The Creepiest Cemeteries Around The World

Cemeteries have always been places that come with stories of ghosts, bright lights, and unforgotten pasts. They’re always creepy places to visit, even during the day. But there are some that are a bit more spooky than others. Maybe it’s because they are home to ghosts that many have seen, or because some are known to make people feel unwell.

These are some of those spooky places.

Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Greyfriars is a cemetery that is full of lore and scary stories, some of which are true, and some of which are harder to prove.

greyfriars cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / turkemeni
Photo Credit: Reddit / turkemeni

It’s been victim to body-snatching in the 1800s, and it is allegedly haunted by the ghost of George Mackenzie, whose spirit is said to have been released by a homeless man who broke into his grave in 1999.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans

There are three cemeteries in New Orleans, but number one takes the cake. It’s the oldest of the three and the only one that’s reported to be haunted. It was built to replace the St. Peter Cemetery which was burnt down in 1788.

St Louis Cemetery #1
Photo Credit: Reddit / trueslicky
Photo Credit: Reddit / trueslicky

It’s believed that a voodoo priestess named Marie Laveau haunts the grounds, and if you leave three X’s on her tomb, she’ll grant you wishes.

Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, Australia

Rockwood Cemetery has become the final resting place of over a million people! But that’s not what makes the cemetery so spooky. It’s the home of the Davenport Brothers, two famous spiritualists. It’s believed by many that the Davenport Brothers act as a bridge between the spirit world and the living, inviting spirits to the graveyard.

rockwood cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit

Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France

Père Lachaise was once thought to the be cemetery of the stars after it was established by Napoleon. Now, famous people such as Marcel Proust and Jim Morrison are buried there. But it is the crypt of Allan Kardec that makes the cemetery so spooky, as he was considered the father of Spiritualism.

Père Lachaise Cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / kakiemon
Photo Credit: Reddit / kakiemon

Highgate Cemetery, London, England

Highgate Cemetery is no stranger to mystical happenings and hauntings. At one time, many believed that vampires wandered around the cemetery grounds, and two magicians had a duel to see who would be the first to slay a vampire. Of course, none were found.

Highgate Cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / whylieimhigh
Photo Credit: Reddit / whylieimhigh

It’s also said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who has long dark gray hair.

Howard Street Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts

Howard Street Cemetery is one of the most famous in the world because Massachusetts is home to so many witches. It’s said that Giles Corey cursed the land right before he was executed. There have been numerous reports of ghosts in the graveyard, especially at night.

Howard Street Cemetery
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

South Park Cemetery, Kolkata, India

It is believed that the South Park Cemetery is one of the most haunted cemeteries in India. It was built for those who died working for the East India Trading Company and is the resting place of soldiers, treasure hunters, traders, civil servants, and their families.

Southpark Cemetery
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

People report feeling dizzy and sick after visiting the site and have even said that their cameras and phones won’t work while they’re there.

La Noria Cemetery, Chile

The Atacama Desert, which is where La Noria is located, is one of the driest places in the world. Because of this, all the people who lived around it have since left to find better, safer places to live. When they left, they left behind their dead loved ones who are now said to haunt the cemetery and the town.

La Noria Cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / zenona_motyl
Photo Credit: Reddit / zenona_motyl

Hollywood Forever, California

Hollywood Forever is the final resting place of many, many famous people, but it’s also home to a plethora of ghost stories. The Psalms Mosoleum where people hear creepy voices and feel cold drafts is thought to be haunted by Clifton Webb, and people report seeing the ghost of Virginia Rappe, whose murder still goes unsolved.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / pancakejournal
Photo Credit: Reddit / pancakejournal

Monumental Cemetery Of Staglieno, Genoa, Italy

The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno will leave you breathless, but for a different reason than the other resting places on this list. It is believed to be the most beautiful cemetery in the world. It’s full of masterfully created statues of people mourning the passing of their loved ones. It is certainly an overwhelming place to visit.

an angel in a cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / Posted2Profiles
Photo Credit: Reddit / Posted2Profiles

Boot Hill Graveyard, Tombstone, Arizona

This may not be the fanciest graveyard on the list, but it certainly has a rich history. It’s the final resting place of historical western heroes like Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok. It was established in 1879 and has been the home of many ghostly cowboy sightings.

a tomb from Boothill
Photo Credit: Reddit / LittleMissCinema
Photo Credit: Reddit / LittleMissCinema

Stull Cemetery, Missouri

Stull Cemetery is considered by many to be a place where you can find the gates of Hell. People who visit report feelings of being grabbed by unseen hands as you enter the church. It’s said that this land has always been evil, and the church was put there to try and change that, but it wasn’t long before the church was closed because it wasn’t believed to be working.

Stull Cemetery
Photo Credit: Reddit / deathinthesun1991
Photo Credit: Reddit / deathinthesun1991

The Lychakiv Cemetery, Lviv, Ukraine

The Lychakiv Cemetery is home to more than 400,000 souls since it was established in 1786. It has seen many great changes in the country during its time, and those changes can be seen in the different parts of the cemetery, from the humble graves of communists to huge gothic monuments for wealthy citizens.

Grave of Józefina Markowska
Photo Credit: Reddit / Strydwolf
Photo Credit: Reddit / Strydwolf

The Catacombs, Paris, France

What would a list of creepy resting places be without the Paris catacombs? They are thought to be the final resting place of more than six million people. It’s no surprise that this place is home to many scary stories, including people getting lost and going crazy in the tunnels, people hearing voices, and many ghost stories.

the Paris Catacombs
Photo Credit: Reddit / ImpartialStudios
Photo Credit: Reddit / ImpartialStudios

Valley Of The Kings, Cairo, Egypt

Most of us know stories about the Valley of the Kings. It’s known to be the home of 63 tombs, and it was thought to be the burial place of prominent figures and royalty. There have been many deaths reported in connection to King Tut’s tomb in particular by those who have explored them, but it’s up for debate whether the mummy’s curse is real or not.

Valley of the Kings
Photo Credit: Reddit / LizCampe
Photo Credit: Reddit / LizCampe

Bachelor’s Grove, Chicago, USA

Bachelor’s Grove is no stranger to ghosts stories and has been on the paranormal radar since the 1950s, when seven spirits were seen in the area. There have been reports of bright lights floating around tombstones, a two-headed ghost, a man wearing yellow, and a large black dog that guards the entrance.

Bachelor's Grove in infrared
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Gladiator Graveyard, Ephesus, Turkey

The Gladiator Graveyard in Turkey is the best-preserved one of its kind. Every person that was buried there was a young man between the ages of 20–30. There is much that is not known about the burial practices of the site, and many speculate that it’s been the home to pagan rituals.

gladiator graveyard in turkey
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Capuchin Catacombs, Sicily, Italy

The Capuchin catacombs are a spooky place to visit. For 300 years, people were buried in the church crypt, but they were embalmed and left out for other people to see. They were often dressed in their Sunday best so they could show off their family’s wealth.

the catacombs in italy
Photo Credit: Reddit / luigi94
Photo Credit: Reddit / luigi94

Some of the bodies have seen decay, but others have remained perfectly preserved.

City of the Dead, Ossetia, Russia

They may look like a bunch of cute little houses, but each building is actually the home of a member of an Ossetian family. Inside each little hut, the bodies are buried along with all their prized possessions. If you peek through the windows, you can see the finely dressed skeletons among their things.

city of the dead in Russia
Photo Credit: Reddit / Tho3v
Photo Credit: Reddit / Tho3v

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

The Sedlec Ossuary is a sight to see, to say the least. It’s thought to be home to at least 70,000 people. In 1870, a local woodworker took bones of plague victims that had been exhumed from a mass grave that had been there since the 14th century. He used them to create intricate statues and, most famously, a chandelier.

ossuary in the czech republic
Photo Credit: Reddit / 1tsalwayssunny/
Photo Credit: Reddit / 1tsalwayssunny/