Whether you believe in ghosts or not, you have to admit that some ghost stories are pretty dang convincing. No matter where you live, the area likely has a signature Terrifying Ghost Story — an old hospital, a creepy hotel, or an abandoned prison.
Distractify compiled a list of the most haunted places in all 50 states, and it’s both terrifying and fascinating. Some of the places are famous — Lizzie Borden‘s house or the Amityville Horror house — while others are lesser-known.
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In Kentucky, there’s Bobby Mackey’s Music World, also known as “the most haunted night club in America.” One ghost that supposedly haunts the place is Pearl Bryan, a 22-year-old pregnant woman who was found decapitated nearby in 1896. According to local legend, her head was thrown down a well in Bobby’s basement (the head was never found IRL).
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In Maryland, locals steer clear of a stretch of road in Bowie where the “Goatman” hangs out. The Goatman is said to be the result of a mad scientist mash-up of a goat and a human. He carries an axe. Yikes.
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In Texas, the most haunted place is actually a… Spaghetti Warehouse? Random, yes, but many Spaghetti Warehouses are located in old renovated buildings, and this one is no different. It used to be a pharmaceuticals warehouse, where a pharmacist supposedly fell to his death in an open elevator shaft. People have reported all types of creepy things, from floating wine bottles to random taps on the shoulder. The restaurant closed, and it recently been sold to new owners for redevelopment (bless their souls).
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In Massachusetts, a woman named Lizzie Borden is famously believed to have murdered her father and stepmother with a hatchet in 1892. Lizzie was tried and acquitted, but most people still believe that she did it. The murder happened in their family home in Fall River, which is now a bed and breakfast, because some people have very morbid ideas of a fun vacation.
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In Missouri, there’s this house in St. Louis, which was the inspiration for one of the most classic horror movies of all time: The Exorcist. In 1949, priests exorcised an anonymous “Roland Doe,” a 14-year-old boy, in the house. The house sold in 2005, and it’s not currently open to the public. The scariest part of it is supposedly the staircase.
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In Adams, Tennessee, there’s a cave known as the Bell Witch Cave. The Bells were a family in the early 19th century who allegedly experienced a haunting by their former neighbor, Kate Batts. Creepy occurrences included scratching noises under their beds and heavy chains dragging on the floor at night. The spirit is now known as the legendary Bell Witch, and she lives in this cave, where the Bell farm used to be. Spooky!
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The Amityville Horror is another all-time classic horror movie, and it’s based on this house, “America’s most haunted house.” In this house, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo killed his parents and siblings in their beds in 1974. George and Kathy Lutz bought the house 13 months after the murders, and they moved out a mere 28 days later, leaving their furniture behind. They claimed to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena while living there. The house has had multiple owners since then; it was up for sale as recently as 2017.
If you want to check out the rest of the states, click HERE.
Apparently, no state in the US is safe from angry spirits. Time to move to Mars.
