Haunted Hotels

Most Haunted Places in India

Published by FrightFind On May 20, 2024

India is famous for being one of the world’s most sought-after travel spots. It is known to traditional travelers for its diverse culture, rich and flavorful food, beautiful temples, and impressive structures. However, paranormal enthusiasts like ourselves may be intrigued by its haunted offerings. Historically, India has one of the world’s largest populations and is naturally a very haunted place. After all, the more people that have lived on a land, the more died there. Here are the most haunted places in India, sure to bring an exciting paranormal adventure to your next international trip.

Hauntings of India

Bhangarh Fort

The 16th-century Bhangarh fort, located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, India, is one of the most haunted places in the country. The Bhangarh Fort was built in 1573 AD by Raja Bhagwant Singh, the ruler of Amber. His great-grandson, Ajab Singh, built a nearby fort called the Ajabgarh.

It is widely believed that the stepsister of Ajab Singh, the gorgeous princess Ratnavati, had received many marriage proposals from many men. She had caught the eye of a Tantrik priest, who knew that he was ill-suited to be with the princess. However, he was literate in black magic and used his skills to enchant a perfume bottle to make the princess fall in love with him. Ratnavati learned of his actions and threw the bottle at the priest, which turned into a boulder and crushed him. In his final words, he cursed the princess, her lineage, and her village.

A year later, the Bhangarh and Ajabgarh went to battle, resulting in the death of the princess and most of the Ajabgarh army. It is believed that due to the curse on the village, nobody can be reborn, and therefore, the village remains desolate.

There are other versions of how the curse came to be placed on the village, but it is universally accepted that an otherworldly force haunts the fort and that anyone who enters after dark will die before exiting. Due to its haunting curse, the Archaeological Survey of India has officially prohibited entrance to this fort after dark. Would you check this place out?

Jatinga

Jatinga is a small village located in the Dima Hasao district in Assam, India, with a population of only 2,500 people. Despite its quaint appearance, Jatinga houses a strange phenomenon: bird suicides. It is known as a terminus for birds, especially during the late monsoon months from September to November. Ornithologists and villagers alike cannot seem to understand the meaning behind this strange occurrence, but it has been ongoing for years.

It has also been said that villagers are swatting at the sky and killing the birds, under the impression that they are dark spirits haunting their residence. Perhaps there really is a malevolent spirit terrorizing the village through the birds. If you’re into avian cemeteries, this might be your place.

Agrasen ki Baoli

Agrasen ki Baoli is located in New Delhi, just down a quiet path from one of the most popular tourist areas in Delhi, Connaught Place. This ancient stepwell is one of a handful of handmade structures in India that have been restored by the government following the machine age. The architecture of this marvel shows the diversity of India’s culture. The arches preceding the corridors imply a subterranean influence. It is said that the well was built about 5,000 years ago for a king whose existence was never proven.

Now, no one story surrounds this architectural giant. There is vast folklore of curses, spirits, demons, and suicides that are attributed to the structure, but one thing is agreed upon: locals and tourists say that every once in a while, though the well is not in use, the stepwell fills itself with murky water. If you’re in the mood to plunge into a haunted blackwater, Agrasen ki Baoli might be a great place to check out on your next trip.

Dumas Beach

Dumas Beach, located near a Hindu burial ground along the Arabian Sea in Gujarat, India, is one of the most popular tourist attractions during the daytime. At night, however, they tend to scurry off to their hotels for good reason. It is said that beach bums active after midnight can hear the screams of the dead from the nearby cemetery beckoning them. If the tourists don’t answer their calls, they join them six feet under the black sand beach, rumored to be white sand mixed with ashes of the cremated dead.

Barog Tunnel

Train buffs unite! The Barog Tunnel, or Tunnel 33, of the Shimla-Kalka Railway, is said to be haunted by one of its architects. During the 20th-century colonial rule of India, the British government tasked Colonel Barog with building a tunnel for the railway under construction. He made a mistake in calculation and constructed parallel tunnels, which made him publicly shamed. Barog shot himself in the unfinished tunnel pictured above out of embarrassment and shame. It was eventually finished by another engineer, and a small town was built around the tunnel, whose locals say that the Colonel can be seen every now and then around the tunnel. Do you think these locals are hearing the wails of the failed engineer or simply train horns in the area?

Brijraj Bhawan Palace Hotel

Despite its charming yellow walls and well-kept garden, this Kota attraction called Brijraj Bhawan Palace Hotel holds a haunting secret. During the British rule of India, Major Charles Burton visited the palace with his family. As the Sepoy Mutiny broke out, the palace was attacked by natives, and the Major was murdered alongside his children. It is rumored that after the attack, the king of Kota at the time recovered the bodies of the English and buried them in the central hall of the palace. If you dare, this hotel is available for booking. Along with its luxury experience, it also comes with spooky roommates, as the spirits of the Burtons are told to roam the palace halls.

The next time you find yourself in southern Asia, consider checking out some of these spooky spots. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next one to fall under a love spell or discover a dark secret in the murky waters of a stepwell. Let us know if you’ve ever visited these places or experienced any weird encounters in other places in India.

Top 10 Real Haunted Houses That Inspired Movies

Published by FrightFind On January 19, 2023

At its most basic definition, a house is a building or dwelling where a small group of people come together and live. On the surface, a house uses its sides and roof to protect the inhabitants from the vicious elements on the outside. But what if such protection came with a particular price? Some paranormal theorists argue that houses instead bottle up the darker elements and energies created inside them and over decades the home becomes malevolent. A sort of infernal spiritual prison that accepts human visitors who may or may not make it out sane and alive.

Many of these notoriously haunted houses have been chronicled in some of Hollywood’s greatest horror films. Some have stuck truer to the source material and others have taken great creative liberties to ensure that audiences have never felt the same about any house they cross or the horror that lay within it. Just what are some of these haunted houses that have inspired the greatest horror films ever made?

Amityville House

Amityville is perhaps one of the most widely recognized haunted house cases ever in existence. The Lutz family bought their dream home on Long Island in December 1975, a gorgeous Dutch Colonial Revival that sat on the banks of South Oyster Bay. The former owners were slaughtered in the middle of the night by their own son, Ronald DeFeo Jr. who later claimed that voices in the house told him to murder his family. Over the next twenty-eight days, the Lutz family endured a living hell as they encountered ectoplasm slime cascading down the walls coupled with freezing rooms and ungodly screams. They fled in absolute terror on January 14, 1976 never to return again.

Their story was chronicled in the famous Jay Anson novel, The Amityville Horror, which instantly became a bestseller. Such a novel caught the eyes of Hollywood producers who in 1979 put the hellish experiences of the Lutz family on the big screen in one of the most recognized haunted house films that have now produced or inspired a whopping sixteen sequels. Today, the house is owned privately and the address changed to deter any members of the public from seeking out the horrors for themselves.

The Exorcist House

Considered by many to be the scariest horror film of all time. For many audiences trying to mentally cope with such an experience, it was normal to repeat the mantra of “it’s only a film.” Unbeknownst to many people both then and even now, there was very much a real-life haunted house that inspired the highest-grossing horror film of all time, and unlike the film, it wasn’t in Georgetown.

The totally unassuming location of Bel-Nor, Missouri is where the real-life inspiration for William Peter Blatty’s horror novel, The Exorcist came from. A young boy known only as “Roland Doe” was given the gift of an ouija board by a family member. Before long, Roland had opened up an ethereal portal from which a demon emerged and possessed his adolescent body. A pair of priests were brought in to perform an exorcism which was said to have lasted days. The boy was eventually saved and grew up to live a relatively normal life, however, the home in Missouri still stands and while it bears the appearance of an unassuming brick brownstone, it once bore home to a demon breaking through to destroy an innocent human soul.

The Real Conjuring House

The Conjuring came along to film audiences in 2013 under the direction of master filmmaker James Wan. But this was no writing room creation, as there was a real home in existence that both inspired the film and introduced the world to the most popular haunted house-hunting duo ever known, Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The unsuspecting farmhouse located in Burrillville, Rhode Island was the catalyst for what is now the first film to be set in The Conjuring film series universe. In 1971, the Perron family, which included five young daughters, moved in with high hopes of starting a better life. Instead, they were met with flying objects, wandering spirits in black, and suffered under the many torments of a long-deceased spiritualist known only by the name of Bathsheba who roamed Burrillville nearly a century before. The Warrens were brought in to facilitate an exorcism along with many house blessings. The Perron family eventually moved and the home has had many owners as recently as 2022 when a Bostonian developer confessed to not being able to stay because of the “powerful energy” within the home.

Ammons “Demon” House

Demon House was the name of a 2018 horror documentary from Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans. The documentary was a smash hit on the indie film scene and grossed so much money that Netflix bid on the rights to the story behind the property (which Bagans also owns) to make a full-length horror film. What exactly was the story behind this tiny, run-down house in Gary, Indiana?

The Ammons family (mother, grandmother, and three children) should have known upon moving into the home in 2011 that swarming black flies would be a bad omen of things to come. The home itself was a possible host to some black magic and ritualistic mayhem that allowed many demons to enter the home. Shadow figures, levitations, and demonic possession behavior infested the family so deeply that the police and child authorities were called to a local hospital when the Ammons children were literally walking upside down on the walls with no explanation. Exorcisms couldn’t come soon enough to cure the family and eventually they relocated shortly thereafter.

The Stanley Hotel

Yes, we know. It isn’t a house! The Stanley Hotel is not the name of any horror film that average fans may recognize. However, if you were to rename it the Overlook then you would have conjured up Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 psychological horror masterpiece, The Shining. Jack Nicholson starred as a tortured writer alone with his family at a secluded hotel during the snowy offseason in hopes of never going mad. Directly from the novel written by everyone’s favorite horror author Stephen King, it’s a film that’s instantly recognizable. How true to life was this actual hotel?

King himself was in residency at Boulder and stayed at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado for a single evening. A 140-room Colonial Revival-styled hotel on the cusp of the Rocky Mountain National Park, King’s stay was haunting from the start as he and his wife were the only visitors during the onset of winter and took in the vast size and constant eeriness. In fact, it was a fever dream King had of his young son being chased through the empty halls by a maniac which served as the catalyst for his most famous novel to date. The Stanley Hotel is still in business today, on the list of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and takes reservations to this very day.

The Conjuring 2 House

The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Haunting served as a sequel to the original box office smash hit, however, this real-life haunted house was not found in America. This haunted house was an unassuming flat across the pond in Enfield, England which is a suburb of the London area. What would inspire James Wan and Hollywood studios to bank on taking their franchise to Europe?

In 1977, a frantic British mother named Peggy Hodgson called the police about the nonstop poltergeist activity in her home, which included moving furniture, sinister voices, and her own children levitating in their bedroom. The Society for Psychical Research headed up by Maurice Grosse and Guyplayfair came in to investigate. What put this haunting over the top and inspired a fantastical horror film was that one of the children was interviewed on tape growling and changing voices that were so disturbing that after the family moved, they essentially went into hiding to avoid bringing about any more terror in their personal lives.

The Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House has the distinction of serving as inspiration on a dozen or more horror films, series, events, documentaries, and even a ride at Disney (The Haunted Mansion). In fact, Stephen King used the eerie hauntings from the Winchester Mystery House to serve as the plot of his famous Rose Red miniseries. An even more fun fact is that Winchester is such a magnificently haunted house, that King didn’t even write a book based on it and fleshed out his teleplay directly without any fictional basis which is a rarity for the cherished author.

Winchester is a sprawling multistory mansion in San Jose, California that features 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens which makes all the more surface area for spirits to wreak havoc. The legend attached to the home is that Sarah Winchester, a wealthy widow to the Winchester Rifle fortune, had suffered both her husband and infant dying unexpectedly. After a seance, she learns that angry ghosts caused the deaths of all the souls that the rifles have claimed over the years. She catches the idea to build a house big enough for them all, hence the Winchester Mystery House is born. However, Sarah wasn’t alone in her company, and the mansion is said to be packed with angry roaming spirits that still have neither forgiven nor forgotten who put them there in the first place.

The Changeling House

The Changeling was an incredibly emotional, albeit powerful horror film that opened to audiences in the spring of 1980. The biggest coup for director Peter Medak was that Academy Award-winning actor George C. Scott had agreed to star. Scott played a composer who moved West from New York after the untimely deaths of his family only to rent an oversized mansion in which he finds out he wasn’t alone. A standard horror film with a normal plot, was there more to the story?

The real Changeling House resides in Denver, Colorado, and has all the appearances of an enormous, two-story wrap-around. Its haunting originates eerily enough with a real-life composer named Russell Hunter who rented the home to compose musical scores. Constant heavy poundings and banging on all the walls and rooms habitually woke Hunter and he took it upon himself to investigate the home before finding a third-story room revealing the sinister and actually buried secrets that culminated in a hellish spirit taking over the house. Hidden away in Chessman Park, the sinister home still stands.

The Snedeker House

The Haunting In Connecticut is without a doubt one of the more catchy, and popular haunted house films that was indeed the inspiration for a popular 2009 box office horror hit. The film starred Virginia Madsen as a fictionalized version of Carmen Snedeker, a Southington woman who moves her family into a home in hopes to alleviate the medical travelings of her cancer-afflicted son. The film gained notoriety as having one of the more original plots among film critics’ viewpoints in that this unassuming home was hiding its darker past….of being a funeral home.

True to life, the Snedekers had moved into a former funeral home and any unsettled spirits were not all that they had to contend with. Supernatural seeker couple Ed and Lorraine Warren were brought in to check the home out. Via clairvoyance and other paranormal tools, it was discovered that the lowest basement floor of the home had been used for necromancy, a black magic sorcery art used to summon the dead. Their practices also were said to have involved necrophilia and being in a funeral home, such a supply of corpses to use was virtually endless. Dark shapes, brutally cold rooms, and demonic havoc of all types eventually had the Warrens and Snedekers risking their lives until a massive exorcism was performed to settle the house. As of 2023, the Southington home still stands and is held by private owners who have yet to comment on if any spirits have remerged.

The Real Entity House

The Entity. Just that title alone speaks more fear and terror into many people’s psyches, and that is an absolute fact. In 1982, director Sidney J. Furie adapted what ended up being a largely true haunting account of a Los Angeles area woman named Doris Bither. Actress Barbara Hershey played her with a quiet reserve despite being wailed and assaulted (even by sexual means) by an unseen demonic force. But this film did more than chronicle an abusive haunting, it instead profiled this unassuming home in the midst of a bustling Los Angeles suburb.

The real Entity house and its case became famous thanks in large part to parapsychologist and UCLA professor, Dr. Barry Taff who was contacted by Doris in 1974 to examine her home. Taff was blown away by what he saw; arcing balls of unexplained paranormal lights that seemingly appeared, bent themselves, and disappeared almost upon command. The home was believed to have an especially violent incubus that had somehow attached itself to Doris to unyielding ends. Despite some remodeling and additions, the notorious Entity house still stands today as a constant reminder of one woman’s battle with an incubus.

More Real Haunted Places

Now that you have seen some of the scariest haunted houses that Hollywood has to offer, check out these other real haunted locations all across the U.S.. From Buffalo Bill’s House in Silence of the Lambs to the Hollywood Sign itself, there are more haunted places to visit than your nerves can keep up with.

The Most Haunted Hotel in Texas – The Menger Hotel

Published by FrightFind On July 20, 2022

San Antonio, Texas, is a city with lots of bloodshed in its history. From the Battle at the Alamo to the infamous serial killers such as the “Railroad Killer” and “The Alligator Man”, the city has seen plenty of violence. Despite such troubles, the city is a wonderful destination for someone looking to take in all the charming beauty that Texas and its people have to offer. The Menger Hotel is one such upscale and elaborate place to stay when visiting the city. However, the Menger Hotel has been labeled as “The Most Haunted Hotel In Texas” by many paranormal groups.

Is the Menger Hotel Haunted?

Constructed in 1859 in the famous Alamo Plaza, the Menger is a three-story, picturesque love letter to Victorian-styled hotels. From the charming Spanish courtyard to the museum-level historic mementos displayed throughout the hotel, the Menger is an extraordinary and graciously decorated hotel. As majestic and busy as the hotel is, it is also very busy from the paranormal end. Just how busy? Over the years, paranormal enthusiasts estimate up to an astounding thirty-eight different spirits haunt the hotel.

The Ghosts of The Menger Hotel

Sallie White

With so many spirits claimed to be wandering the hotel’s property, the encounters and paranormal hallmarks are absolutely all over the place. Sallie White was the name of a former maid at the Menger who was murdered by her husband in 1876 on the property. Over the years, many guests have claimed to see the woman in period dress who floats through the hallways and sometimes walls! Other times, guests find that someone is furiously turning their hotel room doorknob from the outside, but upon opening the door discover an empty hallway and nobody there. Despite the action, most employees at the hotel brush off the behavior as her keeping up with her housekeeping duties by checking to see if rooms are occupied.

Frisky

Another ghost is affably named “Frisky”, a male spirit who takes particular supernatural glee in playing with a female guest’s hair. A top floor room has had dozens of sightings over the years of a younger man in period, nineteenth century soldier dress, who appears and then disappears in guest room chairs at all hours of the day.

The Girl and the Indian

The spirit of a Native American man has been recalled as seen near the bar area over many years as well as a dark-haired younger girl’s disembodied torso has appeared in photos. She was reported to have been viciously struck by a fast-moving horse carriage and died on the spot in front of the hotel. Her spirit is known to peek out from the corners of areas in the lobby as if to spy on visitors.

Despite the aforementioned paranormal activity, the hotel is regarded as one of the premier places to stay in San Antonio, if not the state of Texas in general. Many United States presidents, celebrities, and colorful dignitaries have enjoyed their stay at the Menger. Beautiful inside and out, the Menger is an experience that can literally be seen and most definitely believed.

Want to check out some other haunted hotels in Texas? Here you go!

Netflix Checks In To The Cecil Hotel

Published by FrightFind On March 10, 2021

Missing persons, serial killers, demonic activity, and even mind-bending realities. No those aren’t fixtures in a new horror film, instead, they’re commonplace in one of the most haunted Hollywood spots in all of Los Angeles…..The Cecil Hotel. A place so popular amongst horror and true crime fans, that even stylish fright shows such as American Horror Story and the streaming giant Netflix have dabbled in its legend. Wanna get caught up in some true horror history?

Crime Scene: Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

Most media pundits and critics today agree that you haven’t made the big time….unless you’re on Netflix. The streaming zenith is home to just about every television series, movie, and documentary known to man and it came as no surprise that in February 2021 it debuted it’s latest talked-about hit. Famous documentary series director Joe Berlinger brought to life a new series entitled, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. Berlinger is no stranger to the true-crime macabre as his earlier Netflix show’s on, Jeffery Epstein and Ted Bundy, were massive hits with fans and critics alike.

In Crime Scene, Berlinger directed four, one hour long shows documenting the sordid and bloody history of the Cecil Hotel, serving as a backdrop to the series’s focused crime. Doctors, authors, detectives, former employees, and everyone in between, Berlinger leaves no stone unturned. Centering primarily around the disappearance of Elisa Lam, each episode is interlinked and immediately worthy of a must-do binge watch on the whole series to discover just exactly what caused perhaps one of the most puzzling personal disappearances in Los Angeles crime history.

Cecil Hotel’s Serial Killer Resident

Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker

The Cecil Hotel was known to have some of the lowest daily or weekly rates of any hotel in the area, along with a no-questions-asked sort of registration policy. Terrorizing L.A. residents on a rape and murder spree during the summer of 1985 was a young derelict named Richard Ramirez. Dubbed the “Night Stalker” by the media, his penchant for blood and Satanism knew no limits as he murdered his way into the night while lounging and sleeping off his horrendous crimes during the day at the Cecil. Ramirez often stayed on the 14th floor and while he never brought any victims in or killed on-site, people remember his behavior as low key and unassuming. A total contrast to his bloodthirsty murder sprees he’d engage in before sleeping it off to do all over again.

Jack Unterweger: The Vienna Woods Killer

The Vienna Woods Killer, Jack Unterweger as was a resident of the Cecil Hotel. Also known by Austrian media as the “Poet of Death” for his exceptional writing skills while in prison or on trial, Unterweger was working for an Austrian true-crime publication that sent him to L.A. in 1991. The murderer of at least ten sex workers and possibly more, the belief among true-crime theorists is Unterweger vehemently explored the seedy L.A. underworld of prostitution and used the Cecil Hotel as a home base to retire too and sharpen his deadly ambitions.

The Elisa Lam Mystery

“You’re always haunted by the idea you’re wasting your life.”

A quote from Elisa Lam’s favorite author Chuck Palahniuk, the 21-year-old Canadian University student tragically would find herself wasting her own life right there in the Cecil Hotel. Lam was on a trip to California from the British Columbia area in late January 2003 and chose to stay at the Cecil Hotel, likely due to the affordability. Little did she know she’d be dead five days later. Going out to explore L.A. is something she dreamed of and wrote about in her social media Tumblr blog (which is still online and can be found here: https://nouvelle-nouveau.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/text and read in its haunting entirety). Renting initially a shared room, Lam’s roommate requests she be moved due to her erratic behavior.

Lam was eventually relocated on the 14th floor (the Night Stalker’s former floor) and spent time exploring bookstores in the L.A. area while making sure to call her family every night. January 31, 2013, Elisa disappears, her family then reaches out to the police. A thorough missing person investigation is launched with little to go on as everything led to a dead-end for investigators. By February 15, 2013, investigators discovered a surveillance video in the hotel’s elevator which showed a panicked Lam hiding inside the elevator. Peeking out to check if the hallway is clear, she appears to be running from someone….or something. Lam exits the elevator and is never seen again.

On February 19, 2013, guests at the Cecil complained to maintenance manager Santiago Lopez about the taste and color of the hotel’s water. Lopez bridged the roof and breached one of the hotel’s four water supply tanks to discover Lam’s naked, and bloated corpse floating face up in the water supply. The police drained and cut through the tank to pull her body out. How could a smaller woman escape to a reclusive and hard-to-reach portion of the hotel’s roof without a ladder? How did she alternately lift the 100 lbs hatch lid and then close it from the inside? Police were dumbstruck by the scene and chalked her death up to a simple drowning. Eerily enough Lam’s phone was never found, but that didn’t stop her Tumblr posts from posting even after her death!

Spiritual Portal?

In recent years, the Cecil Hotel has absolutely been one of the most popular true-crime horror destinations in the area. Elisa Lam’s death has attracted throngs of attention, and one of the more interesting theories is her frantic button-pushing in the elevator on the day of her disappearance was not as it appeared. Theorists believe she was engaging in an East Asian paranormal act dubbed the Elevator Game. It’s a maddening button push game in which someone goes in an elevator and must go in between, up and down floors in a certain pattern, while never exiting the actual elevator. If done properly, the last floor reached will open up not to our reality, but instead to an ethereal otherworld dimension. People report seeing a woman with a red cross on her chest who somehow helps answer your questions, while others claim that they’re relentlessly pursued by a female demon who aspires for nothing more than collecting your soul before you can reverse the process in the same elevator. The consensus among these theorists is that Elisa played the Elevator Game, and permanently lost.

American Horror Story Gets Involved

Uber popular horror anthology recently took a stab at shooting some scenes for their show at the Cecil. Showrunner Ryan Murphy is a self-confessed fan of the Cecil Hotel, so much so that he incorporated season five’s theme of a hotel in the “Hotel Cortez” where guests check-in and go missing…..straight from Cecil’s history, a mix between the true life Cecil and H.H. Holmes Murder Castle in Chicago. Not to be outdone in the area of just missing guests, Murphy crafted perhaps the most terrifying episode in all of AHS history with the infamous “Devil’s Night” episode in which a recreated portrayal of the Night Stalker himself, Richard Ramirez, is featured on the show.

The long and sordid history of the Cecil Hotel is one that is of a living legend in the true-crime paranormal world……and the vacancies are currently open.

Top Haunts In Hollywood

Published by FrightFind On May 18, 2019

Lights! Camera! Haunting! Hollywood, California is where all the greatest major motion pictures and television series emanate from. Glitzy celebrities, paparazzi, fame, and endless fans have all gathered here over the many decades to celebrate the latest in entertainment. Over time celebrities pass, fame is fleeting, and fans find other stars. So what is left to be?

Here are the Top Five Haunted Places in Hollywood:

The Entity House

In 1974, a divorced mother of four children named Doris Bither moved her family into a small, West Los Angeles home. Having one younger girl and three older boys, space was small, but the Bither’s made the best use of what they had. Unfortunately, the happiness did not last long as Doris was subject to incredible physical and sexual assaults by a trio of spiritual entities. Relief was temporarily found in the chance meeting with Dr. Barry Taff, a budding parapsychologist. What happened next were some of the best-documented instances of unexplained spectral and paranormal lights that have ever been recorded on film. Doris and her family eventually fled the home, but this unsuspecting ranch style home in the heart of Hollywood also helped inspired the 1981 cult horror class, The Entity.

The Roosevelt Hotel

Opening in 1927 and named after Theodore Roosevelt, the Roosevelt Hotel served as a Hollywood staple for decades, in fact, the first ever Academy Award ceremony was held at the hotel. Situated across from Grauman’s Chinese Theater, hundreds of celebrities have stayed at the hotel, with a generous portion of their spirits still taking up residence. Marilyn Monroe stayed at the hotel years before her untimely death. Visitors have reported seeing Monroe’s ghost passing by them in the mirror. Veteran actor Montgomery Clift stayed at the Roosevelt for months while filming the classic, From Where To Eternity, and guests have reported his bugle music permeating his room at all hours. The Hollywood charm and glitz has never faded from the Roosevelt and its business today has never been busier and more prosperous.

The Comedy Store

Right on the sunset strip, this comedy club has had some of show business’s greatest comedians of all time grace their stage. Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, Jim Carey, and Eddie Murphy have all at one point or another torn down the house with laughter. However, for all the good humor going on, the Comedy Store is rather paranormally active. Before being established in 1972 as a comedy club, the building was formerly an Italian restaurant that served as a mob front in which mafia activities went on in the back. The basement area was referred to as “the torture room” where mafioso dealt with traitors to their outfit.

When the comedy club emerged, the lingering spirits took issue with some comedians. Sam Kinnison was a boisterously loud man with a rapid-fire comedy style. He would get so loud that the lights in the club would flicker if things got too out of control. One evening during a set, he had heard there were ghosts in the building and if they didn’t like it, he demanded they show themselves. After challenging the spirits, every single light in the building went out plunging his show into darkness. Today the lights still flicker and even the faintest of boos can be heard when there is no audience in the room.

Cecil Hotel

Situated downtown is the infamously historic Cecil Hotel. Built in 1927, this multi-story hotel boasts over 700 rooms that can be rented out with low daily and weekly rates. Adjacent to the hotel is a patch of downtown referred to as “Skid Row”, a reputed area for heavy drug use and rampant homelessness. With so many rooms and diversity of visitors, it wasn’t before long that the ghost stories of the Cecil emerged. Cold spots, banging sounds, and whispers of all types have permeated the many floors. In 2013, college student Elisa Lam was chased and terrorized by an unseen force that was captured on film before she died mysteriously on the roof. In 2014 a young boy took a photograph that made headlines as it showed an apparition hanging right off a balcony ledge. To up the scare factor here, both notorious serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger were frequent guests here.

The Hollywood Sign

More then likely the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of the sights of Hollywood, the Hollywood sign is perhaps the truest form of practical embodiment that the city has. Standing forty-five feet tall and over three hundred and fifty feet long, this near hundred-year-old landmark is a tourist staple. The brief hike and remote location of the sign have had some mysteriousness associated with it. In 1932, actress Peg Entwhistle climbed upon the letter “H” and committed suicide by jumping off. Over the next several decades, visitors and hikers alike have come across Peg’s ghost.

Many have told of seeing a woman in period dress walking slowly around the trail to the sign. Others have come across a woman in period dress (not considered unusual in Hollywood as anyone could have an audition later), asking how to get to the top of the sign and disappearing before answering. The most ghostly activity is the heavy and extreme scent of gardenias at the feet of the Hollywood sign. This was a reported favorite scent that Entwhistle frequently wore and made even eerier by the fact that there are no gardenias anywhere to be found on the entire property.

Looking for more haunts in and around Hollywood? Look no more!

7 Haunted Bed and Breakfasts To Visit

Published by FrightFind On May 4, 2019

The bed and breakfast inn is a staple within any lodging community. Typically they are private, massively sized older homes that have been renovated to accommodate weary travelers looking for a more personalized lodging experience. Breakfast is traditionally served by the owners and other areas of the bed and breakfast such as living rooms and libraries are open to relax in.

Here is a list of seven of the most haunted bed and breakfasts to help unrest your paranormal inclinations:

T’Frere’s House

Lafayette, Louisiana

Built in 1880, this expansive and charming house was constructed by Acadians in the area who naturally gave it a wide and welcoming porch area. One of the original residents of this house was Amelie Comeaux, who lived there with her husband and child. However, yellow fever claimed the lives of both her husband and child soon after they moved in. Melancholia took over, and according to oral legend, Amelie committed suicide by throwing herself down the well in back of the property. The Catholic Church ruled her death suicide and would not allow her a proper funeral or to be buried on sacred ground.

Decades later, the home has been a successful bed and breakfast that makes it no secret that Amelie is still haunting it. Doors gently open, knobs turn, and occasional happy whistle is heard. The most heart-wrenching was her appearance to an employee in the attic as her spirit manifested, speaking only in French about how she wished to be laid to rest with her family. Today, the bed and breakfast remains wildly successful and the owners fully believe her presence there is a gentle one.

Farnsworth House

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Half a mile from the historic Civil War era battlefield of Gettysburg National Military Park, the Farnsworth House is perhaps the most supernaturally active bed and breakfast within the area. Assumed to have been constructed sometime in 1810, this now modern day bed and breakfast is reported to be haunted by up to sixteen different spirits each completely different from the other. The young ghost named Jeremy is believed to be just eight years old, however being a ghost somehow has not discouraged him from playing games. Both visitors and employees alike report of approaching an open door only for it to be quickly shut before they can grasp the knob. Other times guests feel someone tapping them on the shoulder only to turn around and see nobody there while on the other side of their body, they feel the tiniest little gust of air pass against them as if a spirit just passes by.

Another ghost in the house has a mid-wife quality about her and guests have reported of an unseen force “tucking” them into bed in the middle of the night with a certain gentleness. Today the Farnsworth is the most popular bed and breakfast in Gettysburg and even caters to paranormal investigators and amateur supernatural seekers by hosting routine paranormal investigations.

Beechwood Inn

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This multi-story home turned successful bed and breakfast is the ideal New England vacation spot. Large and spacious guest rooms with original antique furnishings and located incredibly close to the shores of Cape Cod Bay, the Beechwood Inn is more than ideal for a stay. Built in 1853, the Beechwood was originally a private home all the way up until 1980 when it was sold to its current proprietors. When closing on the home with plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast, the former owners mildly kidded the new owners that a gentle spirit they believed lived there too. Once the home was flipped into a bed and breakfast and officially open for business that’s when both guests and the owners began documenting paranormal occurrences.

Doors would not only open and close at random, but would also be locked many a time from the other side. Light bulbs in their sockets would somehow be unscrewed and removed while the shower curtain rods in the guest bathrooms would be inexplicably removed with no noise or perceived effort at all. Sometimes guests and the owners have spotted her white colored spirit hovering gently in the parlor room. The owners of the Beechwood have dubbed the spirit “The Mischievous Lady” after all of the harmless supernatural havoc she has been known to wreak. Still a lady even in the spirit world, she has also been known to chirp at guests and the owners a very bright “good morning!”

1895 Tarlton House Bed and Breakfast

Hillsboro, Texas

Standing at a tall and narrow three stories with yellow and peach color exterior, this one hundred and twenty four year old bed and breakfast is quite paranormally active despite its age. Located half an hour south of Dallas, the bed and breakfast was originally built by the Tarlton couple in 1895. The towering Victorian-style home was to be the perfect place to stay, but the happiness ended early when Mrs. Tarlton succumbed to a lengthy illness in the home. Depressed by his wife’s death, Duke Tarlton committed suicide by hanging himself in the attic.

Naturally the property changed hands over the many decades and before long stories about the bed and breakfast being haunted came to light. Presumably the most active point in the house is the attic. Guests and employees have claimed to see a black shadow-like presence that has been seen pacing around up there. Below the attic on the third floor, guests have reported a sensation of being in bed and feeling something heavy sit on the edge of the bed, leaving an impression all the while there is nothing there at all! A former housekeeper claimed to have seen Duke Tarlton fully manifested, and he was on his knees bent over, with his head in his hands as if he were weeping, no doubt for his long deceased wife.

While the house today has not had any malicious activity, locals still feel weary about the bed and breakfast and have been known to cross the street and avoid walking on the same sidewalk where the home lies due to a sudden and chilling uneasiness that they feel.

Banning House Lodge

Avalon, California

Situated on the easternmost point of Santa Catalina island off the coast of California, this hillside bed and breakfast has a magnificent view of the Pacific coast. The Banning House was originally used as a hunting lodge by the Banning family only to serve as a Coast Guard barracks back during World War II before it was refurbished into a female sleep-away camp during the 1950s. Adjacent to the stunning vineyards of Avalon, the Banning House became a charming, coastal California bed and breakfast, with plenty of spirits residing there.

The fisherman ghost is one of the most frequently reported. Unseen to most guests, his presence is said to be formidable in feeling, but not malicious at all. In fact accompanying his presence is an overwhelming scent of both burning tobacco as well as freshly caught fish. Another entity known as the “White Lady” has been seen in any one of the eleven guest rooms, quietly looking out the window before fading straight away. The most alarming spirit to see is that of actress Natalie Wood. She is said to have mysteriously drowned off the coast and her ghostly figure has been seen walking up and down the beach in front of the lodge looking distressed. Santa Catalina island is every bit of the romantic getaway it’s known for and it just so happens to now be known to house a minimally haunted bed and breakfast.

Chapman Inn

Bethel, Maine

Majority of bed and breakfasts, as well as hotels, do not typically advertise their locations as being haunted. However, the Chapman Inn located in Bethel is the only known bed and breakfast out there to label itself as “officially haunted”. Recent owners of the inn began to experience many subtle paranormal occurrences within the property as well as their guests. Before long, the owners sought out a paranormal investigation team to finally answer all their questions.

The investigation revealed that in the early 20th Century, the home’s original owner William Chapman had a sickly daughter and he hired a nanny to watch over her. His daughter ended up passing away after befriending the nanny and by 1957 the nanny passed away as well. As a result, doors open and close frequently within the modern-day bed and breakfast without anyone by them. Footsteps hurriedly passing back and forth in rooms overhead and down hallways also have been audibly heard for decades. The most chilling of all to guests and employees there is the female voices that can be heard talking back and forth in a room, holding a full conversation while absolutely nobody is in there. The current owners of the Chapman Inn are fully cognizant of the paranormal activity here and encourage any visitors who experience the phenomenon there to take pictures or video and share it.

Foley House Inn

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is routinely recognized along with New Orleans as being the most haunted city in the Deep South. The Foley House Inn is tightly located within Savannah’s Historic District and is quite active. The inn was constructed in 1896 by Honoria Foley, the widow of a wealthy Irish immigrant who has the distinction of making the Foley House the first bed and breakfast constructed in Savannah. Interestingly enough, the inn was constructed over the charred remains of some buildings that were burned down during the Great Savannah Fire of 1889. Undeterred, it wasn’t until a mild renovation in 1897 when skeletal remains were found within the inn.

Since the discovery of the remains, there have been untold amounts of paranormal sightings on the property. Affectionately, the remains were called, “Wally” by employees and Wally is said to be the main spirit haunting the bed and breakfast. Rushes of wind have passed by guests sitting in their rooms when not only nobody is in the room, but the doors and windows are shut thus providing no explanation for the mysterious gusts.

Another is a man in period clothing with a top hat who wanders the garden late at night forever searching for something only known to him. Cold spots and other strange noises are said to be an all too common thing in the Foley House. Today, the bed and breakfast enjoys success from the Historic District business in Savannah as well as being one of the more popular stops along the city’s many ghost tours.

Find a haunted Bed & Breakfasts near you HERE!

Ten Haunted Hotels You Need To Visit*

Published by FrightFind On February 10, 2019

Hotels, motels, inns. These are places of refuge for the weary and homesick traveler. Checking in, relaxing, and finally laying down to sleep, there is no worse feeling than having all the serenity interrupted by the supernaturally unexplained. For those looking to travel soon, here are 10 haunted hotels worth checking out.

Ten Haunted Hotels You Need to Visit

Battery Carriage House Inn, Charleston South Carolina

Built in 1843, this charming inn provides a real-world Southern delight in terms of hospitality and color. Spacious, ornate, and decorated with historic perfection, the Battery Carriage House Inn also is never truly vacant. There are several haunted spots at this inn, with the busiest being in Room 8 where a ghost that manifests as a headless torso is known to awaken visitors in the dead of night. One possible explanation for the headless spirit is the fact that trees on site outside Room 8 were used to hang pirates centuries ago.

Not to be outdone, doors down in Room 10, another ghost dubbed “The Gentleman” haunts the room. Guests have reported seeing a tall, slender looking man of delicate appearance who if seen, leaves behind a rather pleasant soap scent to the room.

French Market Inn, New Orleans, Louisiana

Situated right on the Mississippi, this centuries-old inn was once a hotspot for those rough travelers who landed on the shores via the steamboats and ships. Parts of the brick in the inn are original from the hundreds of years previous when a section of this place was originally a bakery. Strange shadow figures and odd sounds are a common report of visitors. In the middle of the night, the faintest sound of squeaking hoist chains can be heard as well.

The older part of the inn has had reports of a ghost that has been known to leave bloody red handprints on guests pillows upon waking in the morning. Today the French Quarter Inn is a very quaint, and functional place to stay amongst the hustle of New Orleans, just be sure to check your pillow in the morning!

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Naturally built in 1886, the exclusive Crescent Hotel & Spa has all the offerings of any luxury hotel for those looking to be pampered while on a getaway. However, for those looking for a bit more of a paranormal experience won’t be disappointed either. Spirits have reported being seen by visitors in the form of a wispy fog-like appearance. Dragging low to the ground, people have had enormously large cold spots pressed against their legs and had them bumped by unseen forces.

One of the top requested rooms in the hotel is Room 419 that is said to be haunted by a nurse who once lived there named Theodora. Guests have reported leaving their rooms very messy only to return a short time later to find things most tidy and rearranged. In fact, they report having seen objects slowly move across the room and return to their natural position by this nurse spirit. And if it’s orbs you’re after, Room 218 is notorious for all the different orbs that have been captured over the years floating around the room.

The Cavalier Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The Cavalier was constructed during the 1920s and was a popular spot for many wealthy celebrities at the time. Adolph Coors, the actual founder of Coors Beer stayed here often, however, he also fell to his untimely death from a 6th story window. Visitors who stay on this particular floor are said to feel a small gush of wind from an unknown direction. Also, guests have reported hearing a thud outside on the grounds where Coors body was found decades ago.

Perhaps the most frightening is that of an unknown Army soldier who haunts the staircases and tells guests not to go upstairs. During World War II, parts of the hotel were used as an Army barracks of sorts and a shipwreck carrying bodies back from Europe with American soldiers happened. In the short term, the bodies were kept at the hotel until they were removed and sent to their final resting places, but apparently, their spirits linger there to this day.

Radisson Hotel Grand Island, Niagara Falls, New York

In the late 1800s, the Grand Island area had a supervisor official installed to monitor the area. Soon after moving there, his mansion burned to the ground and along with it his youngest daughter Tanya. Fast forward to 1977, the hotel chain Holiday Inn constructed an elaborate hotel over the area where the mansion once stood. Soon after construction, the hauntings began. Guests reported a little girl in a white nightgown attempting to wake them up while they were sleeping.

Other times, they report hearing a wailing child scream in an adjacent room only for management to reveal that the room is unoccupied. The most chilling is a guest waking up to see his children playing with a strange girl in a white dress in the room. When the father rousts from the bed, the girl darts into the bathroom and shuts the door. The father goes over and opens the bathroom door to find the inside completely empty! Eventually, the Holiday Inn sold the property to the Radisson chain and it is still quite an active location.

Emily Morgan Hotel by Hilton, San Antonio, Texas

A Hilton hotel property that is officially the “hotel of the Alamo”, the Emily Morgan’s grounds have seen their share of bloodshed over the years in the battle for Texas. Before Hilton took over, the building was used as a mortuary, psychiatric ward, and hospital. Today the upper floors, in particular, the 7th, 12th, and 14th, are the most active. Electrical issues are the chief complaint as the lights in a room flicker on and off, as do the television sets.

Guestroom phones have rung in the middle of the night to nobody on the other end. Disembodied spirits are seen, that in particular of a woman in a white dress who appears to wonder looking for something lost. Of all things, one ghost has been known to run bath water for guests while they are away from their rooms ensuring their stay has hospitality coming from both the living and the supernatural.

Quality Inn Jameson, Crestview, Florida

Built in 2000, this hotel in the Choice chain is considered fairly new by haunting age standards. The earliest reports are of a middle-aged man who is seen impatiently waiting in front of the elevators. At other times, he’s seen on different floors posed in front of the same elevators, always waiting hurriedly. His sightings are fairly tame compared to the horrors some guests have experienced.

Happening almost always to male occupants, they report being awoken by a headless woman in a white dress that is covered in blood! Sometimes she is seen while a male guest is fully awake and she enters the room mysteriously and then fades and passes right through the wall. The origin of both the headless woman and the elevator man are a mystery to this day.

Gettysburg Hotel, Gettysburg, Virginia

Built in 1797, this is one of the oldest hotels in the United States. Along with such a lengthy business history, the hotel is haunted by a Civil War nurse named Rachel. Guests report items floating across their rooms, as well as clothes being folded and mysteriously put away in the drawers. Other times they speak of a cool breeze of zero origins to pass through the room, followed by a feeling of comfort.

This hotel also has one of the rare distinctions of actually embracing such paranormal activity and hosts ghost tours on the premises and even boasts of a “Ghostly Encounter Hotel Package”.

Bullock Hotel, Deadwood, South Dakota

Deadwood, South Dakota became famous in the late 1800s as gold rush fever hit. Businessman Seth Bullock built the hotel to help capitalize on all people looking to spend time staying in the area. Bullock passed away in 1919, but his ghost still haunts the hotel. Staff have reported at odd times, when there is no hotel business to tend to and they’re merely standing around, a glass may break or vase get moved by Bullock’s ghost, as to somehow stay busy and keep the hotel looking pristine.

Guests report lights in their rooms being turned off if too many of them are on, a supernatural sign from Bullock that frugality knows no bounds. In the bar area, bar stools have been known to gently be pushed back into a position aligned with bar tables so to keep things orderly. Other times staff and guests feel like they’re being watched, no doubt Bullock is making sure his hotel is run with supernatural authority to this day.

Hotel Retlaw, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

Built in 1922, the Hotel Retlaw was constructed as part of a greater chain of hotels in the northern Wisconsin area. The hotel itself has a small series of tunnels built underneath it that were used for running alcohol during prohibition days. It was actually placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. However, with all the decorated history, the place does have its share of paranormal activity.

Room 717 is the epicenter of the majority of the activity. Screams of both a man and woman can be heard at all hours of the day and night. Other times, guests report being shoved or having their hair pulled in the middle of the night. Banging and stomping within the walls is another reported activity that goes on at all times. Downstairs in the Crystal Ballroom, cold spots are notorious, no matter the weather or the dress of a guest. Staff reports the faint sound of music playing from the ballroom when nobody is in there, as well as a ghost couple that can be seen dancing. While the hotel’s activity is strong, it is not considered malevolent and it boasts a fairly robust business to this day.

Check out our full list of America’s Most Haunted Hotels.

Black Bear Visits The Stanley Hotel

Published by FrightFind On August 25, 2018

Black Bear Decides to Visit The Shining Hotel

A curious Stephen King fan decided to check out the hotel known as “The Shining Hotel,” aka The Stanley Hotel. Ghosts are not the only thing you might be wary of when staying at the iconic Stanley Hotel. Recently a very sizable black bear decided to pay a visit during the wee hours of the morning when most guests were asleep. This black bear must have been curious about Room 237 because he opened the door and strolled right into the lobby. After taking a break and enjoying the hotel lobby furniture, he changed his mind and wandered back out the door. It was obvious he wasn’t getting a room. The bear was heard saying, “I don’t see why Stephen King was so excited about this place. I’m out!”

Video: Bear wanders into the Stanley Hotel

The 1909 Stanley Hotel is famous for having been the inspiration for Stephen King’s horror blockbuster, The Shining. Each year thousands of King fans descend on the hotel to experience the renowned hotel that inspired the novel, film, and mini-series. The hotel also has many ghost stories aside from King, with a fantastic history of paranormal activity and reported ghost sightings to boot.

Haunted Places In Ohio

Published by FrightFind On August 21, 2018

The state of Ohio is home to many things: Buckeye trees, the first professional baseball team, and the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, but what about supernatural beings? Well, it turns out the Buckeye State has its fair share of creepy locales, some of which may be home to a paranormal entity or two. Here are a few notable haunted places in Ohio that will send chills up your spine.

Haunted House of Wills in Cleveland

If there’s any place on this list that would house a ghostly spirit, it’s this place. Once a massive funeral home – and before that, it was a German Opera house – the haunted House of Wills in Cleveland is now a derelict building filled with crumbling ceilings and relics from the past. In 2010, it was purchased by a High Priest of the New Church of Satan in the hopes of renovating the 34 room mansion. Tours are available on the Church’s website for anyone who wants to experience a walk around the ominous building. People have reportedly witnessed strange mists, and some have even claimed to have seen the ghost of J. Walter Wills, the previous owner who died in the mansion back in 1971.

Haunted Franklin Castle in Ohio City

Located in Ohio City, Franklin Castle appears as a beautifully designed Victorian home but is known as one of the most haunted locations in the Buckeye State. Franklin Castle was built in the 1880s by a banker named Hannes Tiedemann. The castle proved to be a curse for Tiedemann since many of his family members – including his mother and four of his children – died in the house. In the past few decades, there have been reports of people hearing sounds of babies crying and seeing a mysterious woman in black roam the hallways. Today, Franklin Castle is privately owned – which means no trespassing folks – but anyone curious about the building can view it from the sidewalk.

Fairport Harbor Haunted Lighthouse

What’s a list of haunted locations without a creepy lighthouse? The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse was first completed in 1825 and is referred to as “The Light that Shone for 100 Years.” Today it serves as a marine museum that houses a number of artifacts and maritime exhibits. It is also home to Sentinel the ghost cat. Legend has it that one of the previous headmaster’s of the lighthouse gave his bedridden wife numerous cats to keep her company. Unfortunately, she passed away soon after and many of her cats left – except for one gray cat. Some say the cat is still there – albeit in spectral form – with one curator claiming to have seen the cat skittering across the floor near the kitchen.

Ohio State Reformatory

If you’re a fan of the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, then this place will look very familiar to you. Also known as the Mansfield Reformatory, The Ohio State Reformatory is a massive prison complex located in Mansfield, Ohio. Construction on the foundation started on November 4, 1886, and was designed by Cleveland Architect Levi T. Scofield, who envisioned a building with gothic architecture so unnerving that it would encourage inmates to leave their criminal tendencies behind. Today, the prison is said to be quite haunted by the ghosts of the past. The haunted prison offers ghost tours and hosts a haunted attraction each Halloween for any brave customers who hope to capture a glimpse of spirits who are still imprisoned within the building’s walls.

The Haunted Grounds of Mudhouse Mansion

Haunted Mudhouse Mansion before being demolished in 2015.

This next haunted location is unfortunately not around anymore, but nevertheless, it has become a legend amongst locals for its ghostly stories. The Mudhouse, located in Fairfield County, Ohio, was a towering mansion that became a hotspot of spooky lore amongst locals. For decades, people would trespass on the property to wander the building’s crumbling walls and hope they’ll leave with a frightening story to tell – perhaps they’ll hear voices of small children or a figure roaming the hallways. Due to years of trespassing and the amount of money needed to renovate it, the owners of the Mudhouse decided to tear it down. Although gone, some Fairfield County locals keep the legend alive by passing down stories of the ominous building to future generations.

Lorain Palace Haunted Theater

The Lorain Palace Theater, located in Lorain County, Ohio, is one of the oldest movie theaters in the state. Opened in 1928 to much acclaim, the theater was one of the first in Ohio to play talking pictures. Due to its rich legacy dating back to the early 20th century, it’s no surprise that there have been a few instances of ghostly activities lurking about the theater. Paranormal investigators claimed to have spoken with the numerous spirits whose lives tragically ended at the establishment. One spirit, who said his name was Ed, worked at the shipyard – which was located behind the palace – until he was murdered when he was pushed down the stairs. Another spirit said they had died from a heroin overdose, while many others were killed when a tornado hit the county back in 1924. For those further interested in the Theater’s unexplained activity, a documentary was made about the Lorain Theater Palace by a group of local paranormal researchers.

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Stephen King and “The Shining” Hotels that Gave Us The Overlook Hotel

Published by FrightFind On August 13, 2018

What Hotels Inspired The Shining?

In late 1974, Stephen King was emerging as a wildly successful young author. His two bestsellers, Carrie and Salem’s Lot, were enjoying multiple printing editions. For such an overnight success, the spotlight was beginning to shine on King, who previously worked as an English teacher at a Maine high school and sometimes moonlighted at a local laundry. Little did he know, a short-lived move to Boulder, Colorado would bring a new setting for many of his stories to come. One night, he found himself at the birthplace of The Shining in Estes Park, Colorado where he stayed at the Stanley Hotel, the first of many hotels to impact a story that has bewildered fans for decades.

The Stanley Hotel Hauntings that Sparked The Shining

On October 30, 1974, Stephen King and his wife chose to stay at The Stanley Hotel. As fate would have it, King and his wife Tabitha were the only guests for this short stay as the hotel was on the cusp of closing for the winter season. “They were just getting ready to close for the season, and we found ourselves the only guests in the place — with all those long, empty corridors.” With one hundred and forty rooms and fourteen thousand square feet, the 1909 hotel could not have been a more perfect setting as King took to walking the long and lonely halls. The Stanley Hotel was known to have paranormal activity long before King’s stay and it was prepared to play a large part in his unwritten horror hit, The Shining.

The Ghosts of The Stanley Hotel

Some say the hauntings of the Stanley originated with a housekeeper by the name of Elizabeth Wilson. In King’s novel, The Shining, room 217 of The Overlook Hotel is pivotal to the plot. King himself stayed in room 217 at the Stanley Hotel. He has even gone on record saying he suffered terrible nightmares and cold sweats at all hours. Elizabeth Wilson had accidentally died in room 217 in the late fall of 1911 when she was lighting up the room’s oil lanterns. A small explosion erupted killing Wilson as fire engulfed about ten percent of the hotel. King’s stay at the haunted Stanley Hotel began to shape the setting for The Shining’s secluded Overlook Hotel.

The Stanley Hotel Ballroom

A popular sight and scene from King’s novel is the ballroom in the hotel. The Stanley Hotel’s paranormal activity is not just confined to room 217. During the early twentieth century, the ballroom at the hotel was bursting with excitement for late evening parties, dances, and revelry of all sorts. With such a large party scene where alcohol was surely an influence, the hotel employed a bouncer of sorts who’s only known name was Paul. It was commonplace for him to rumble and corral unruly guests out of the ballroom and off the premises. The Stanley Hotel’s current staff and travelers report that late at night around the ballroom, one can hear a very hushed voice utter the words, “get out”. The sightings surrounding Paul and the rowdy past of the hotel’s ballroom also played as inspiration for King and his novel.

The Mohonk Mountain House Hedge Maze and Topiary

For anyone who has read The Shining or seen the film, one of the most renowned images is the giant hedge maze and topiary. At the time of King’s visit at the Stanley Hotel, it did not have a hedge maze on its grounds. The Shining book featured a topiary while The Shining movie featured a hedge maze for little Danny Torrance.

Another hotel that King often visited was The Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. It was a frequent favorite of King and his wife to stay. While the hauntings at the Mohonk Mountain House have less notoriety, the hotel with its lush gardens and gothic features, are said to have inspired some of the hotel’s settings in the book. A most inspiring piece from the hotel is its enormous hedge maze on Mohonk’s property. Standing at over twelve feet tall in some spots, the highly manicured maze may have given King the spark for one of the novel’s most famous scenes.

The Stanley Hotel Adds a Hedge Maze

Sadly, the massive amount of visitors who come to the Stanley Hotel hoping for a maze experience come to find that the hotel never actually had an outdoor maze. This was remedied in 2015 by the current owners of the Stanley Hotel, who designed, built, and carefully constructed one. While most visitors aren’t excited by the hedge walls standing only three feet high, there have been talks by the management of increasing the size of the hedge walls to accommodate the influx of fans who descend on the hotel on a daily basis.

The Timberline Lodge in Oregon is the Face of The Shining

Translating King’s story to film was a challenge for eccentric director Stanley Kubrick. The shots he demanded did not fit with King’s vision and he opted to use another hotel for the exterior shots. The Timberline Lodge became the Overlook Hotel in Kubrick’s The Shining. Nestled on the south side of the Mount Hood National Forest in Northwestern Oregon, the Timberline was just the hotel with the ominous exteriors fit for the job.

Constructed between 1937 and 1938, the Timberline was a brainchild artisan project of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration and was designed to bring in a flow of tourism to the poverty-stricken and remote area. Stanley Kubrick was known in Hollywood for taking filming schedules into uncharted and quite lengthy territory. The Shining was proving no different and the year-long-plus process allowed for prolonged shots of the Timberline after a fresh snowfall. This gave the film a dramatic and eerie visual setting.

The Timberline Lodge did not have a hedge maze either. Go figure.

The Ahwahnee Hotel Inspires the Interior of The Shining Hotel

Kubrick relied on gaudy interior visuals for his film and drew inspiration from the majestic Ahwahnee Hotel. Located inside Yosemite National Park in California, the Ahwahnee’s interior design took inspiration from natural attractions in the area and highlighted genuine redwood hardwood flooring, farmed local stones, and overhead grand chandeliers fashioned out of hunted deer and elk antlers.

One clear inspiration featured in Kubrick’s Shining would be the Ahwahnee elevator doors that would shed a sea of blood into our nightmares for decades.

The Ahwahnee Hotel Shining Elevators

The hotel did not allow any filming to take place inside. Kubrick’s designers would draw from the Stanley, the Mohonk, Timberline, and Ahwahnee hotels to piece together the visuals of The Shining. Stanley Kubrick took film production overseas and to the confines of his native England and into Hertfordshire which was home to the often used Elstree Studios.

Is Stephen King Jack Torrance?

For most amateur horror novel and film fans, they think that it was simply a case of Stephen King spending the night in a haunted hotel and a novel was born. Upon closer examination, the truth of the matter is that King had inserted little pieces of digested literature and personal experiences to crank out a horror experience that is still terrifying to this day. The novel’s main character, Jack Torrance, is a former high school English teacher, just like King used to be. That sort of background may have made it easy for him to get inside the head of his character and really bring out his frustrations.

In several interviews, King has gone so far as to make it known that Jack’s actions were just a surrogate confession that King was making about his life at the time. It is no secret that King was a heavy alcohol user in his early writing days here and this was further parlayed into Jack’s character. Coupled with an isolated location, it was only natural that tempers would flare, madness would emerge, and humanity snaps. The eerie parallels of cabin fever were possibly inspired from French author Guy De Maupassant’s The Inn, a similar tale in which an isolated inn on a snowy mountaintop serves as a backdrop to madness and murderous visions.

But what about the most famous aspect of King’s novel? The young character of Danny Torrance who possesses a very unusual psychic communication ability. This didn’t come to King by staying at a hotel but actually came from a previous failed novel attempt. In 1972, King had the idea about a young boy with psychic abilities who is enamored with a local amusement park. Not getting very far in the plot, he abandoned the story. It wasn’t until his paranormal stay at the Stanley Hotel when King realized he had the perfect protagonist after suffering a nightmare in which a young boy similar to that in his failed novel, was being chased by his father. With all these details, King had just what he needed to flesh out his next novel even if he was supposed to be celebrating his success with a peaceful vacation holiday.

The Stanley Hotel and The Shining

Just how has all of this attention over the years affected these hotels, especially the Stanley? The current ownership does not seem to mind too much. To show appreciation for its horror roots, the Stanley Hotel has played host to a semi-regular horror film festival, The Stanley Film Festival. The hotel has embraced paranormal fans even more by hosting tours on the hotel grounds to provide new historical perspective on why the Stanley is so popular amongst such groups.

For anyone staying at the Stanley who wakes with nightmares, trembling in sweat like King did some forty plus years ago, there is even a resident psychic on premises named Madame Vera who is available on call and during operating hours to help try and make sense of whatever the other side is trying to say. Showing a richer appreciation for the film, The Shining is televised on the hotel’s in-house television system in a nonstop loop.

With the huge success of King’s novel and even the cult status of Kubrick’s film, it is fair to say that those terrifying vacation nights at the Stanley Hotel, served all parties very well to a very agreeable financial benefit. However, Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick did not see eye to eye on the version of the film and have not been on good terms for years. This lead King to push for an ABC miniseries which aired in 1997 that brought things back full-circle to the Stanley Hotel. Much of the miniseries was shot at The Stanley.

And after all the success and venturing to Colorado, was King done with the area? Not a chance. His next novel to follow The Shining was even bigger and far more frightening as it painted a world-ending viral outbreak with the heroes uniting in Boulder, Colorado. That novel? The Stand.

The Most Haunted Hotels in America

Published by FrightFind On April 6, 2017

The Most Haunted Hotels in Each State

Looking to get scared silly next time you travel? Then check out our state-by-state list of the scariest hotels in the U.S. We’re featuring one real haunted hotel in every state alphabetically so no matter where you travel, you have the option of sleeping with the ghosts and ghouls of yesteryear.

Each haunted hotel has its own unique story. Some have tales that age back to the Civil War. Some tales are of lost love. Some inspired famous horror films and a few have stories of dastardly deeds that aren’t for the squeamish. So when you start planning your cross-country trip in the old Family Truckster, set your travel plans accordingly and see if you can find those things that go bump in the night.

~50 Haunted Hotels in 50 States~

Alabama: St James Hotel

Haunt Location: Selma, Alabama

Built in 1837, several ghosts have haunted the halls of Selma’s St. James Hotel. But the most infamous are Jesse James and his girlfriend Lucinda. Jesse and his brother Frank frequented the hotel during their criminal heyday (about 1870-1882), and one of them is apparently still there. Most often, the ghostly couple of Lucinda and Jesse have been witnessed in rooms 214, 314, and 315. Lucinda’s presence is often accompanied by the scent of lavender, and Jesse’s ghost sports his best cowboy attire. A spooky blend of frights and history.

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Alaska: Alyeska Resort

Haunt Location: Anchorage, Alaska

Where else can you ski, hike, bike, and ghost hunt? Stay in room 721 and you may get a visit from the ghost of a stockbroker who died there in 2001. It’s known to carry on loudly and wake guests as it roams the resort’s 304 rooms in the wee hours. Sounds like a party!

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Arizona: Jerome Grand Hotel

Haunt Location: Jerome, Arizona

This five-story Spanish Mission-style hotel was built at the top of Cleopatra Hill in 1927. Originally a hospital, long-deceased patients can now be heard speaking in the early morning hours, while cries of distress echo across every floor at all hours. There are also reports of the manifestations of a six-year-old boy on the top floor.

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Arkansas: 1886 Crescent Hotel

Haunt Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas

The Crescent Hotel is one of our favorites and is featured as one of the Most Haunted Places in America. This historical hotel’s deceitful past continues to haunt it. In its early years, the hotel owners touted the healing properties of the water flowing nearby, but as people began to realize the waters had no effect, they stopped coming. It later reopened as a cancer treatment facility, but once again sold nothing but snake oil to desperate patients. Rumors have it that the guests of these jilted patrons still haunt the halls, urging guests to leave. Theodora is known to roam room 419, Dr. Baker is the Recreation Room, and other apparitions haunt rooms 202 and 204.

More haunted Arkansas >>

California: Queen Mary

Haunt Location: Long Beach, California

Stay on this possessed ship and you may experience your bed moving at night or see the ghost of one of many sailors who died on board. Children who drowned in the boat’s pool can be heard, and a lady in white haunts the dark corridors at night. Time magazine voted the Queen Mary one of the 10 most haunted places in America.

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Colorado: Stanley Hotel

Haunt Location: Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel bills itself as 7,500 feet above the ordinary, but it’s not just the structure that makes it stand out. Known to many as The Shining Hotel, this hotel inspired horror writer Stephen King to write his macabre novel, The Shining, after he stayed there in 1974. Flora Stanley can often be heard playing her piano in the darkest hours of the night. Her haunting husband, Oscar Stanley, can be seen floating in the Billiards Room.

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Connecticut: Yankee Pedlar Inn

Haunt Location: Hartford, Connecticut

Guests who stay at this 125-year-old inn may be visited by the ghost of Alice, the original owner of the inn who died in 1910. Reserve room 353 or 295 to get the full haunted experience. You will have a great night’s sleep as long as you don’t mind Alice’s ghost climbing into bed with you.

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Delaware: Addy Sea Haunted Inn

Haunt Location: Bethany Beach, Delaware

A thriving bed and breakfast, this inn serves several otherworldly spirits in addition to its living guests. The three rooms reported to be haunted are 1, 6, and 11. Room 1 has a private bath that is said to shake violently at times. Room 6 guests often hear beautiful, if untraceable, organ music. Room 11 is haunted by Paul Dulaney, a former handyman who never left when he died.

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Florida: Loews Don CeSar Hotel

Haunt Location: St. Pete Beach, Florida

Dubbed the Pink Palace for its Mediterranean castle design and pink walls, this hotel is known for its eerie noises and the creepy sensations that can be felt when walking through the halls. Thomas Rowe was the original owner, and his ghost can still be seen overseeing the daily operations of the hotel staff.

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Georgia: Marshall House

Haunt Location: Savannah, Georgia

Savannah has been home to many historical hauntings, but the Marshall House tops the list with a host of apparitions. Ghosts can be seen haunting the hallways and foyers, faucets often turn on seemingly by themselves in the rooms, and children can be detected dancing in the halls at twilight.

More haunted Georgia >>

Hawaii: Hilton Hawaiian Village

Haunt Location: Oahu, Hawaii

Hawaii has its share of hauntings, but not many can say they are home to Pele the “Volcano Goddess.” Or is it a girl in red who was murdered in the hotel many years ago? Either way, it’s Hawaii! Welcome to paradise.

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Idaho: The Owyhee Plaza Hotel

Haunt Location: Boise, Idaho

Boise isn’t exactly known as a haunted wonderland, but this hotel is known as one of the most haunted in all of Idaho. It has been recently remodeled, but don’t worry, the ghosts haven’t gone anywhere. Not a believer? Stop by a check it out. It isn’t a hotel anymore but you can rent an office or apartment and stop by for a drink at the bar. You may not be drinking alone.

More haunted Idaho >>

Illinois: Congress Plaza Hotel

Haunt Location: Chicago, Illinois

Just a few of the unsettling experiences you can have in this hotel include being visited by Peg Leg Johnny, hearing the sounds of a workman who was buried in the walls, and seeing dismembered body parts floating in the Gold Room. Located in the heart of Chicago, this hotel is home to several ghosts and is known as one of the most haunted locations in the state.

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Indiana: French Lick Springs Hotel

Haunt Location: French Lick, Indiana

This hotel is haunted by the former owner, Thomas Taggart, whose ghost can often be seen lingering around the service elevator smoking. If you’re lucky (or unlucky), he may even step on the elevator and accommodate you to your destination. You may also see him riding a horse through the ballroom and down the halls.

More haunted Indiana >>

Iowa: Mason House Inn

Haunt Location: Keosauqua, Iowa

The Coast to Coast AM radio show has interviewed ghost hunters about this haunted inn. Many investigative teams have reported glowing orbs, and guests have seen cookie jars and other items move. The inn is available to rent out for a night, and chances are high that you’ll experience something out of the ordinary.

More haunted Iowa >>

Kansas: Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview

Haunt Location: Wichita, Kansas

The Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview has reported several exceptional happenings in the hotel. Some guests report lights flickering in the guest rooms, but not the corridors. Others experience furniture being moved in mere seconds when they leave the room for just a moment, and some see doors moving back and forth for no apparent reason.

More haunted Kansas >>

Kentucky: Historic Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast

Haunt Location: Bardstown, Kentucky

Guests at the Jailer’s Inn often report seeing a woman, Mrs. McKay, who is seen walking around the grounds. She has also been known to stare at guests while they sleep. This often scares guests, as you’d expect, but she doesn’t seem to have malicious intent. Several prisoners in the past also still haunt these halls, and it’s believed she keeps them in check.

More haunted Kentucky >>

Louisiana: Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Haunt Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

There are three main apparitions in this hotel. A Confederate soldier who haunts the third and sixth floors can be seen late at night. Children and nuns can be seen in the hallways. They were the victims of a yellow fever epidemic. Additionally, there is a solo ghost dancer who is seen dancing underneath the light of the ballroom’s crystal chandelier.

More haunted Louisiana >>

Maine: Captain Fairfield Inn

Haunt Location: Kennebunkport, Maine

This inn was originally the home of Captain James Fairfield, who succumbed to pneumonia on July 23, 1820. He left his house to his wife, and she sold it two years after his death. As the house was undergoing restoration, the Captain could be seen near a painting of himself. He seems to mourn the change of scenery and walks through the house forever alone.

More haunted Maine >>

Maryland: Admiral Fell Inn

Haunt Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Many know this Inn as one of the most haunted places in America. The haunted Admiral Fell Inn is notorious for its ghosts as the hotel has served the dark arts community in the past. The grounds are haunted by various ghostly spirits and strange phenomena. Guests report hearing noises in the hallways at night and more.

More haunted Maryland >>

Massachusetts: Omni Parker House

Haunt Location: Boston, Massachusetts

If you want to experience the paranormal, go to the third floor of this hotel. Charlotte Cushman was a stage actress who played both male and female roles. She died in her room on the third floor, and the elevator is often witnessed moving by itself to the floor when no one has pushed any of the buttons.

More haunted Massachusetts >>

Michigan: The National House

Haunt Location: Marshall, Michigan

Thought to be a stop on the Underground Railroad in the 19th century, today the National House Inn has a ghost believed to be from the 20th century. Many people have reported seeing a woman dressed in red floating in the halls and standing in upper-story windows. Her identity is unknown, but most assume she once lived there. But why she continues to haunt the place is a mystery.

More haunted Michigan >>

Minnesota: Palmer House Hotel

Haunt Location: Sauk Centre, Minnesota

R.L. Palmer built this hotel, and his ghost continues to frequent the staff room and grounds. Guests have experienced knocking on doors and other loud sounds with no evident source. Others have witnessed children (or what they think are children) running and playing at night, yet no children can be found when guests investigate.

More haunted Minnesota >>

Mississippi: Cedar Grove Mansion Inn

Haunt Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi

The Kleins must have loved their mansion because they refuse to leave. John’s ghost can be seen smoking a pipe in his favorite chair in the gentleman’s parlor, while Elizabeth’s ghost dusts and cleans the halls at night. There could also be another reason for the haunting. One of their sons died when he accidentally shot himself, and guests report hearing a loud bang followed by wailing late in the morning.

More haunted Mississippi >>

Missouri: The Lemp Mansion

Haunt Location: St. Louis, Missouri

This stately mansion is haunted by several members of the Lemp family. Staff have reported seeing apparitions quickly appearing and then vanishing. Voices and sounds are heard coming from nowhere, and radios play on their own with nobody around operating them. It’s a truly chilling experience as many people have reported.

More haunted Missouri >>

Montana: Grand Union Hotel

Haunt Location: Fort Benton, Montana

Built in 1882, the Grand Union Hotel has been home to several specters and ghosts. A drunken cowhand once directed his horse up the staircase, and the hotel manager shot him dead. To this day, hoofs can be heard running up and down the stairs. If you visit the hotel, take special note of room 202 and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to glimpse dancing blue lights emanating from another dimension.

More haunted Montana >>

Nebraska: Olde Main Street Inn

Haunt Location: Chadron, Nebraska

Anna and Jack are two guests of this hotel who never checked out. People who stay in the hotel report things being moved from where they were placed, footsteps are often heard on the steps, and there are multiple reports of pitchers breaking in the bar area. The current owner believes Jack breaks the pitchers. Witnesses to Anna say she wears a red satin dress and stares longingly at something nobody else can see.

More haunted Nebraska >>

Nevada: Silver Queen Hotel

Haunt Location: Virginia City, Nevada

Built at the turn of the 20th century, the Silver Queen Hotel’s main spirit is a prostitute who killed herself by slashing her wrists in the bathroom of room 11. An eerie, cold feeling drops over you as you walk by both that room and room 13. She tends to prefer to visit males and steers clear of female guests.

More haunted Nevada >>

New Hampshire: Mount Washington Hotel

Haunt Location: Carroll, New Hampshire

It was heralded as a paradise when it was built in 1902, but soon the trouble began. In 1903, the proprietor of the property, Joseph Stickney, died suddenly of a heart attack. Yet it’s his wife, Caroline, and not Joseph, who is reported to haunt the halls. Staff have seen her looking out over a balcony, coming down the stairs for dinner, and brushing her hair on her bed in Room 314.

More haunted New Hampshire >>

New Jersey: The Southern Mansion

Haunt Location: Cape May, New Jersey

Constructed as a summer getaway in 1863, this mansion was seemingly designed to be the perfect portal for supernatural activity. Some say it’s the architecture that traps ghosts here. Whatever the cause, several ghosts are known to roam here. Ester Mercur is one famous resident who never left her home. She’s been seen reflecting on the state of renovations, but since the renovations have been completed she appears happy and content.

More haunted New Jersey >>

New Mexico: La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel

Haunt Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

The historic La Fonda Hotel has been providing accommodations for the living and the dead alike. The hotel now accommodates the spirit of a failed salesman who lost all of his company’s money. Guests have reported seeing strange apparitions wearing long black coats and top hats walking the halls at night.

More haunted New Mexico >>

New York: Red Coach Inn

Haunt Location: Niagara Falls, New York

Being the one-time honeymoon capital of the world, Niagara Falls has plenty of options for lodging. But not all hotels are the same, some have a violent history that still haunts them to this day. If you are looking for a night of romance then maybe the Victoria Suite isn’t for you. Unless you don’t mind a couple of extra guests!

More haunted New York >>

North Carolina: Omni Grove Park Inn

Haunt Location: Asheville, North Carolina

The Pink Lady is not just seen but felt and “experienced” by the hotel staff. She’s been haunting the hotel for more than half a century, but few know anything about who she was in real life. It’s believed she was a young woman who plummeted to her death in 1920 in the Palm Court atrium. Room 545 and the two floors that hover above the Palm Court atrium are reported to have the most activity, giving credence to the theory.

More haunted California >>

North Dakota: Rough Riders Hotel

Haunt Location: Medora, North Dakota

The little boy who haunts this hotel is a nightmare for your water bill. He reportedly flushes the toilet when nobody is around, and tends to haunt the rooms on the top floor of the hotel. Built in 1884, guests have reported feeling a playful vibe on some levels, and dark, malevolent spirits on lower levels. It’s hard to know for certain, but aim to stay in Room 505 and visit the conference rooms for a glimpse of the paranormal.

More haunted North Dakota >>

Ohio: Golden Lamb Inn

Haunt Location: Lebanon, Ohio

The ghosts of the Golden Lamb Inn range from the vicious to the innocent. The founder of the inn, C.L. Vallandigham, shot himself accidentally and telegraphed his doctor after the fact. He died in the morning, but he continues to haunt the establishment and has been seen in several locations since.

More haunted Ohio >>

Oklahoma: Skirvin Hotel

Haunt Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

National Basketball Association teams have noted haunted activity in this hotel. In 2010, the New York Knicks blamed their loss on ghosts who kept them up slamming doors and making strange sounds. The original proprietor, W. B. Skirvin, impregnated his maid, Effie. She was then locked on the 10th floor to protect his reputation. After jumping out a window and killing herself, she reportedly still haunts the building.

More haunted Oklahoma >>

Oregon: The Heathman Hotel

Haunt Location: Portland, Oregon

The staff at the Heathman Hotel are no strangers to the world of the dead. Rooms 703, 803, and 1003 are haunted by ghosts, and guests report cold spots, strange sounds, and violent activity in the rooms and halls of the house. Some people believe that a man jumped to his death from a room ending in 03, and now he haunts all the rooms he passed on his way down.

More haunted Oregon >>

Pennsylvania: Gettysburg Hotel

Haunt Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Take a step back to the Civil War era and experience the charm of Rachel, a nurse who died long ago in the hotel. She can be seen wandering the halls looking for soldiers to tend to. Gettysburg has long been known as one of the most haunted places in America. The hotel was established in 1797, and the hotel has also been host to several U.S. presidents.

More haunted Pennsylvania >>

Rhode Island: The Biltmore Hotel

Haunt Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Inspiration for Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho (on which the film is based) and Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel, this hotel was named in 2000 as America’s Most Haunted Hotel by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. The building was financed by Johan Leisse Weisskopf, a proclaimed Satanist. The original design included places for sacrifices, purification rituals, and nude waitresses.

More haunted Rhode Island >>

South Carolina: The Battery Carriage House Inn

Haunt Location: Charleston, South Carolina

The first reports of sightings came in 1992 when guests reported a gentleman ghost and a headless man roaming around. It’s uncertain who these ghosts were in life, but the gentleman ghost could very well be a college student who jumped from the roof to his death. The headless torso is likely a remnant from the Civil War era, and guests have reported a malicious aura.

More haunted South Carolina >>

South Dakota: Bullock Hotel

Haunt Location: Deadwood, South Dakota

A strong, commanding man during his life, Seth Bullock helped establish the Bullock Hotel. People have reported sightings of a tall, ghostly apparition that fits his description. He haunts the restaurant, basement, and other areas where staff work. Guests have reported hearing their names called out, and the second and third floors have seen a number of odd and mysterious sightings.

More haunted South Dakota >>

Tennessee: Prospect Hill Bed & Breakfast

Haunt Location: Mountain City, Tennessee

Your nose is your guide to finding ghosts in this inn. Built in 1889, it was originally a private home that was later turned into an inn. Guests report smelling perfume, peanut butter cookies, and other smells. Upon investigation, there are no cookies baking in the kitchen and nothing to explain the strange phenomena.

More haunted Tennessee >>

Texas: Menger Hotel

Haunt Location: San Antonio, Texas

The Menger Hotel opened in 1859 and has accommodated famous residents such as Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, and Robert E. Lee. One of the most famous hauntings was brought about by the murder of a chambermaid. Her spirit can be seen roaming the halls as she continues her duties in the afterlife. The Menger Hotel offers a ghost tour package so guests can learn more about the haunted history.

More haunted Texas >>

Utah: Moore’s Old Pine Inn

Haunt Location: Marysvale, Utah

Being the oldest running hotel/inn in Utah, you know this place has some really old guests hanging out. Many employees and guests have seen a woman swinging on the front porch and children playing outside. Psychics have reported activity in some of the rooms, but most sightings seem to be out front. Have a seat on the porch, drink a lemonade, and watch some ghost children play. Ahh, the good ol’ days!

More haunted Utah >>

Vermont: Green Mountain Inn

Haunt Location: Stowe, Vermont

The winters are cold in Vermont, but not as chilling as the otherworldly events at the Green Mountain Inn. A ghost of a person who died in the 1800s still visits the hotel, and there is also the legend of Boots Berry who continues to haunt it. He was a former horseman for the inn, and a reputed hero for saving a child there, but was dismissed for his drinking habits. But he never left. He was born and later died in the hotel, but his spirit remains.

More haunted Vermont >>

Virginia: Omni Homestead Resort

Haunt Location: Hot Springs, Virginia

No ghost haunts better than a jilted bride, and a young woman who was intended to be married in the early 1900s still roams the 14th floor. She asks guests for the time, as she waits for her husband to show up for the wedding he never gave her in life. The hotel was built in 1766, and it is one of the oldest resorts in America.

More haunted Virginia >>

Washington: Hotel Sorrento

Haunt Location: Seattle, Washington

Opened in 1909, this historic hotel is home to the ghost of Alice B. Toklas. It even made the USA Today’s list of haunted hotels. She studied music at the University of Washington, and her home was near where the current hotel resides. Nobody knows for certain why she continues to haunt the hotel, but guests report seeing her wearing white strolling through the fourth-floor corridors.

More haunted Washington >>

West Virginia: Blennerhassett Hotel

Haunt Location: Parkersburg, West Virginia

Guests to the Blennerhassett Hotel are welcomed by rustic old-world charm, modern amenities, and a hauntingly eerie ghostly experience. William N. Chancellor was one of the men responsible for the hotel’s existence, and guests have often seen a smoke circle emanating from his portrait. If this wasn’t creepy enough, they even reported smelling the smoke and sensing a strong presence in the room.

More haunted West Virginia >>

Wisconsin: The Pfister Hotel

Haunt Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This 1893 Milwaukee gem is known to be haunted by the good-natured ghost of George Pfister. George must have been a baseball fan because he seems to visit every MLB ballplayer who has ever stayed there. Spend a night at the Pfister and you may wake to find your furniture moved or your window opened. Maybe George is ready for you to check out?

More haunted Wisconsin >>

Wyoming: Historic Occidental Hotel

Haunt Location: Buffalo, Wyoming

With a solid reputation as a classic saloon, this hotel was a haunt frequented by outlaws and miners. The daughter of a prostitute passed away on the upper floor, and guests have reported that she has tapped them on the shoulder. She is often seen wearing a white dress, and people hear strange laughter and voices.

More haunted Wyoming >>

Check in. Don’t forget to check out!

That’s our 50 haunted hotels in 50 states. There are many more hotels that have reports of sightings and paranormal activity. Check our haunted hotels out for more or browse haunts by state. Looking to book a stay at a haunted hotel? We recommend trying to book ahead if you want a particular floor or room. Some places embrace their haunted past, but some try and keep it hush-hush. You can still ask the hotel staff for stories. Some are more open to chatting when away from other customers. Wherever you end up, drop us a line and tell us your experience. Feel free to share photos and stories too!

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