Hello friends! Freaky Friday Files IS BACK! I do apologise that last week we missed our normal Freaky Friday Files post, but I had a few appointments to attend. I don't know if I'll be able to get these out every single Friday (as sometimes life happens) but I will try my hardest. I know some of ya'll really love the creepy topics and some of ya'll prefer the more lifestyle kinda vibe so I will try and keep it kinda even and do both.
Anyway, in today's post, we're gonna discuss 10 SCARY Places You Can Visit... If You Dare!! I was inspired by "this YouTube video" from The Why Files (and yes, I didn't get very creative with my title either) where they discuss some places you can actually go to as a lot of the scariest places on earth are either closed to the public (so you would have to trespass and we don't want that) OR just not accessible so let's take a look at some of the ones I could find.
Vulture City, Arizona (USA): ahh this place just feels like it should be on a dark tourism show because that sh*t is creepy AF. But I am kinda interested in going here. I've never really wanted to travel to America, mainly because I feel like I wouldn't be safe there and also the food. But this place intrigues me. Vulture City is known as a ghost town aka an abandoned town. It was originally a gold mining town that was discovered in 1863. The town operated as a mining town from 1863 to 1942 (I believe). You can visit here for a $10 entry fee. Anyway, what makes this place scary? Other than the fact it's now completely abandoned and the photos give off such an eerie vibe. Well, it's most likely haunted due to the staggering amount of miners who died in the caves as well as many who were hanged from a hanging tree for stealing gold. I don't wanna get into detail about the ghost of Jimmy Davis here (you can look that one up yourself) but be warned, it's a gruesome one.
Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne (AU): Ahhh, close to home (well my new home in Melbs). This former gaol has been turned into a museum but it has a very dark and sinister past. The gaol is located in Melbourne's CBD on Russell Street and I think I've walked past it so many times but never actually taken a tour. The building began construction in 1839 and operated as a prison from 1845 - 1924 and some of the notorious Australian criminals were held here. One example is Ned Kelly. Kelly's last words were "Such is life" and I had a friend who used to say it all the time and I wondered if it was from him but they said no. Anyway, we don't wanna go too in-depth with the criminals as it's more about the scary places, we as humans, can visit. There were over 130 deaths by hangings at the Old Melbourne Gaol and as I said before, it's now used as a museum and also part of the university RMIT. Legend has it that Cell 17 is the most haunted cell in the Old Melbourne Gaol. Some visitors have been seen to run from cell 17 in tears with a feeling that someone is trying to grip their throats and other people have reported feeling scratches, feelings of being touched or petted, and feelings of someone or something tugging at their clothes. If you're interested in their nightly ghost tours, you can book through "here".
The Catacombs, Paris (France): Ahh these, all I really know at the moment is that scary movie Pink did about this place. Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm gonna have to google it because I don't think horrors are that well-known. Ah, it was literally just called Catacombs and came out in 2007 (a long time ago)! But it's one of those movies that still haunts me. So the catacombs are underground box-type things known as ossuaries that are like underground coffins. The catacombs hold the remains of over 6 million people. These were created to help with the overflow of cemeteries in France. Other than just being downright bone-chilling (haha get it?), there are some scary stories about the catacombs that we can briefly cover today. Now, a lot of this information is coming from secondary sources so do take it all with a grain of salt but allegedly there was a video camera that was found in the catacombs that had footage of a man wandering around the tombs, sees something, panic, and then disappear forever (this was in the 90s so idk how he got in). But you can watch the found footage "here". There has also only been one documented death at the catacombs of an old door guard/doorkeeper for a hospital in the French Revolution called Philibert Aspairt. Philibert went into the catacombs and it is thought he lost his light source, got lost, and passed away in November 1793. However, his remains were not found until 1804 (that's 11 years later) and the cause of death is unknown. Philibert's whispers/screams are thought to haunt the catacombs after midnight. Creepy. Also, apparently, people like to go to the catacombs at night to swim as well as urban explorers creating communities underground there. So weird.
The Stanley Hotel, Colorado (USA): As soon as I hear about this place, my thoughts immediately go to Stephen King and The Shining as well as all the ghost-hunting YouTubers like Sam and Colby and Seth Borden. As many of you will all know, this is the hotel that gave Stephen King the inspiration for writing The Shining (The Overlook Hotel). So why's it so creepy? Firstly, there is a bit of history with the building with a gas explosion in 1911 before its opening but the real scary part is the different rooms that are thought to be haunted. For example, the fourth floor, room 217, and the concert hall. On the fourth floor, hotel guests will often report seeing and hearing children running around, doors that will open and close by themselves repetitively, and plenty of disappearing and reappearing items. Room 217 is known as the hotel's "hotspot" for paranormal activity and that's because of an event that took place long ago. And this is the event of Mrs Elizabeth Wilson (fun fact, she did not die in this room after this event, but many believe her spirit lurks in this room) who was lighting lanterns in case of a power outage, and a leak on the 2nd floor occurred, there was an explosion and Wilson fell through the floor (but she survived). Guests at the hotel report a really cold sensation in 217. 217 is also where Stephen King had a dream that inspired The Overlook Hotel. And the concert room is a place where guests say that can always hear piano music. What do you think? Is The Stanley Hotel really haunted?
St. George's Church, Prague (Czech Republic): This church was built in 1352 and then became abandoned when in 1968, the roof collapsed, with many people believing the church itself to be haunted or an area of bad juju. However, in 2012, someone wanted to repair it. To raise funds, an art installation occurred with a thesis art student creating statues with sheets over them (they look like sheet ghosts). These artly ghosts have given the church a new light and word of mouth took off around 2014 (especially on social media). The roof was able to be repaired by 2018 once the funds were raised to do so. The church is only open on Saturday afternoons but around 150 people come to check out these ghostly statues every week. You can check the installation out virtually "here".
St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida (USA): I personally don't think I could ever go to Florida because it sounds like a weird AF place (soz pls don't judge me). Anyway, this lighthouse is still a working lighthouse and there's a cool Maritime Museum tourists can check out if they do take a trip there. Many ghost hunters have advised that this lighthouse IS in fact haunted. However, many others have "debunked" this claim and have said there's no evidence that it is haunted. This isn't to say there aren't some stories or leftover energies here though. There are many people who report leftover smells of cigars as well as employees saying they have seen a spectre known as "The Man" - i.e., a ghost who is a man. This man is often seen dressed in a blue jacket and a cap walking up and down the spiral staircase. Others have reported hearing children's laughter. For a full in depth rundown of the history, you can check out "this post".
RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California (USA): This is a retired British ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean, and then became a troopship during WWII and then refitted for passenger service. In the late 1960s, this ship was aging and needed to be retired. It was in 1971 when the ship became open to tourists (only certain parts though). From the 1980s, rumours spread that this ship was haunted once docked (with some believing the paranormal really exists here and others believing it was to increase tourism). It is also said that there are over 150 ghosts on board. No one was murdered on the Queen Mary, but many guests did die of natural causes. If you want to read some real-life personal experiences on board, you can check out "this" Reddit thread. It's a good read.
Winchester Mystery House, California (USA): Now, this house is absolutely architecturally beautiful. This house belonged to the widow Sarah Winchester of William Winchester. Their infant baby unfortunately passed away from a childhood illness and William passed away from tuberculosis. Sarah (also known as Sallie) passed away in 1922 and she was left with a lot of wealth. Sarah moved from New Haven, CT to San Jose, CA, where she purchased an 8-bedroom farmhouse that is now known as the Winchester Mystery House. Construction on the house began in 1886 and kept going until 1922. According to the Winchester Mystery House's Website, this is what the house had done: "24,000 square feet, 10,000 windows, 200 doors, 160 rooms, 52 skylights, 47 stairways and fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens". Many people have speculated as to what drove Sarah to build this house. Was it a psychic telling her to? Was she haunted by ghosts? Or was she simply obsessed with construction? I don't know the answer personally, but I mean if I was in her position and lost both a husband and child, I'd probably find a project to work on too. But why is this place scary? I don't know if Sarah haunts the house herself but there have been many reports of residual hauntings (a ghost that is stuck on repeat), intelligent hauntings (aka a ghost trying to communicate/interact with the outside world - with something as simple as tugging on clothing or a gentle tap on the back, and shadow figures (who are said to be roaming the halls - or maybe it's just eyes playing tricks on people). What do you think lurks in the dark corners of the Winchester?
Nagoro (Japan): Now, I don't know if this place is haunted per se. BUT, it is downright creepy AF. Nagoro is known as the village of dolls, where dolls outnumber people. Even though it is creepy, the dolls do have a nice sentiment - they are meant to combat loneliness rather than scare birds away like scarecrows do. The town used to have around 300 inhabitants but as of September 2019, only 27. According to Wikipedia, in the early 2000s, a person called Tsukimi Ayano, whose family left the town when she was a child, but returned later on to look after her father, made a doll similar to him. This doll was then placed in a field and Tsukimi made a lot more (over 400) and now at least 350 are in the village. Many people have followed in her footsteps, making dolls to help the town feel less lonely. One thing is for certain, you'd never feel alone in this little town!
Port Arthur, Tasmania (AU): Ahh I remember one of my old workmates who had moved from Tassie to Melbourne and they would always tell me how creepy Port Arthur was whenever they went there. Port Arthur is a former convict settlement for the worst of the worst criminals. From 1833 until 1877, this was a penal colony. It was also based on the separate prison typology (aka keeping prisoners in solitary confinement). This was a form of control so that guards could destroy the identity of the inmates and in turn, have more control over them (so awful). Port Arthur was a lot of psychological torture with inmates even being forced to stay silent. One really awful event that occurred at Port Arthur was the massacre of 35 people by Martin Bryant between the 28th and 29th of April 1996. He also injured at least 23 others. Now, I'm 100% sure that this place is haunted. Many people have reported seeing a lady in a blue dress and a very unsettling energy when they visit.
Anyway, that's it for this week's Freaky Friday Files! I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you again soon. Much love,
Ash
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