It’s Halloween season and the search for the scariest horror movies and the spookiest scare parks is on. But there are plenty of places around the world which, whether built or created with the intent to scare or not, will easily do just that. So here is a selection of just some of the scariest places on the planet for you to explore, if you dare..
1. Houska Castle, Prague, Czech Republic
Twenty nine miles from Prague is Houska Castle, also known as the gateway to hell. The construction, built in the second half of the 13th century at the supposed request of Bohemian ruler Ottokan II, was built, along with its chapel, over a large hole. The hole is said to be so dark and deep that it is impossible to see to the bottom, and folklore describes how animal-human hybrids and dark-winged and other worldly creatures crawled and flew from its depths, including a bullfrog/human creature and a headless horse. It is believed that the Gothic building was an attempt to keep these demons trapped, and legend has it that during construction, inmates that were sentenced to death were offered a pardon in return for being lowered into the hole to explore and report back. Those who did reportedly returned screaming and aged. The castle was built on flat land with no fortifications, no kitchen or water, no occupants and no nearby trade routes, therefore many to believe it was indeed, and perhaps still is, the gateway to Hell.
2. Ćele Kula, Niš, Serbia
Ćele kula, from the Turkish Kelle kulesi meaning skull tower, is located in Niš, Serbia and is, as its name suggests, a stone tower covered with human skulls with, unsurprisingly, a rather scary past. Constructed by the Ottomans following the Battle of Čegar in May 1809 during the First Serbian Uprising, the tower is made from the skulls of the fallen rebels. Standing 4.5m high, the tower originally used 952 skulls embedded on four sides in 14 rows. Building monuments using the skulls of their enemies was a common Ottoman tactic to scare opponents and discourage rebellion, and Skull Tower was a clear warning to any residents contemplating rebellion. Nowadays, however, it is a popular tourist destination and has become an emblem for Serbia’s struggle for independence.
3. Eltz Castle, Wierschem, Germany
Eltz Castle, a medieval castle nestled in the hills in Wierschem, Germany, is owned by the Eltz family, who have lived there for 33 generations since the 12th century. The castle has become an emblem of Germany, and although its past is no more turbulent or gruesome than other castle of its time, the imposing Gothic structure coupled with its atmospheric location of forests and hills makes for a somewhat spooky destination. In fact the exterior was used for the fictional American military lunatic asylum in The Ninth Configuration, the 1979 William Peter Blatty movie, and the opening sequences of Le Feu de Wotan, a Belgian comic book, also take place in Eltz Castle. Now a tourist destination, a visit to this castle on a misty autumnal night is sure to make you shiver.
4. Blood Falls, Taylor Valley, Antarctica
Blood Falls in Antarctica is just like any other water flow running from a glacier, except the flow is blood red! Oozing over the Taylor Glacier, the contrast of crimson red liquid over the ice is quite alarming and definitely a scary site. Of course this is not actually a bleeding glacier. Back when it was first discovered more than 100 years ago, it was believed that the disturbing colour of the water was caused by red algae, and it actually took until 2017 for this mystery to finally be solved. Scientists realised that the colour comes from oxidised iron and water from a five million year old saltwater lake, so definitely not blood. Still, it makes for a pretty spectacular halloween scene.
5. Pripyat Amusement Park, Pripyat, Ukraine
Abandoned amusement parks have long been a cliché setting for horror movies, so Pripyat Amusement Park, which is exactly that, is definitely not somewhere you’d want to be caught after dark. The park was due to open in May 1986 to honour the then USSR’s May Day celebrations. However, the famous Chernobyl disaster, which happened only a few miles away the month before the scheduled opening, cancelled these plans. Of course the amusement park never opened and has since become a common symbol for the disaster. The ghostly empty Ferris wheel and bumper car track along with the locations horrible history definitely provide a more than adequate setting for one of the planets scariest places.
