homilies and speeches. He later sent a crucifix to Lithuania which was placed on the hill, and today pilgrims begin and end their journeys at this location.
Whether you are religious or not, the mound of crosses accompanied by icons of saints and statues of Jesus makes for a truly spectacular and beautiful sight and it is easy to see why the Hill of Crosses is such a sacred place for so many.
While Condé Nast Traveller includes this site as one of the Top 20 scariest places in the world, for locals and visitors alike this is a place of hope and enlightenment, reflecting Lithuania’s historical and cultural traditions. One unique annual cultural tradition is the Feast of the Hill of Crosses, which takes place on the last Sunday of July and attracts thousands of pilgrims.
The Hill of Crosses is an eerily beautiful site but it also tells a story of Lithuanian culture and history. As a symbol of resistance, it tells visitors about the oppression suffered by the Lithuanian people and the political structure they suffered under.
See more here: https://youtu.be/CLdxICn2bP0
#3 Salem - Massachusetts, USA
In January of 1692, nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Salem Village minister Reverend Samuel Parris, suddenly feel ill. Making strange, foreign sounds, huddling under furniture, and clutching their heads, the girls’ symptoms were alarming and astounding to their parents and neighbors. When neither prayer nor medicine succeeded in alleviating the girls’ agony, the worried parents turned to the only other explanation; the children were suffering from the effects of witchcraft. As word of the illness spread, others began to fall ill with the same alarming symptoms. The afflicted complained disembodied spirits were stabbing them, choking them, and jabbing them with pins. Soon names were cried out as the afflicted began to identify these specters. Neighbors, acquaintances, and total strangers were named in the statements and examinations that followed. Over the course of the year 1692, between 150-200 people were jailed for witchcraft. Ultimately, 14 women and 5 men were hanged, one man was tortured to death, and at least five people perished in prison. This was the largest series of witchcraft trials to ever take place in North America, and would be the last large-scale witch panic to take place in the English colonies.
As years passed, apologies were offered and restitution was made to the victims’ families. Historians and sociologists have examined this most complex episode in our history so that we may understand the issues of that era and view subsequent events with heightened awareness.
Centuries ago, the Salem witch trials targeted those most vulnerable in colonial society, forcing women to pay the highest possible price for nonconformity. While the legal system has changed since the days of Puritan rule, one thing remains the same: Vulnerable women pay the price for circumstances that are often beyond their control. Being poor, vulnerable, unruly and sexually promiscuous turned these women into targets of the criminal justice system.
Today, the criminal justice system continues to punish the vulnerable women in society. Most women who end up under supervision of the U.S. correctional system, whether through probation, jail, prison or parole, come from a poor background. Salem is where we can honor our fallen sisters.
Take a virtual tour here: https://salemwitchmuseum.com/witch-trials-online-tour/
#2 Akodessewa Fetish Market - Lome, Togo
While there are various things to do in the narrowly shaped West African country of Togo, one of the creepiest is the Akodessawa Fetish Market. The Akodessawa Fetish Market is known as the world's largest voodoo market. In the market, one can find monkey heads, skulls, birds, crocodiles, skins, and other products of deceased animals. When troubled by illness, relationship problems, or financial woes, voodoo practitioners go to the fetish market of Akodessewa. Located in the capital city of Lomé, the market has a row of tables piled high with dog heads, elephant feet, chimpanzee paws, desiccated cobras, and gorilla skulls. These are all fetishes, or talismans: objects infused with the power of the divine that are used to heal and protect.
Togo and neighboring Benin are where voodoo—known locally as vodun—began. Despite the effects of European colonization, approximately half of Togo's population continues to hold indigenous beliefs. The fetish market, which is enveloped with the smell of decaying flesh, is a sort of al fresco pharmacy, the perfect place to stock up on ingredients for rituals.
Tourists are welcome to peruse the offerings and visit one of the traditional healers in the huts behind the tables. During one of these consultations, the voodoo priest or priestess will ask you to describe your ailment, then consult with the gods to determine your prescription. Animal parts are ground up with herbs and held to a fire, which produces a black powder. Traditionally, a healer will make three cuts on your chest or back and rub the powder into the wounds. Tourists of a squeamish persuasion can opt to buy a wooden doll or just apply the powder to unbroken skin.
There are no set prices for the remedies—healers toss cowry shells to ask the gods what you ought to pay. If the price seems exorbitant, you are welcome to say so. The healer will keep consulting with the gods until you reach a mutually agreeable fee.
Learn more here: https://youtu.be/JWtfvUCwMB8
#1 Sedlec Ossuary - Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Located on the outskirts of Kutná Hora, the Sedlec Ossuary in the All Saints Chapel features unique formations of more than 40,000 bones in a creepy and eerie atmosphere and is without a doubt one of the highlights of a visit to this town that is so rich in history, architecture, and art.
It was 1278, when a local abbot peppered some of this special soil around the cemetery of the Sedlec abbey.
And then came the bodies. The Black Death and the Hussite Wars in the 14th and 15th centuries brought thousands of corpses to be buried in the cemetery at the Sedlec Ossuary—until there simply was no room left.
With the cemetery beyond capacity, a Gothic-style church was built around 1400, dedicating the lower chapel area as an ossuary for the thousands of human remains leftover. In 1511, a half-blind monk began his task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the bone church. The Bone Church of Sedlec Ossuary was on its way to becoming one of the world’s uniquely scary places.
The Sedlec Ossuary became the gruesomely beautiful bone church of today in 1870. In that year, the House of Schwarzenberg employed a local woodcarver in the Czech Republic named František Rint to artistically rearrange the bones of the Sedlec Ossuary. Rint’s unique design of the Sedlec Ossuary’s bones lent the ossuary its macabre flourish that made the bone church famous in the Czech Republic and abroad.
"The Bone Church,” displays some of the world’s more macabre art. In addition to a splendid bone chandelier composed of almost every bone in a human body, the ossuary displays two large bone chalices, four baroque bone candelabras, six enormous bone pyramids, two bone monstrances (a vessel used to display the Eucharistic host), a family crest in (you guessed it) bone, and skull candle holders. Festively looping chains of bone are hung throughout like crepe paper at a birthday party.
The Sedlec Ossuary may seem dreadful, but you will most likely not find it scary but peaceful while visiting it. Those 40.000 dead people wished to be buried in a holy place, so they went to Sedlec in the first place, and now their bones are right in the middle of the chapel.
Take the 360 virtual tour here: https://www.p4panorama.com/gallery-item/sedlec-ossuary-kutna-hora-czech-republic/
I've been attracted to the darkest parts of human history as long as I can remember. My influences came from the mysteries in music, books, and the living, breathing history that surrounds us everyday. Human beings of different cultures, religions, countries and backgrounds all have one terrifying reality in common; death.
All of the above listed destinations have the same macabre roots. Death, cheating death, worshiping and honoring the dead are all birds of the same feather. As humans, what we have in common says more about our past and our future, than that which makes us different. Death unites us all.
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