Things that Go Bump
According to folklore, a ghost that makes noises or moves objects around a house is known by this German word meaning “noisy spirit.”
Poltergeist
This large, hairy, ape-like creature is said to roam the forests of the Pacific Northwest and is sometimes called Sasquatch.
Bigfoot
This Massachusetts town is famous for its 1692 witch trials and today embraces its spooky history every October.
Salem
For centuries, people have believed that a full moon can cause people to behave strangely or even transform into werewolves.
folklore
You wake up unable to move and feel as though someone—or something—is standing in the room. For centuries, people blamed ghosts or demons. Today, this sleep phenomenon provides a scientific explanation.
Sleep paralysis
This translucent lady of legend is said to haunt many castles and old buildings, usually appearing dressed entirely in one color.
White
Nicknamed “Nessie,” this legendary creature is supposedly hiding in a deep lake in Scotland.
Loch Ness Monster
This supposedly haunted ocean liner, permanently docked in Long Beach, California, has inspired decades of stories about ghostly passengers and crew.
The Queen Mary
Harry Houdini spent part of his career investigating mediums and exposing people he believed were fraudulently claiming to communicate with the dead.
Fact
You walk into an empty old house and a door suddenly slams shut on its own. Before blaming a ghost, this moving air may be the culprit.
Draft
According to legend, this ghostly ship is doomed to sail the seas forever and can never make port.
The Flying Dutchman
This legendary creature of the Himalayas is sometimes called the “Abominable Snowman.”
Yeti
This historic hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, helped inspire Stephen King to write The Shining after he stayed there in 1974.
The Stanley Hotel
According to an old superstition, breaking a mirror will bring exactly seven years of bad luck.
Folklore
You swear you've experienced a moment before, even though you know you haven't. The French name for this strange sensation means “already seen.”
Deja vu
According to legend, the ghost of this beheaded English queen has been reported at the Tower of London, where she was executed in 1536.
Ann Boleyn
First widely reported in West Virginia in 1966, this mysterious creature is described as a winged, human-like figure with glowing red eyes.
Mothman
This historic Charleston, South Carolina jail once housed Lavinia Fisher, often described in legend as America’s first female serial killer, and is now associated with numerous ghost stories.
Old City Jail
Count Dracula was a real Transylvanian vampire who lived in a castle and inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula after reports of his attacks reached England.
Fiction
Sailors once reported mysterious glowing balls of light appearing around the masts of ships during thunderstorms. This electrical phenomenon is named after the patron saint of sailors.
St Elmo's Fire
In Irish folklore, this female spirit is known for a chilling wail said to foretell a death in the family.
banshee
According to New Jersey folklore, this strange creature supposedly has a horse-like head, wings, hooves, and a terrifying scream and is said to inhabit the Pine Barrens.
Jersey Devil
This Savannah, Georgia mansion, completed in 1799, is associated with tales of mysterious deaths and hauntings and is now a National Historic Landmark.
The Sorrel- Weed House
The town of Sleepy Hollow, New York, is a real place, and Washington Irving lived in the area and is buried there.
Fact
Low-frequency sound below the normal range of human hearing has been studied as one possible explanation for feelings of uneasiness and reports of strange sensations in supposedly haunted locations.
Infrasound