haunted

OUR Spotlight On column rounds up the best things to see and do in your favourite holiday destinations – and shines a light on some lesser known spots too.

This week, for our Halloween special, we look at Chester, which claims to be one of the UK’s spookiest destinations.

MUST SEE/DO

Whether you’re visiting around Halloween or not, you’ll still be able to learn about this city’s haunted history thanks to a year-round programme of nighttime tours with Chester Ghost Tours.

A local guide will steer you around some of Chester’s most eerie haunts as they recount spine-chilling tales of ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night.

The tours last 90 minutes and cost £10 per adult, or £30 for a family of four.

HIDDEN GEMS

Liquor & Co may look like your ordinary, if rather sleek, bar but within this venue is another secret – an even more excellent bar. It’s only open to those in the know, however.

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Tell the bar staff that you’d like to “see the caretaker” and you’ll be taken to a plush seating area that serves scarily good cocktails.

For something unusual, Sick To Death tells the gory story of medicine through time.

Visitors can explore pestilence-ridden Diagnosis Alley, perform an autopsy and may even encounter the Grim Reaper.

The experience costs £8 for adults and £4.50 for kids.

BEST VIEW

The city walls offer an excellent vantage point to take in the main hub of Chester below.

The complete circuit stretches for about two miles.

Keep your eyes peeled for the ghost of a Roman legionnaire, which has been spotted between the amphitheatre and Newgate.

According to folklore, he fell in love with a local girl and frequently left his post to meet up with her. One night, her angry parents killed the soldiers left on guard.

The lovestruck soldier still haunts his post today.

RATED RESTAURANT

Keeping in line with the spooky theme, try Death By Tacos on Watergate Street.

The birria taco comes crammed full of slow-cooked beef that has been stewed in stout and is topped with grilled cheese, pink pickled onions and salsa verde.

The wings aren’t bad either, smothered in the restaurant’s spice blend

BEST BAR

The 1920s-themed Prohibition bar is a spectacular speakeasy, also on Watergate Street.

Inside are dark wooden bookshelves, red velvet curtains and sultry tones to accompany cocktails.

Try the Peanut Butter Old Fashioned, made from peanut butter-infused bourbon, maple syrup and aromatic bitters.

HOTEL PICK

The Pied Bull, a historic pub with rooms, is apparently home to a ghost that haunts its cellar.

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The rooms are far more appealing, however, with a cottage-like feel to them and cosy beds backed by floral wallpaper.

Double rooms cost from £133 with breakfast.

These days, a night at one of SoCal’s most popular haunted attractions usually begins with attendants scanning digital tickets at a clearly marked entrance.

At Coffin Creek, things were a little different.

Those who made the journey to Corona’s annual haunt entered an eerie scene the moment they veered off the 71 Freeway and down the desolate roads to Riverview Recreation Park, where Coffin Creek made its home. In the parking area, the dust kicked up by the vehicles created its own layer of fog, and sounds could be heard in the darkness — faint screams, the echo of chain saws and the nervous chatter of the hauntgoers. There was always a sense of mystery and excitement: With its independent, grassroots vibe, Coffin Creek — one of the longest-running Halloween attractions in Southern California — was the little haunt that could.

Coffin Creek has had its final run. Its founder and operator, Gary Shireman, passed away last month at the age of 74. But its legend lives on in the community of Halloween enthusiasts.

Coffin Creek, situated at Riverview Recreation Park, had a rustic feel, which added to the spookiness.

(Warren So)

While Coffin Creek, which at times went by the name Crossroads Haunted Village, was essentially a destination populated by several independently owned and operated haunted mazes, Shireman was the head of the operation. An electrician by trade and a longtime horror fan, Shireman launched the enterprise in 2007 after spending years searching for a location. He landed upon 180 acres of a park in Corona near the Santa Ana River. And as he soon discovered, it was already haunted, perhaps.

The backstory of the Coffin Creek locale — at least as it’s told through a newspaper story on the haunt’s website — is that in 1938, a massive flood hit Southern California, unearthing 13 coffins in Corona from an abandoned cemetery. Only some of the human remains from those coffins were recovered, and soon people in the area began seeing and hearing strange things at night.

Local artists and volunteers worked all year to open Coffin Creek, which was never a production as flashy or refined as Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm or any of SoCal’s well-established haunted maze destinations — but that was part of the allure. The darkness of the woods and muddy terrain was just as effective scenery as any of the bedsheet drapery or wooden flats that had been set up. While a discerning guest may have noticed that some of the haunted set pieces were missing a little paint or not lighted all that well, the cackling heard from the dark spaces in between reminded folks that it was all about the final thrill. One could never tell when a chain-saw-wielding madman was about to jump out from behind a wall.

The sign for the Coffin Creek Manor maze.

(Scott Feinblatt)

“Gary’s mazes were very old-school and very low-tech, and he was a big proponent of that,” said Warren So, a contributor for Hollywood Gothique, an online guide to all things horror in L.A. “He felt that all we need is a good old-school scare. As long as people scream, then it’s successful.”

In one 2011 interview, Shireman said he would work all year for that “first scream of the season.” Some attendees would take one step through the front door and come right back out.

The mazes at Coffin Creek had names like Chambers of the Mausoleum, Labyrinth of Lost Relics, Bog of the Abyss, the Dark Realm and Coffin Creek Manor, the legend’s namesake. One of the most endearing aspects of the destination was that several of the mazes took residence in the permanent structures that composed the medieval-inspired village of the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival on the park’s grounds.

A scare actor ready for his next victim.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Actors played all types of ghoulish creatures, including orcs and vampires. Uncle Zed’s Zombie Safari, which was one of several haunted hayride-style attractions that appeared over the years, even featured something of a community-sourced collection of monsters, all of which originated from independent contributions to the Secure, Contain, Protect (SCP) horror subgenre. Guests of this Coffin Creek attraction were carted along from one breached containment scenario to the next, with roving monsters periodically surprising them in the darkness between the scantily lighted vignettes.

Steve Biodrowski, the owner and operator of Hollywood Gothique, said Shireman worked tirelessly behind the scenes, dealing not only with the haunt’s creation but also with all the red tape that came with operating at the Corona park. Biodrowski recalled Shireman telling him about the complex nature of its ownership. “There were like four different owners,” Biodrowsky explained. “One was federal, and I believe it had something to do with the Army; then there were state and local departments involved. Getting everybody to sign on to a deal or agree to allow the haunted village to operate was just near impossible.”

Clowns haunted the premises — and visitors’ dreams.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Over the years of Coffin Creek’s various incarnations, a number of ancillary attractions complemented the mazes: a magic show, horror merchandise vendors and food stands. Some of the haunts included higher production value effects — Chambers of the Mausoleum, for instance, featured inventive animatronics from its principal operator, Figment Foundry. Even by the mid-2010s during a proliferation of local haunted attractions, the village downsized but the mazes never lost their charm. By continually utilizing veneers and components from past maze builds, the distinctive landscape and the talents of passionate, volunteers, Shireman continued to conjure an entertaining enterprise.

His passion for haunted attractions did not end at Coffin Creek. In 2022, Shireman partnered with haunt producer Jason Thompson to host the Haunt X convention at the Fairplex in Pomona. The event provided independent haunt owners and artisans an opportunity to network, learn trade techniques and showcase their enterprises and goods with one another and with their fans.

“He wasn’t just into haunted houses,” So said of Shireman. “He was always bouncing ideas about other Halloween stuff that was family-friendly — not scary — for the kids.” Additionally, So said that Shireman was generous with the community. “He loved talking to you about your haunt and his haunt and sharing ideas. I think everybody would agree that he was always willing to help. Another buddy of mine was building his haunted house, and even though it had nothing to do with Gary, he was down to help out and build out in the heat, in the desert. And Gary did not benefit one single cent. That’s just the guy he was — he doesn’t ask for anything and just wants to make a friend and help make a good haunt.”

The legend of the Coffin Creek location is that a flood hit Southern California, unearthing 13 coffins from an abandoned cemetery.

(Scott Feinblatt)

Shortly before his death, Shireman expressed enthusiasm about Coffin Creek’s future. He had announced that the haunt would be moving to a new Riverside location, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, where it would operate in tandem with the Perris Pumpkin Patch. That couldn’t happen, but the Perris Pumpkin Patch has been operational this season and remains a family-friendly destination.

And while the haunt may have ended, like with any good maze, there may always be something more lurking ahead.

The pub is said to be haunted by the spirit of a teenage girl whose grave is under the bar – and she won’t let you turn the lights off till you wish her ‘goodnight’

A charming pub in England is making a strong bid for the title of Britain’s ‘most haunted’ boozer.

From the outside, it’s a quintessential British pub with white exteriors, hanging baskets and breathtaking riverside views. But step inside and you’re in for a scary surprise.

The eerie history of the pub becomes immediately apparent when you spot the grave under the bar. This isn’t your average local watering hole — it’s a supernaturally charged marvel.

The inn is said to be haunted by a heartbroken lover from the 11th century, whose gravestone lies within the bar and whose spirit is believed to still inhabit its four walls. A chilling tale surrounds this Cambridgeshire gem — the ghost of a teenage girl who died around 900 years ago is said to roam its corridors.

Staff insist she won’t let them switch off the lights until someone bids her ‘goodnight’, and there are numerous reports of menus mysteriously scattered on the floor. In fact, patrons have reported strange happenings at this St Ives pub — from restless nights spent on the premises, sudden cold spots and unexplained noises in the night.

The delightful pub, known as one of Cambridgeshire’s ‘most haunted’, gives The Eagle in Cambridge a run for its money. Not only does it serve up top-notch Sunday roasts and boast a stunning beer garden, but it also carries a chilling reputation that sets it apart as one of the county’s ‘most haunted’ pubs.

Once you hear the eerie tale associated with the tavern, it’s easy to see why. The story tells of a young woman named Juliet Tewsley, who was hopelessly smitten with a forester called Tom Zoul. Sadly, her feelings were not returned, a classic case of unrequited love.

Heartbroken, the 17-year-old is said to have taken her own life on March 17, 1050, by hanging herself from a tree near the Inn so that Tom would find her body on his way to work (or she drowned herself in the River Ouse on the same date in 1078, the details are somewhat unclear).

Given the stigma attached to suicide in the 11th century, Juliet was buried in unconsecrated ground near the Inn, her grave marked only by a simple stone slab. Over time, the pub has been extended and refurbished, and the young girl’s grave is now marked by a flagstone on the pub floor in the bar, having become an integral part of the interior.

Legend has it, her heartbroken spirit haunts the Old Ferry Boat Inn at midnight each year on the anniversary of her death. Juliet’s ghostly presence is said to be responsible for a series of unexplained phenomena, including lights that stubbornly refuse to turn off until someone says ‘Goodnight Juliet’, eerie sounds in the dead of night, and one particular night each year (March 17) when patrons claim they are kept awake by the palpable sense of paranormal activity.

In a 2019 interview with Cambridgeshire Live, Jamie Toms, former team leader and duty manager at the Old Ferry Boat Inn, shared some of the spine-chilling experiences he had while working – and living above the pub.

He said: “There’s a lot of things which go on at the pub, which people can’t really explain. Like sometimes the lights just won’t go out unless you say ‘goodnight Juliet’. Or menus will just appear on the floor.

“Sometimes when you’re here on your own you’ll hear things too like bangs and noises of doors opening. We’ve never seen an apparition but some guests and customers have said they’ve felt someone watching them in the bar or have felt very cold even when the heating is on full. Sometimes it can make you feel nervous but I’m pretty chill about it, we know we’ve got to respect the building and remember that it’s her building.”

Discussing Juliet’s death, Jamie revealed the week leading up to the anniversary is more challenging than the actual day. During this period, lights often flicker or brighten without explanation. “Guests will come down in the morning and say they’ve had a really bad night’s sleep – if that happens we always ask if they’ve walked over the grave which is in the restaurant.”

Jamie, who had been managing the establishment for eight weeks when he spoke to the publication in 2019, admitted he avoids crossing the grave himself.

The St Ives pub, like many others, claims to be England’s oldest. Dating back to 560 AD, it boasts connections to Anglo-Saxon England, reports Cambridgeshire Live. The Old Ferry Boat Inn is just four miles from St Ives and today, the venue preserves its heritage through its bar, traditional pub grub, and seven guest rooms.

Both locals and visitors can enjoy classic British dishes under the pub’s low wooden ceilings or in its charming beer garden by the River Ouse. The riverside pub offers a dog-friendly environment in a cosy setting, while the on-site accommodation provides guests with the convenience of staying overnight with parking available right outside.

So, if you’re a fan of the macabre and looking for a unique experience this spooky season – The Old Ferry Boat Inn might be just the ticket.

‘They call this place the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania,” says tour guide Marius Lazin, his breath expelling a procession of cotton-wool ghosts into the sharp evening air. “So many people have disappeared here, some say it’s a portal to another dimension.” Marius is leading me on a night walk through what is often described as the world’s most haunted forest: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth native woodland on the outskirts of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca. He’s been coming here three nights a week for the past 12 years, but even he looks a little uneasy as he arcs his torch like a searchlight against the knotted walls of elm and beech trees which embrace us on all sides, looking so thick that they might be the boundary of the known world.

Marius motions with his torch towards several pairs of slender beech trees, eerie in their symmetry, branches intertwined to form arches – portals or stargates, you might speculate, were you possessed of a particularly febrile imagination. “Many came in here and never came out. But don’t worry,” he adds, turning to me with a grin. “Our tours have a 100% return rate.”

Reports of strange happenings here date back centuries – the forest is named after a local shepherd who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to international attention in 1968, when a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a UFO hovering above a circular clearing in the centre of the forest. In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has drawn yogis, shamans, ufologists and paranormal investigators from across the world, curious to experience the strange energies said to echo through the forest.

It may be one of the world’s premier pilgrimage sites for lovers of the paranormal, but the forest is under threat. The western suburbs of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of more than 400,000 people, described as the Silicon Valley of eastern Europe – are encroaching, and developers are pushing for permission to clear the trees to build apartment blocks. Barring a few hectares home to locally rare Mediterranean oak trees, the forest is not officially protected, but Marius hopes that the company he co-founded – the Hoia-Baciu Project – will help to change that, encouraging the authorities to recognise the forest’s value as a tourist attraction. The company offers day and night walks in the forest, yoga sessions, paranormal lectures, treasure hunts and escape games – and even, for the particularly intrepid, overnight camping.

As twigs and autumn leaves snap and crunch beneath our boots, Marius recounts some of the folk tales and alleged paranormal happenings here. One famous story describes a five-year-old girl disappearing during a family picnic, only to rematerialise five years later with no memory of what had happened to her, having not aged a day, her clothes shy of the slightest speck of dirt.

More common reports describe mobile phones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on entering the woods, while emotional responses range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy. Some people report seeing strange rashes on their skin, hearing disembodied whispers through the trees, or feel hands grabbing or pushing them, even when sure they are alone.

Marius pulls an iPad from his rucksack and shows me the UFO images which catapulted Hoia-Baciu to international attention in the 1960s. Grainy and monochrome, they appear to show a button-like flying saucer hovering above the trees. He flicks through dozens of other photographs taken in the years before and since, with similar saucer-like objects, glowing orbs or wraith-like apparitions. Enigmatic photographs of this nature have been a fixture of paranormal research for more than a century, not much use as evidence, but it’s worth noting that Barnea did not stand to profit from publishing his photographs – on the contrary, he lost his job in the military, with the communist government not looking kindly on anything with a supernatural tang. “Many of the old researchers who investigated the forest ended up in psychiatric wards,” Marius says. “Did the communist regime put them there? Or did something really happen to them, here in the forest?”

While many of the stories may be unverifiable, there is much before my eyes that is undeniably strange. All around are trees whose trunks are bent and twisted into fantastical shapes. Some bulge outwards at the base, their crowns disappearing into the black night, so they resemble giant meat hooks hanging from the heavens. Others droop like melted candles, or are bent in strange, spiralling patterns. Various suggestions have been given to explain the deformed trees: that hurricane winds could have bent the saplings, or naturally high radiation levels in the soil account for their crooked growth. But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

Marius’s tours allow visitors to take part in a little scientific inquiry of their own. As we approach the clearing in the trees where Barnea took his famous UFO photographs, he hands me an EMF meter, a stalwart of ghost-hunting kits which measures electromagnetic fields. “We’re entering the most active part of the forest,” he says. “See what you can find.”

The trees suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the short grass beneath our feet; it’s clear that it hasn’t been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the work of human hands.

Wielding my EMF meter, I sweep the clearing like a detectorist, briefly excited when the needle begins to tick madly back and forth, only for my vibrating phone to indicate that the electromagnetic disturbance was just an incoming text message. Despite spending several hours in the forest, and being genuinely baffled by the twisted trees and the strange clearing, I haven’t seen anything I’d describe as supernatural. Perhaps the forest is a blank canvas, on to which people project their own fears and desires.

Transylvania generally is a place which stirs the imagination, where the border is blurred between fact and folklore. In rural Romanian communities belief persists in strigoi (“screamers”) – undead, shapeshifting bloodsuckers, who rise from their graves to terrorise local communities.

Bram Stoker’s famous vampire Count Dracula is forever associated with Transylvania, and Bran Castle – a Saxon monolith perched on a rocky outcrop in the Carpathian Mountains around four hours’ drive south of Hoia-Baciu – is keenly marketed as “Dracula’s Castle”. While it bears little resemblance to the shadowy ruin described as Dracula’s dwelling, and there is no evidence that it inspired Stoker, it’s still a major attraction for fans of all things gothic and ghoulish – particularly around Halloween, when the castle hosts costumed parties.

But even myth-shrouded Transylvania – literally, “the place beyond the forest” – feels solid and predictable compared to these eerie woods, which seem to be, for reasons radioactive, atmospheric or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power. “In Hoia-Baciu,” Marius says, “the line between reality and imagination is very thin.”

Daniel Stables is the author of Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity (Icon Books, £20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply. A three-hour evening walking tour in Hoia-Baciu forest from 300 RON/£50. A five-hour night tour costs 500 RON/£85

Would you dare to the stay the night in Cornwall in what is said to be one of the most haunted hotels in the UK? Well – one woman did, and it inspired her murder mystery novel

Perched on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, this hotel is renowned for its eerie tales and rich history, tracing back to the 1750s.

As we’re in the midst of the spooky season, there’s nothing quite as chilling as spending a night in a hotel reputed to be one of the most haunted in the UK. The Jamaica Inn, an old coaching inn with a dark past believed to involve smuggling and ghostly stories, is famous for its spine-tingling reputation.

Originally built in 1750 as a coaching stop, the hotel now serves as a pub, restaurant and hotel, with a dedicated area for learning about the alleged spectral encounters. The Grade II-listed building exudes charm – and fear – with its traditional oak beams and snug rooms.

However, before it became a popular spot for food and overnight stays, it was infamous as a hub for the Cornwall smuggling trade. Its isolated location on the moors made it notorious for smugglers transporting goods like tea, brandy and silks from the sea, hidden beneath the floors and panels.

The isolation of the Jamaica Inn was its greatest asset in those days, often frequented by mysterious figures under dimly lit lanterns. Despite its modern touches, it was creepy enough for English author Daphne du Maurier to base her entire murder mystery novel on her stay there in 1936.

Taking its name from the precise spot where it stands, Jamaica Inn became a literary sensation amongst readers and was subsequently transformed into a film under Alfred Hitchcock’s direction.

The movie marked the final British production he would helm before departing for Hollywood, where he would establish himself as one of cinema’s legendary figures, earning up to six Oscar victories.

Thus, despite its shadowy and occasionally unlawful past, the inn achieved immortality through du Maurier’s fictional masterpiece, as she found herself captivated by the brooding heritage and spooky presence of the establishment and its bleak landscape.

Today in the 20th century, Jamaica Inn has evolved into something of a regional icon, where visitors pause to rest and discover its enduring legacy. One guest posted on TripAdvisor: “Had a thoroughly enjoyable two-night stay.

“The views from the inn were amazing onto the moor. The atmosphere was as expected from an old smugglers’ inn, full of mystery and intrigue!”.

Another visitor, eager to witness a supernatural encounter or sense the presence of the smugglers who once trod these very boards, recounted their spine-chilling experience.

They wrote: “We had done some research before arriving and saw that some rooms in the new, and many rooms in the original, areas have had activity from the paranormal…”

They shared tales about their terrifying night’s sleep – or their lack of. “Within a few minutes I was in the bathroom getting ready for a shower and heard a very loud male whistle from inside the room (corner nearest the bedroom). When asking my partner if she had whistled and getting a response of ‘absolutely NO’ I suddenly felt on edge.”

It’s no mystery that whilst the hotel has been transformed into a contemporary cosy pub and inn popular with travellers, its spine-chilling past is renowned for good reason. Whilst many other guests claim to have never experienced anything of the sort, others can’t help but let their minds wander.

With spooky season upon us, John Ellis settled down for a night with the ghosts and ghouls at Chillingham Castle

As I switched off the light and climbed into bed, I trembled with fear. I was spending the night with the ghosts and ghouls at Britain’s most haunted castle – Chillingham, in Northumberland. I’ve loved all things spine-chilling for as long as I can remember. Horror films, ghost tours – I can’t get enough. That said, I have to say, lying in the dark in a place where people experience the paranormal on a daily basis, I did begin to wonder what I’d got myself into. Would there be a bump in the night? Only time would tell. But with Halloween just around the corner and spooky season in full swing, there was never a better time to find out.

Chillingham Castle dates back to the 13th century, although there’s been evidence of occupation on the site for 4000 years. It used to be a stronghold which protected England from Scotland and has therefore seen its fair share of violence. And it’s grim and grisly past lives on to this day with regular reported visits from beyond the grave.

“Chillingham has had many turbulent times and a fair amount of Scottish prisoners met their end here,” Richard Craig, Chillingam’s ghost hunt guide, tells me. “Then, when the castle moved into domestic matters and became more of a gentleman’s manor, there were a lot of staff coming in and out, along with all the aggravations of the time. They have embedded themselves in the walls of the place too. Along with nearby burial sites, there seem to be lines of energy at Chillingham which make it a meeting place for the moved on.”

Richard sees spooks all the time. “We’ve had some pretty curious occurrences. I could sit and talk to you all week. Yes, I’ve seen ghosts. It goes on day and night. On Wednesday I observed three different apparitions. One of them, it was raining at 4.30pm in the afternoon, on the south lawn. It lasted about five seconds and then it was gone. They like stairways too, areas of passage.”

Not all supernatural encounters are visual, he says. “Some you see, some you don’t. You might simply sense their presence. You might get a funny feeling, or one of sadness. There could be a strange smell. Lady Mary for example smells of roses, while the ghost of Crawling Key smells of rotten cabbage.”

Some are friendly, some are not. “Some have a sense of humour,” says Richard. “Simon the stone mason, he’s a shoulder tapper. He likes to mess about with men with tufty hair at the back. Crawling Key however goes for ladies’ ankles.”

Some of Chillingham’s ghosts lived there, some worked there. “One came through on a ghost listening app and told me his name – Booey – and I then found his name in one of the old books on site. He held quite a high position on the estate.”

On my arrival through the grand castle gates I had an uneasy feeling immediately. You could almost feel the history weighing on you in the courtyard. Chatting to Richard, it seemed I was not alone – in every sense of the saying. “The courtyard is haunted by the executioner… and a man named John,” he tells me. “If you go out after dark, chances are you’ll meet him – and the rest of our resident ghosts.”

Beside me, I could feel the regret radiating from my friend Glen for agreeing to come with me on my trip to Chillingham. “Why did I agree to this?” he muttered on a frequent basis throughout. But – sorry Glen! – it was too late to back out now. Richard advised us to download a couple of apps to enhance our paranormal experience. I know, right? Very high tech for a ghoul. But Ghost Talker Lite and Spirit Box, Richard said, would help us to communicate with any of the deceased who wished to make our acquaintance.

And later, ghost John did indeed come through. “John. Danger. Weapon…” the words popped up on the app. My twin, Stu, who had also come along for the ride, bristled at the encounter. Did he mean I – John – was in danger? Or he – also John – was in danger? I couldn’t be sure, but for one of us was impending peril. It sent a shiver down my spine knowing a ghost was so nearby.

Feeling spooked, we decided to walk around the castle grounds for some mental respite. However, we found none, instead chancing upon the castle’s Hanging Trees, a tangled mess of tumbled-over yews, the branches on which intruders and prisoners were once – as the name suggests – hung, until their flesh fell off their bones. How lovely. A clear night, the moon was out. A gentle breeze through the trees made an eerie creaking sound. Chilled to my core, I couldn’t get away fast enough.

So… do most people make it through their night at Chillingham Castle? I have to say it wasn’t looking good for the three of us. “The amount of runners I’ve had is unbelievable, lots of people chicken out,” laughs Richard. “One group of seven, we’d only been going 90 minutes and they couldn’t take any more. One of them kept getting poked in the ribs by a ghost and another was being pushed around. Even the tea room is haunted.”

I tell Richard where we’re staying in the castle – The Tower Apartment. “Ah yes, that is haunted,” he says. Glen nearly passes out. Stu turns pale. Richard continues: “In 2022, I stayed over, went to the bathroom, I was just about to turn the tap on, and a girl’s voice said ‘hello’. I had a good look around – no one.” So far, so terrifying.

And indeed, it was a fitful night’s sleep to say the least. Glen slept with the light on. Stu was unbothered and snored his way til morning. And me? Every sound I heard, every bang or bump, I wondered if it was a paranormal pest… or simply the castle’s ancient plumbing playing up. Dawn seemed to take an age to come, and when it did arrive I was grateful. We rose wearily, looked about the room, and began to pack our things. I had survived my night in Britain’s most haunted castle – just.

*Apartments at Chillingham Castle start from £139 for two people for one night

The site of one of L.A.’s most notorious murder-suicides, Greystone has been supposedly haunted ever since. In February 1929, owner Ned Doheny, son of oil tycoon Edward Doheny, was shot and killed by his personal secretary and childhood friend Hugh Plunkett who, minutes later, shot himself. The motive for the crime was never discovered, though rumors posited a sexual relationship, a dispute over Plunkett’s salary and, most plausibly, the pair’s involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal. Doheny’s widow lived in the mansion until 1955, after which a series of sales almost led to its demolition, prevented by an 11th-hour purchase by the city of Beverly Hills, which converted the house into an event venue and the grounds into a park. Since then, there have been many reports by workers of mysterious sounds, the smell of rotting flesh and shadowy, spectral figures. That has not stopped it from becoming a favored filming spot for film and television, from “The Amazing Race” to “There Will Be Blood,” and a popular wedding venue.

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Teoscar Hernández doesn’t believe in ghosts.

But just the same, the Dodgers outfielder declined to stay with the team at the historic — and allegedly haunted — Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee during the first two games of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers this week.

Hernández told reporters before Game 2 on Tuesday that his wife, Jennifer, was the one who insisted on finding somewhere to stay other than the 137-year-old hotel that has been the source of spooky tales from MLB players for decades.

“I don’t believe in ghosts. I have stayed there before. I never see anything or hear anything,” Hernández said. “But my wife is on this trip, and she says she doesn’t want to stay in there. So we have to find another hotel.”

Hernández added, however, that his wife told him that she has heard from other players and their wives that there had been “something happening” over at the team hotel.

Asked to elaborate, Hernández said he had been told that in “some of the rooms, the lights, goes off and on, and the doors — there are noises, footsteps. … I’m not the guy that I’m gonna be here saying, ‘Oh yeah, I experienced that before,’ because I’m not, and I don’t think I’m gonna experience that.’”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked during his pregame media availability Tuesday if he had any ghost stories to share from the team’s stay at the Pfister.

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“I don’t,” Roberts said. “Those stories went away when I was about 10 years old. So, no, not anymore. I’m OK to go to bed now.”

Over the years, not everyone has been as at ease about staying at the creepy old digs. In 2005, then-Dodgers closer Eric Gagne told The Times’ Steve Henson that the place freaked him out.

“It’s old, weird and scary,” Gagne said. “It’s very creepy. I don’t sleep well there.”

Henson also noted at the time that former Dodgers third baseman Adrián Beltré had “reported a ghostly presence turning on lights and tickling his toes” during a 2001 stay at the Pfister. Fellow Times staff writer Kevin Baxter reported in 2007 that Beltre Beltronce insisted on sleeping with a bat for protection after he had a brush with a ghost” at the hotel.

One-time Dodgers infielder Michael Young told ESPN that he once heard loud stomping noises in his room while he was trying to sleep.

“So I yelled out, ‘Hey! Make yourself at home. Hang out, have a seat, but do not wake me up, OK?’” Young said. “After that, I didn’t hear a thing for the rest of the night.”

Current Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts decided a couple of years ago he doesn’t want to take any chances at the spooky spot.

“I don’t know if they’re real or not, nor do I care,” Betts said of the hotel’s alleged ghosts after a 2023 game against the Brewers in Milwaukee. “My boys are here, so we just got an Airbnb. That’s really it.”

Betts admitted to the Orange County Register that the Airbnb rental was “just in case” the scary stories were true and “it was a good excuse” not to stay at the creepy old building.

Last, during another series in Milwaukee, Betts appeared to confirm that he will continue to find alternative lodging for road games against the Brewers.

“You don’t want to mess with them,” Betts said of the Pfister’s alleged ghosts. “I’m staying at an Airbnb again. That part is not gonna change.”

The Dodgers more than survived their two games in Milwaukee this week, riding dominant performances by starting pitchers Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to take a 2-0 National League Championship Series lead over the Brewers.

The Dodgers who checked in to the Pfister Hotel also appear to have survived another stay in downtown Milwaukee. And with the next three games (if that many are necessary) taking place at Dodger Stadium, they have the chance to make sure they avoid returning to the (allegedly) haunted haunt this postseason.

Bold claim, I know. But the Clown Motel is special. Owner Vijay Mehar has taken an old motel and filled it with clowns. Paintings, murals, dools, ceramic figures. Many of them frowning or shrieking.

What guests love, Mehar has learned, is fear, loathing, painted faces, circus vibes and hints of paranormal activity. To be afraid, basically.

“America’s Scariest Motel,” say the brochures by the register. “Let fear run down your spine.”

The 31 guest rooms teem with enough clown imagery to eclipse a Ringling Brothers reunion. The gift shop is vast and troubling. (Clown knife, anyone?)

And then there are the neighbors. The motel stands next to the Old Tonopah Cemetery, most of whose residents perished between 1900 and 1911, often in mining accidents.

Some guests sign up for ghost hunt tours or explore the cemetery after dark. Others settle in with a horror movie, perhaps one of the several made on site, along with countless Youtube videos.

When I visited in late 2024, Mehar said hundreds of people stop by the motel on busy days, mostly focusing on the gift shop and the crowded, dusty shelves of the lobby-adjacent clown museum.

“When we came here, there were 800 or 850 clowns,” Mehar said. “Right now, we have close to 6,000.”

Throughout the motel’s corridors, walls and no-frills guest rooms (rated at 3.5 stars by Yelp and Trip Advisor), the clowns continue against a color scheme of purple, yellow and red, augmented by polka dots of blue and green. Rates start at $99.

If you book Room 222, which highlights Clownvis (Elvis as a clown, basically), the motel warns that you may be awakened in the wee hours by a mysterious “malevolent entity.”

The hotel also advises all guests that, despite monthly pest-control visits, they may encounter “UFI’s (Unwanted Flying Insects),” because rooms open to the outdoors. (This part of Nevada is known for its many Mormon crickets.)

Bradford in West Yorkshire is the most haunted place in the UK, according to an analysis of spooky buildings and paranormal sightings by tarot reading platform Tarotoo

Halloween is creeping closer, and there’s definitely something spooky in the air. You may be a firm believer in ghosts, feel like the paranormal follows you, or suspect your own home might be haunted. But do you live in the UK’s most haunted city?

Tarot reading platform Tarotoo has delved into the data, analysing a range of eerie metrics, from the number of cemeteries and graves to reported ghost hotspots, empty properties, and homes over 100 years old.

According to Tarotoo, the spookiest city in the UK is Bradford. The West Yorkshire spot was found to have an alarming 143 cemeteries and 255,699 grave sites. It also had 3,284 empty houses and 66,080 properties over 100 years old. As everyone knows, ghosts love old houses.

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The city has a number of reportedly haunted hotspots too, including Paper Hall, which is a Grade II listed building dating back to 1643. One of the most striking reports of paranormal activity to come out of Paper Hall tells of a pair of large staring eyes belonging to a very ghastly face often seen looking out of the windows.

Residents have also reported the sound of someone going up and down the staircase in the dead of night, only for those confronted by the spooking to find no one is there.

Some have argued that the footsteps belong to an old sailor with a peg leg due to the distinct ‘tapping’ pattern of the sound. Rumours have also circulated that an admiral was once killed in the house.

Bradford City Hall, built in 1843, is also said to be a site for paranormal activity. The cellars once served as police cells, and legend has it that a prisoner ghost named Charlie still roams the building. He is said to be stalking the building still, his restless soul continuing to seek his revenge for the ill-treatment at the hands of the police.

Parkside Social Club is another spot that has inspired a number of ghostly reports. In the past, the building has served as an institute and a schoolroom. One of the most common sightings is of a young girl in Victorian-style clothing who enjoys running around in a spooky way.

Bolling Hall is the oldest house in Bradford, according to the Haunted Rooms website. It has clocked up “20 recorded sightings” over the years, including a child’s crib rocking back and forth without being touched, and a lady in white who floats back and forth before disapearing into the fireplace.

Tarotoo’s spookiest cities

(City, Population, Number of cemeteries, Number of Graves, Number of Ghost hotspots, Number of Empty properties, Houses over 100 years old)

1. Bradford: 299,310, 143, 255,699, 12, 3,284, 66,080, 79, 2
2. Leeds: 455,123, 156, 827,636, 35, 3,450, 64,510, 78
3. Aberdeen: 196,670, 28, 48,300, 24, 5,793, 30,750, 75, 4
4. Swansea: 300,352, 103, 109,360, 12, 8,700, 30,840, 74
5. Edinburgh: 464,990, 82, 114,257, 107, 3,093, 81,108, 74
6. Manchester: 551,938, 75, 861,751, 65, 1,700, 56,020, 70, 6
7. Newcastle upon Tyne: 192,382, 39, 35,448, 32, 1,449, 26,060, 69
8. Belfast: 274,770, 31, 225,150, 13, 3,694, 43,708, 69
9. Cardiff: 447,287, 55, 143,068, 41, 7,525, 39,640, 66
10. Bristol: 617,280, 105, 286,860, 80, 1,654, 64,410, 65

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES

(15) 135mins

★★★★☆

3

FOR over a decade, the Conjuring franchise has been scaring us silly with its “true stories”.

But this will be the final haunted hurrah from parapsychologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson).

The married couple are as devoted to keeping bad spirits at bay as they are each other.

The film begins with a flashback to 1964, where a haunted mirror causes Lorraine to go into early labour.

The birth is traumatic and the demon that wants to get her young baby, Judy, almost wins, with the tot being stillborn.

Evil presence

But after begging the Lord to make the baby breathe, Lorraine wins that battle and we see the loving family grow up with happiness around them.

All while ghostbusting, of course.

But demons don’t rest and Judy, who has visions like her mum, often feels that she is being watched.

Fast-forward to 1986 and the Warrens are retired due to Ed having a heart condition.

But that pesky mirror turns up again, this time in the family home of the Smurls in Pennsylvania.

There are some seriously creepy goings-on and this is a demon not to be messed with. The Smurls have been so violently attacked by a powerful evil presence that they all live in terror.

As usual in these films, what you don’t see is far more terrifying than what you do.

Every usual horror trope is thrown out with a vengeance. But hey, if it ain’t broke. . . 

And it certainly feels like it’s not, as my palms grew clammy and heart rate shot up countless times.

The performances by Farmiga and Wilson are as extraordinary as always, bringing believable calm to the roles.

The climax of the supernatural events includes daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and her boyfriend Tony (Brit actor Ben Hardy), are both tense and unsettling.

Directed by Michael Chaves, who was also the director for the three previous entries in the franchise, the film has a hand-held camera effect that tunes into the 1980s feel very well indeed.

There’s also a nice rounding off at the end with some familiar faces that superfans will appreciate.

A spine-tingling finale to a series of films that will likely haunt generations of fans to come.

ON SWIFT HORSES

(15) 119mins

★★☆☆☆

3

THIS odd beast of a film from Daniel Minahan is adapted from Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel.

It opens with Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her soon-to-be husband, Lee (Will Poulter), chasing the Californian dream after his return from the Korean War.

Their plans for a fresh start are almost derailed by the arrival of Lee’s magnetic younger brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), who departs for Las Vegas the next day.

There, Julius finds work in a casino and falls into a secret romance with his charismatic coworker, Henry (Diego Calva).

Back in California, Muriel begins her own double life, gambling at racetracks and discovering an unexpected passion with her neighbour, Sandra (Sasha Calle).

On paper, this is rich material, but on screen, Minahan never quite delivers the goods.

The film certainly looks the part – Andre Chemetoff’s cinematography bathes everything in a golden haze – but beneath the gloss there isn’t enough here to truly hold it together.

In the end, On Swift Horses aspires to be a sweeping saga in the vein of East Of Eden, but it never gets out of a slow trot.

All style, with little substance.

LINDA MARRIC

THE COURAGEOUS

(12A) 83mins

★★★★☆

3

JASMIN GORDON’S debut feature film is an honest portrait of survival, love, and dignity.

Set against the beautiful landscape of Switzerland’s Valais region, it follows Jule (Ophelia Kolb), a rebellious single mother of three who refuses to give up on her family despite poverty, past mistakes and the indifference of the welfare system.

Kolb, best known for the hugely popular series, Call My Agent!, gives a career-defining performance. She captures Jule’s contradictions with remarkable depth.

Gordon directs with sensitivity, as she blends social realism with poetic imagery in a film that never feels needlessly moralising.

Her film never resorts to cliché or sentimentality; instead, it shines a light on the often invisible battles of the working poor in a modern Swiss society where destitution is often a taboo subject.

This is a powerful, heartfelt drama about love, resilience, and the complexity of being a flawed human.

Gordon’s sensitive direction and Kolb’s mesmerising performance combine to create a film that is both socially aware and profoundly moving.

It may be her first ever feature, but Gordon has made a film that feels both mature and hugely engaging.

LINDA MARRIC

An explorer who finds his thrill from visiting abandoned places ventured to one of the most haunted islands in the world – and managed to capture some pretty sinister footage from his visit

A thrill seeker has shared his experiences on his latest travel adventure, as he visits one of the worlds most haunted islands. Explorer Adam Mark always manages to dig out remote and unknown locations, which has now become an ‘addiction’ and explores mysterious and abandoned locations.

He shares his adventures on his YouTube channel @AdamMark, and recently the 36-year-old from North Wales visited the islabd of Poveglia, an 18-acre island located just off the coast of Venice.

The island comes with an eerie and dark history as it’s nicknamed the “Island of Ghosts” after being used as a quarantine station for people suffering from the plague in the 1700s and it’s thought there are 160,000 bodies buried there.

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It then housed an asylum before being abandoned completely and declared out of bounds, according to the Daily Mail. To visit the island, it proved a struggle, as the island is closed to visitors due to the dangerous condition of some of the buildings. Adam spend three hours on the creepy island with is partner, exploring what he thinks was a ‘derelict’ housing block with a clock tower.

He likened the remains of the island to “something you’d see off Tomb Raider” and said the area was completely overgrown. Adam also came across a “huge prison” that he said was camouflaged with all the ivy and vines. He recalled how he saw the original beds and shower blocks, as well as a section where the floor had fallen through.

During his visit, he also managed to venture into an abandoned hospital that he recalled had “metal beds on chains, so they’re on the floor, and then you pull them up and they become bunk beds,” calling it something he’d never seen before.

“I didn’t realise it was bad as it was, because I’ve been to Chernobyl, and in Chernobyl, you can still see the buildings and everything, but this is just completely taken over,’ he explained in regards to the overgrown nature growing over the once used buildings.

While it still felt haunted, Adam said it was “pretty cool” but was also surprised by the beds in the prison. “That was quite shocking, because I didn’t know they were there. To be fair, I don’t like to do too much research on a place before I go – it’s like spoilers, isn’t it?”

However some of the more sinister encounters happened on camera, which left the pair “spooked out” in the housing block. “When we was recording, you could actually hear footsteps, they were so clear and the way I had the camera, you could see that me and my partner were just both stood there, and then you can just hear these footsteps run through the room. When we were walking through the housing block, you can actually hear a scream on the video, and we didn’t hear it at the time, so that was pretty weird.”

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