Thanks to fairy tales and legends of the Blair Witch variety, a dense, dark forest can elicit feelings of dread. These supposedly haunted forests are some of the eeriest on Earth. And while most spooky moments can be chalked up to our campfire imaginations running wild, some places around the world carry legitimately terrifying histories that are much harder to brush off with a nervous laugh. From woods with high-pitched screams echoing through the trees, to extra-creepy cemeteries and the tragic site of hundreds of deaths, these 5 haunted forests are certainly not for the faint of heart.
Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA
Although it's best known for its memorable views and Emma Stone-Ryan Gosling dance breaks, L.A.'s Griffith Park has a few ghost stories hidden behind its popularity. According to legend (as reported by The Washington Post), the park was once owned by a wealthy bachelor named Don Antonio Feliz, who lived there with his niece Petranilla in the mid-1800s. When the Don died of smallpox in 1863, he left the entire ranch to a local politician—and nothing for his niece. Petranilla, unpleased with the lack of inheritance, cursed the entire park, declaring: "The wrath of heaven and the vengeance of hell shall fall upon this place.” Over the next few decades, horrible fates (mysterious deaths, crop fires, etc.) befell every subsequent owner of the property. Add to that some modern-day murders and satanic cult rituals taking place within the park's dense woods, and you have yourself one enigmatic tourist destinations. Those views though...
Highgate Cemetery, London
This lush and leafy north London garden, fictionalized in Bram Stoker’s Dracula as Kingstead Churchyard, has a pleasantly eccentric roll call of notable graves, including those of Karl Marx and Douglas Adams. And while it remains one of London's least-visited landmarks, those who do enter its gates come seeking ghostly encounters as much as celebrity headstones. The site was established in the mid-1800s and became neglected and unattended by the end of WWII, the overgrown vegetation and crumbling monuments only upping the fear factor. Then in the 1970s, after appearing as a filming location in several horror movies, Highgate reached a surge in popularity—namely among self-proclaimed vampire hunters. Many visitors claimed to see a creature hovering over the graves (a vampire, presumably), and stories of grave robbing began appearing in the news. The so-called vampire hunters would open tombs to drive wooden stakes into the corpses' chests, or steal the corpses and relocate them to random places (including the car of one of the cemetery's neighbors!). To this day, Highgate remains a go-to spot for enthusiasts of all things fanged and occult Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire, England
Yet another English creep-fest, Wychwood Forest's air of mystery stems from the story of Amy Robsart, the wife of the Earl of Leicester. Amy mysteriously broke her neck and died in 1560; years later, her husband encountered her ghost in Wychwood while on a hunting trip. Her spirit told the Earl that he would join her in the afterlife in just a few days. As promised, he fell ill shortly after the encounter and quickly died. Local legend says that anyone who encounters the ghost of Amy in Wychwood Forest will befall the same fate as the dearly departed Earl of Leicester
Cameron Park, Waco, TX
Waco's Cameron Park has several spots that are reported to be paranormal hot zones, including Jacob's Ladder, a treacherous set of stairs haunted by a "grabbing ghost" who grabs onto climbers' clothes to pull them down. But perhaps the most well-known site is the Witch's Castle—a name given to crumbling ruins found deep in the park. According to one story surrounding the "castle" (and there are many), the ruins are the former house of a woman suspected of witchcraft in the late 1800s. Waco residents blamed the woman after people began disappearing in the surrounding woods, so they formed a mob and burned down her house while she was still inside. Some people claim to see the witch's figure wandering through Cameron Park today, even chasing down some unlucky visitors.
Epping Forest, Essex, England
The size and density of Epping Forest have made it a popular hideout for criminals and an infamous burial spot for bodies. Notorious highwayman Dick Turpin hid there in the early 1700s, and more than a dozen murder victims have been discovered in the woods since the 1960s. It's no surprise then that the forest has developed a reputation for spooky sounds and ghostly apparitions (including Turpin himself). Some people also claim that if you drive to Hangman's Hill and park in neutral, your car will slowly be pulled uphill. Even if you don't believe in the myths, just the appearance of the woods is likely to send a chill up your spine. The pollarded trees haven't been cut since the late 1800s (thanks to the Epping Forest Act of 1878), giving them an overgrown and bulbous look that you won't find anywhere else.
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