What’s scarier than watching a haunted house themed horror movie? Actually getting into one, that’s what. The world is full of haunted houses that hold dark and macabre secrets. Some of them you may have already heard about from movies, like the DeFoe House in New York that was actually the inspiration for the cult horror classic The Amityville Horror.
And just in case you’re not aware that you’re stepping into a real-life haunted house when you happen to visit a neighborhood you’ve never been before, here’s a list of 31 of the most frightening real-life haunted houses with a bit of their back stories.
1. The Villisca Ax Murder House, Villisca, Ioa
The Villisca Ax Murder House in Iowa was where the gruesome murder of eight people, including six children, by an ax-wielding unidentified suspect took place on June 9, 1912. But despite becoming a national media sensation – with numerous suspects questioned, tried, and acquitted – the murders remain a cold case even to this day. The house is now being frequently visited by paranormal enthusiasts, as reports of ghost sightings and unexplained phenomena frequently take place there. Numerous reports of ghostly apparitions of children have been documented, including those from people who said they heard laughing and crying and even telling people to hide.
