Ghosts span the globe, haunting every corner. You can't travel anywhere and not find a tale about a misty spectral that died tragically. Here are 13 ghosts from around the globe to keep you up at night.
1 Slit-Mouthed Woman
Usually seen wearing a mask over her lower jaw, this famous Japanese ghost targets children. Upon meeting a child, she removes the mask and reveals a sliced-up mouth. She then asks the child if they think she is beautiful. Say no, and she stabs the child. Say yes, and she slits their mouth just like hers. It’s a no win situation!
2 Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was one of Henry VIII’s many wives. The king divorced and beheaded her for not giving him a male heir. A bit of an overreaction in my opinion! Anne’s ghost is said to haunt the Tower of London. She does have her head. She is said to frighten passersby as she wanders the halls. On occasion she is seen in other historic buildings. Seeking justice perhaps?
3 La Llorona
La Llorona (Spanish for The Crying Woman) is always crying when you see her. Her tears are because she killed her children by drowning in a fit of rage because the man she loved would not have her. When he spurned her again, she realized the horrible thing she had done, so she subjected herself to the same fate as her children and drowned herself. Condemned to wander the world in perpetual grief, she is seen soaking wet, in all white, and crying. Some say she snatches young children as she walks, mistaking them for her own.
4 Kate Batts, the Bell Witch
The year was 1817 and a man named John Bell and his family began experiences ghostly happenings in their Tennessee home. The terrifying activity was thought to be the cause of a witch named Kate Batts, but in reality, the daughter, Betsy, was the one most likely causing the activity. Despite that, the Bell Witch lives on and has been inspiration in many stories, including The Blair Witch Project.
5 Dolley Madison
There have been many stories of ghosts in the White House. One such tale is that of First Lady Dolley Madison. She was known for her grace and charm, and she played a role in making the White House a social epicenter. After her death, it is said another First Lady attempted to dig up her beloved rose gardens. Dolley was having none of that and her ghost showed up to frighten the gardeners away. To this day, the roses are still there and blooming.
6 The Gray Man
The Gray Man is a ghost of Pawleys Island in South Carolina. Sometimes he is described as having no legs along with no face. Whenever a hurricane or other sever is storm is about to hit and you see him, you will be protected from the storm. The story of his death is he was a guy traveling from Charleston to see a young lady. His horse got sucked into the mud of South Carolina’s marshes. Since then, he’s seen roaming the coastline, looking for love, and helping people avoid weather disasters.
7 Cottage City Poltergeist
You may not know the name Cottage City Poltergeist, but you are familiar with it as it was the inspiration behind William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist. A real-life case from 1949, it centered around a 13-year-old-boy from Cottage City, Maryland. Shaking beds, weird noises, and sheets pulled off the mattress were just a few of the weird occurrences that happened after the boy played with an Ouija board. The boy was moved to a hospital in Saint Louis, where an exorcism was performed, and curing the boy.
8 Abraham Lincoln
Since Lincoln’s death in 1865, his ghost has popped up in many different locations. He is most commonly spotted in the White House, including the Lincoln Bedroom. Numerous heads of states has be shocked by Abe, including the queen of the Netherlands. She opened a door to find Honest Abe standing there. It gave her such a scare she fainted!
9 The Buruburu Ghost
A Japanese ghost that feeds on fear, the Buruburu gets its name from the sound you make when you shiver. It is created whenever someone acts like a coward, who it clings to by the collar of their shirt and lightly tickling the back of their neck. This causes a shiver to roll down the spine and goosebumps. The Buruburu feeds on the fear.
10 The Greenbrier Ghost
Zona Heaster married a drifter in the late 1800s who killed her. At first, her death was attributed to natural causes after her husband, Shue, scared the doctor away. An autopsy was preformed and the truth reveal because Zona’s mother, Mary Jane claimed to have seen the ghost of her daughter. She said Zona’s ghost told her Shue had broken her neck and proved it by turning her ghostly head completely around! During the trial, the prosecutor tried to keep Zona’s ghost a secret but the defense asked about it in an attempt to undermine Mary Jane’s credibility. This strategy backfired and Shue went to jail. Zona’s ghost was never seen again.
11 The Madonna of Bachelor's Grove
If you want to ensure you have a ghostly encounter then the place to visit is Bachelor’s Grove. Many report seeing featureless orbs, blogs of ectoplasm, as well as a spectral farmer and his horse. Other notable ghosts are a black dog and a ghost with two heads! The most famous ghost is call Madonna. On nights of the full moon, she can be seen wandering the graveyard and carrying a baby. On occasion, she is seen in full daylight.
12 & 13: The Girls In The Bathroom
I don’t know what it is about Japan and bathrooms, but their ghosts seem to love them. In one tale, if you go into the girls bathroom on the third floor and walk to the third stall you will find a little girl with a bob haircut. Her name is Hanako-san and she wants to play. Or drag you to Hell. We’re not sure. Depending on what part of Japan you live in, she may have a bloody hand to grab you with or be a lizard that devours you.
Hanako-san has become a fixture of Japanese urban folklore for over 70 years, but she is not the only schoolgirl haunting Japan’s bathrooms. Another young girl named Kashima Reiki was said to be cut in half by a train. Now, her disfigured spirit inhabits bathrooms, asking any who enter the stall where her legs are. If she doesn’t like your answer, she will rip your legs off! Answer wisely.
(Source, Source, Source, Source)
Which ghost was your favorite? Will you think twice about going to the bathroom in Japan?
1 Slit-Mouthed Woman
Usually seen wearing a mask over her lower jaw, this famous Japanese ghost targets children. Upon meeting a child, she removes the mask and reveals a sliced-up mouth. She then asks the child if they think she is beautiful. Say no, and she stabs the child. Say yes, and she slits their mouth just like hers. It’s a no win situation!
2 Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was one of Henry VIII’s many wives. The king divorced and beheaded her for not giving him a male heir. A bit of an overreaction in my opinion! Anne’s ghost is said to haunt the Tower of London. She does have her head. She is said to frighten passersby as she wanders the halls. On occasion she is seen in other historic buildings. Seeking justice perhaps?
3 La Llorona
La Llorona (Spanish for The Crying Woman) is always crying when you see her. Her tears are because she killed her children by drowning in a fit of rage because the man she loved would not have her. When he spurned her again, she realized the horrible thing she had done, so she subjected herself to the same fate as her children and drowned herself. Condemned to wander the world in perpetual grief, she is seen soaking wet, in all white, and crying. Some say she snatches young children as she walks, mistaking them for her own.
4 Kate Batts, the Bell Witch
The year was 1817 and a man named John Bell and his family began experiences ghostly happenings in their Tennessee home. The terrifying activity was thought to be the cause of a witch named Kate Batts, but in reality, the daughter, Betsy, was the one most likely causing the activity. Despite that, the Bell Witch lives on and has been inspiration in many stories, including The Blair Witch Project.
5 Dolley Madison
There have been many stories of ghosts in the White House. One such tale is that of First Lady Dolley Madison. She was known for her grace and charm, and she played a role in making the White House a social epicenter. After her death, it is said another First Lady attempted to dig up her beloved rose gardens. Dolley was having none of that and her ghost showed up to frighten the gardeners away. To this day, the roses are still there and blooming.
6 The Gray Man
The Gray Man is a ghost of Pawleys Island in South Carolina. Sometimes he is described as having no legs along with no face. Whenever a hurricane or other sever is storm is about to hit and you see him, you will be protected from the storm. The story of his death is he was a guy traveling from Charleston to see a young lady. His horse got sucked into the mud of South Carolina’s marshes. Since then, he’s seen roaming the coastline, looking for love, and helping people avoid weather disasters.
7 Cottage City Poltergeist
You may not know the name Cottage City Poltergeist, but you are familiar with it as it was the inspiration behind William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist. A real-life case from 1949, it centered around a 13-year-old-boy from Cottage City, Maryland. Shaking beds, weird noises, and sheets pulled off the mattress were just a few of the weird occurrences that happened after the boy played with an Ouija board. The boy was moved to a hospital in Saint Louis, where an exorcism was performed, and curing the boy.
8 Abraham Lincoln
Since Lincoln’s death in 1865, his ghost has popped up in many different locations. He is most commonly spotted in the White House, including the Lincoln Bedroom. Numerous heads of states has be shocked by Abe, including the queen of the Netherlands. She opened a door to find Honest Abe standing there. It gave her such a scare she fainted!
9 The Buruburu Ghost
A Japanese ghost that feeds on fear, the Buruburu gets its name from the sound you make when you shiver. It is created whenever someone acts like a coward, who it clings to by the collar of their shirt and lightly tickling the back of their neck. This causes a shiver to roll down the spine and goosebumps. The Buruburu feeds on the fear.
10 The Greenbrier Ghost
Zona Heaster married a drifter in the late 1800s who killed her. At first, her death was attributed to natural causes after her husband, Shue, scared the doctor away. An autopsy was preformed and the truth reveal because Zona’s mother, Mary Jane claimed to have seen the ghost of her daughter. She said Zona’s ghost told her Shue had broken her neck and proved it by turning her ghostly head completely around! During the trial, the prosecutor tried to keep Zona’s ghost a secret but the defense asked about it in an attempt to undermine Mary Jane’s credibility. This strategy backfired and Shue went to jail. Zona’s ghost was never seen again.
11 The Madonna of Bachelor's Grove
If you want to ensure you have a ghostly encounter then the place to visit is Bachelor’s Grove. Many report seeing featureless orbs, blogs of ectoplasm, as well as a spectral farmer and his horse. Other notable ghosts are a black dog and a ghost with two heads! The most famous ghost is call Madonna. On nights of the full moon, she can be seen wandering the graveyard and carrying a baby. On occasion, she is seen in full daylight.
12 & 13: The Girls In The Bathroom
I don’t know what it is about Japan and bathrooms, but their ghosts seem to love them. In one tale, if you go into the girls bathroom on the third floor and walk to the third stall you will find a little girl with a bob haircut. Her name is Hanako-san and she wants to play. Or drag you to Hell. We’re not sure. Depending on what part of Japan you live in, she may have a bloody hand to grab you with or be a lizard that devours you.
Hanako-san has become a fixture of Japanese urban folklore for over 70 years, but she is not the only schoolgirl haunting Japan’s bathrooms. Another young girl named Kashima Reiki was said to be cut in half by a train. Now, her disfigured spirit inhabits bathrooms, asking any who enter the stall where her legs are. If she doesn’t like your answer, she will rip your legs off! Answer wisely.
(Source, Source, Source, Source)
Which ghost was your favorite? Will you think twice about going to the bathroom in Japan?
