Top 20 TERRIFYING Legendary Ghosts

Top 20 TERRIFYING Legendary Ghosts

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the scariest ghosts throughout the world.

#20: The Vanishing Hitchhiker
The myth of the Vanishing Hitchhiker is one of the most chilling urban legends, deeply rooted in the eerie unknown. And creepy dark roads. It tells of late-night drivers traveling down lonely, winding roads, often during storms or foggy nights, and encountering a hitchhiker. The driver picks them up - sometimes they sit idly and silently in the back seat, other times they have full conversations. Regardless, when they reach the destination, the driver turns to let the hitchhiker out and sees that they are gone. A version of this story has existed since at least the 17th century. And if you’re unlucky enough, you might find yourself driving down that same road, where the Vanishing Hitchhiker waits... patiently and eternally... for the next driver.

#19: The Wild Hunt
This is a terrifying myth that has haunted the forests and skies of Europe for centuries, particularly in the cold, dark nights of winter when eerie silence abounds. The Wild Hunt is made up of spectral warriors and twisted souls of the damned, all of whom follow some type of mythical leader like Cain or even The Devil. The thunderous gallop of hooves hunt not just beasts, but human souls. It is said that the Wild Hunt brings misfortune, plague, and war to the land it rides across, and the one who sees them will go mad - that is, if their soul isn’t ripped away to join their cursed procession.

#18: The Gettysburg Ghosts
Few American locations are as haunted as the Gettysburg National Military Park. This park is responsible for protecting the land on which the Battle of Gettysburg was fought back in 1863, the violence of which resulted in profound paranormal activity. As night falls, the battlefield becomes a place of eerie silence, and visitors report hearing the distant sounds of cannon fire, gunshots, and even the spectral yell of military orders. Many have also reported seeing apparitions of soldiers in ragged Civil War uniforms, some of them still wielding their weapons or groaning in agony with the pain of their eternal injuries.

#17: Banshee
A shadowy specter from Irish folklore, the name Banshee comes from the Gaelic words meaning Lady or Woman and Fairy – but she is no Tinker Bell. While more frequently heard than seen, this ghoul is said to appear as either an old hag or a beautiful woman, but always folded in a dark, ragged cloak, and with long, wild hair. Unlike most ghosts, banshees are not the lost souls of once living people, but more a force of nature. Her wailing is said to herald the approach of death, and to hear her cry is to know that someone in the family will soon die. Once a family hears the banshee screaming, there’s nothing they can do but wait for the inevitable.

#16: Onryō
Roughly translating to “dim soul,” yurei are creepy ghosts found in Japanese folklore. There are different types of yurei, like the matronly ghosts “Ubume,” or the mermaid-like figures “Funayūrei” who wander the sea. But perhaps the creepiest of all are the Onryō. The Onryō is one of Japan’s most terrifying spirits, a ghost fueled by raw hatred and an unquenchable thirst for revenge, often to right a wrong that was inflicted upon them in life. And unlike other restless spirits, the Onryō don’t merely frighten. No, they have the horrifying ability to inflict physical harm, sometimes murdering their enemies or even causing natural disasters to inflict pain on entire regions. Basically, no one is safe from the unbridled wrath of an Onryō.

#15: The Ghosts of Hampton Court
Built in the early 16th century, Hampton Court Palace was a favored residence of Henry VIII and is now a popular tourist attraction. People come from all over the world to wander its maze, look at its famous works of art - and try to glimpse its famous ghosts. Catherine Howard is said to haunt the palace grounds, screaming and pleading for mercy from her violent husband. Jane Seymour can also be spotted from time to time, sadly drifting between rooms and sometimes cradling the baby she never got to enjoy in life. And that’s not counting that creepy Skeletor ghost that the Court shared to the world back in 2013. Maybe just…stay in the maze or something.

#14: The Winchester Mystery House
On the National Register of Historic Places is the Winchester Mystery House, the private residence once belonging to Sarah Winchester. Sarah was married to the firearms magnate William Winchester, and her house is a place of endless corridors, twisted staircases, and doors that lead to nowhere. The bizarre and often confusing architecture has led to many legends. It is said that Winchester built the house to escape the vengeful spirits of those killed by her family’s weapons. The labyrinth was explicitly designed to confuse the ghosts that tormented her - ghosts that are still trapped in the house in the forms of whispers, footsteps, and shadow figures.

#13: Peg Entwistle
In life, this Welsh-born English beauty was aspiring stage and screen actress Millicent Lilian “Peg” Entwistle. Tragically, she only achieved the fame she craved after she leapt from the "H" on the - as it was then known - Hollywoodland sign, to her death. On September 18, 1932, Hollywood police got an anonymous phone call from a woman who claimed to have found a body under the sign. But that was not the last time Peg was found… not alive, anyway. Since her death, hikers and park rangers have reported a ghostly blonde-haired woman sadly wandering near the iconic landmark, but who vanishes if you approach. Others have reported the overpowering scent of gardenias – Peg’s signature perfume.

#12: The Inhabitants of Drury Lane
Having been around in some capacity since the 17th century, Drury Lane is perhaps London’s most iconic theatre. That’s not just because of its long history and stellar productions, but its many ghostly inhabitants. One of them is the famous Man in Grey, who was found entombed inside the theatre’s walls in the mid 19th century. Drury Lane also hosts Irish actor Charles Macklin, who killed Thomas Hallam with a cane back in 1735. His ghost now haunts the spot where he stabbed Hallam to death over a wig. There are whispers of other spirits, too - phantoms of long-forgotten actors, and even the restless dead of audience members who are enjoying the plays for eternity.

#11: La Llorona
A native of Mexico and the southwestern United States, La Llorona is a popular villain of Latin American folklore. La Llorona was once the beautiful Maria, but she was driven mad by jealousy when she discovered her husband’s affair. She then drowned her own children in a fit of rage, and proceeded to take her own life once she realized what she had done and the guilt had set in. She now roams the earth as a spirit trapped between worlds, wailing in anguish as she searches for her lost children. And be prepared if you see or hear her, as those who cross her path are cursed with bad luck - and sometimes, even death.

#10: Amityville
This Long Island house became a worldwide sensation in 1977 when Jay Anson published “The Amityville Horror,” the now-classic account of the Lutz family and their terrifying experience inside of its walls. The eerie events kicked off in 1974, when a man named Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family while they slept. DeFeo claimed that voices in the house had driven him to do it. When the Lutzs moved in, they were plagued by a demonic pig-like creature named Jodie, ooze dripping from the walls, and disembodied voices screaming at them to leave. Desperate and terrified, the family fled the house after less than a month. They left everything behind, an offering of sorts to the house that ruined their lives.

#9: The Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel
The inspiration for Stephen King's Overlook Hotel in "The Shining," the Stanley Hotel is said to be inhabited by many ghosts. Staff and guests have complained of bizarre sounds, objects moving on their own accord, and the piano in the dining room playing by itself at night. When the hotel opened in 1909, it was considered one of the pinnacle luxury hotels. However, first hauntings were reported as far back as 1911 after a housekeeper, Elizabeth Wilson, who was electrocuted – and survived - during a storm. Paranormal activity is frequently reported in room 217 and the concert hall. In early 2016, a tourist snapped some photographs of the empty lobby– only to find that perhaps he hadn’t been so alone after all.

#8: Brown Lady of Raynham Hall
The Brown Lady is thought to be the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole, the sorely mistreated wife of Viscount Charles Townshend. Locked in her rooms by her husband until her death in 1726, some believe she still haunts the house she could never leave. So nicknamed because of the brown brocade dress she wears, many have encountered the lady, including: guests of a Christmas party – who reported a lady with no eyes; King George IV, who left in the night as a result; and Captain Frederick Marryat, who described encountering a woman who “grinned in a malicious and diabolical manner.” Yikes. In 1936, a London-based photographer managed to capture the now famous image of the lady on the stairs.

#7: Lincoln’s Ghost [aka The White House Ghost]
Since the fateful night at Ford’s Theatre in 1865, countless people, from presidents to visiting statesmen and women to staff have reported seeing Abe’s ghost throughout the White House. Some have simply heard footsteps and knocking, and attributed the sounds to the deceased prez. However, in 1942, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands heard a knock at her guest room door. When she answered, there stood the former president. The queen immediately fainted. Furthermore, Sir Winston Churchill, fresh from a bath, was surprised to see Lincoln standing by his fireplace. The British Prime Minister, never to be outdone, bid him good evening and admitted himself at a disadvantage, to which the ghost reportedly smiled, as though amused, and vanished.

#6: Bell Witch
A frightening 19th century tale, the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee had one serious ghost problem. The spirit, soon known as the Bell Witch, tormented the prominent farming family for years, upsetting furniture, assaulting them, cursing them, driving off the daughter’s suitor, and finally killing. People travelled from all over to witness the disturbing events, many of whom were chased away by the shrieking specter. In 1820, John Bell, the patriarch, was supposedly poisoned. According to the family, as he lay dying, they could hear the witch laughing. To this day, unaccountable disturbances are reported on the Red River Settlement, the site of the old Bell farm, and these disturbances are thought to be the work of the violent witch.

#5: Catherine’s Ghost
Found in the southeast of Maine is Catherine’s Hill, named after the ghost who is said to haunt its grounds. Legend has it that Catherine was driving or walking in the mountains when she met a violent fate and perished. Some say she wanders the hill seeking her lost boyfriend, others that she is looking for her missing head that she lost in the accident. Travelers now see Catherine wandering the dark forest in her pale blue nightgown, and sometimes she even approaches to ask for a ride into town. Those who decline her request are said to suffer grim fates - like being lost in the woods forever, plagued to wander alongside Catherine.

#4: Flying Dutchman
Not a person this time, but a ship. While there are variations to the legend, the basic story involves Captain Hendrick van der Decken, who, in 1641, ignored the pleas of his crew to take safe harbor during a storm. He swore not even God could halt his course, and from that time on the Flying Dutchman and its entire crew were cursed. Accounts of the doomed ship have cropped up all over the world, with the ghost ship usually interpreted as an omen for a coming storm or death. The chilling tale of the doomed crew, first spread by sailors, has since seen its share of exposure in popular culture, however, inspiring everything from a Wagner opera, to “Pirates of the Caribbean”, to “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

#3: The Ghost of Anne Boleyn
The ghost of King Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife, Anne Boleyn, has been allegedly spotted throughout the UK. Most frequently she is seen at the Tower of London, where she spent her final days, was beheaded, and later buried. However, the queen has also been seen at the window of the Dean’s Cloister at Windsor Castle. Most dramatically, Boleyn is said to haunt Blickling Hall as well – a grand manor built on the old Boleyn family property. On the grounds, she is said to be occasionally seen arriving by a ghostly carriage, driven by headless horses and a headless coachman, while she herself holds her severed head on her lap. That’s one way to make an entrance.

#2: Bloody Mary
It’s an old slumber party standby. The blood-soaked woman is said to appear to anyone brave – or foolish – enough to stand in front of a mirror, at night, and say her name three times. Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. Bloody – nope can’t. Scared. The ritual is the same, but results supposedly vary. Some say she will tell your future, others that she will scratch out the eyes of whoever called her. This ghost is said to be the spirit of Mary I of England, who earned her grisly moniker after having hundreds of Protestants butchered. The Bloody Mary legend has gone on to inspire many movies and TV shows. Personally, we prefer our Bloody Marys with a stalk of celery and lots of ice.

#1: Headless Horseman
Legends of horsemen, clad in black and headless, crop up everywhere, from Ireland, to Germany, to America, to India. In some tales, the horseman is either death itself, or death’s servant, but at other times it is a heroic figure – such as in Germany where he blows his horn (don’t ask how) to warn hunters of danger, or seeks out revenge on those who have committed serious crimes. But perhaps the most famous headless horseman is the ghastly villain of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” where a headless rider chases off the schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, on a dark night – or goes on a murder spree, like in the Tim Burton adaptation. Your choice.

Do you have any personal ghost stories you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!