Spooky Places Around the World Quiz

Answer: Turkmenistan

The "Door to Hell" is located in Turkmenistan. It is a hole that is approximately seventy metres across and five metres deep, located in a natural gas field. The gas was set on fire by geologists in the 1970s to burn off noxious methane gas. It continued to burn and has since formed a crater that does look like the doorway to the underworld. Spooky!

Answer: She purportedly murdered hundreds of girls.

The Countess Báthory lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She and some of her servants were arrested in 1609 for the murder of several girls in the area after depositions were taken from local peasants. Her servants were tried and put to death.

She was never tried, but was confined to her chambers until she died in 1614. At the time, she was accused of torturing and murdering over 600 girls, but that claim is questioned by modern scholars. It is now believed that the accusation of murder may have been politically and financially motivated after her wealthy husband died and she was left in control of his riches.

Answer: True

The remains of more than six million people lie in tunnels beneath the capital city of France. As a result of overcrowding in the city's cemeteries in the 1700s, they were placed in the tunnels that remained beneath the city from quarries that had been dug before then.

The bones were dug out of the cemeteries and taken by covered wagon at night to the old tunnels where they were placed in a somewhat orderly fashion. How's that for spooky?

Answer: Massachusetts

Daughter Lizzie was accused and tried for the gruesome murder of her parents in 1892. She was acquitted of the murder, and no one else was ever charged. This is a spooky place because many have reported seeing ghosts at the home that has operated as a bed and breakfast well into the 21st Century.

Answer: Penal colony

Port Arthur penal colony was used for "secondary offenders" in the 1800s. These were the criminals who were sent to Australia from Britain who re-offended once in Australia. The prison in Port Arthur is particularly secure because of the geographical features in the area of Tasmania where is is located.

The site is practically surrounded by water, with only a short (30 metre) band of land connecting it to the mainland. This helped to keep the prisoners from escaping. There are over 1600 graves at Port Arthur, another feature contributing to its spookiness.

The prison closed in 1877 and is now a tourist destination.

Answer: Pennsylvania

Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) was operational from 1829 through 1971. Over the years, it housed some notorious criminals such as Al Capone. It was considered revolutionary because it was the one of the first prisons to focus on reform as opposed to punishment.

When it was completed in the early 1800s, it was the largest and most expensive public structure ever built in the US. There are many spooky tales of former prisoners haunting the halls, so feel free to take a tour if you dare - it is open to the public seven days a week.

Answer: Human coffins

Although this practice is not as common as it once was, burying people by hanging their coffins on the sides of mountains still does occur in some areas of the Philippines. Some believe that the practice was started to allow the souls of the departed to get closer to the souls of their ancestors.

Others believe that people simply want a place where their body would be safe (as opposed to in the ground where it would rot). Whatever the reason, it is still a spooky place in the world. Hanging coffins can also be found in China and Indonesia.

Answer: Mexico

Don Julian Santana Barrera was the caretaker on this island just outside of Mexico City. Legend has it that a young girl with a doll drowned there one day. He felt haunted by her spirit, so hung the doll in a tree on the island. He continued to feel haunted by her and other young girls for the rest of his life, so continued to hang dolls around the island.

Some question this legend, but when he died in 2001, the island became a tourist attraction where people continue to bring dolls to hang on the island.

This is definitely one spooky place!

Answer: Tutankhamun

Howard Carter opened up Tutankhamun's (or Tutankhaten's) tomb and released the curse. Some believe that a curse will automatically fall upon anyone who disturbs an ancient Pharaoh's tomb. These believers suggest that many mysterious instances and untimely deaths experienced by members of the team that opened King Tut's final resting place are evidence of such a curse. If you find yourself in the Valley of the Kings, beware this spooky belief!

Answer: Execution

This pentagonal fortress was built by Dutch colonists in the 17th century. Besides being used for government operations, it was also the site of many executions. Many who visit the site report seeing ghosts on the grounds, believed to be the souls of those killed in the grounds. Even a cheery yellow place with a happy name like the "Castle of Good Hope" can be spooky.