Explore 110 Halloween Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Our first place winner is Drew Babineau's photograph of a barber chair inside of a cell at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
haunted

Our Spooky Snaps Photo Contest Winners

A collection of atmospheric images from our readers, to explore if you dare.
Winnie Lee October 27, 2023
List

14 Haunting Places in Literature

From Dracula's castle to the villa where Frankenstein came to life.
Atlas Obscura October 27, 2023
The 1984 film <em>Gremlins</em> was inspired in some ways by wartime gremlin stories (Roald Dahl's in particular), but put another modern spin on the older tradition.
military history

How Gremlins Went From Fairy Stories to Warplanes to Hollywood Legend

Meet these slippery, mischievous reflections of our anxieties about technology.
Hadley Meares October 24, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
haunted

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Haunted Atlas

AO Puzzles October 23, 2023
List

21 Lost and Lonely Cemeteries

From overgrown graveyards to urban legends, these burial places are haunting—and possibly haunted.
Jonathan Carey October 20, 2023
A parasitic fungus emerges from the body of a fly in Peru.
subterranean

5 Creepy Tales of Real-World Zombies

And 10 places to wait out a (fictional) undead apocalypse.
April White October 20, 2023
This 1962 cover of <em>Official Detective</em> features a Halloween candy poisoner at work.
poison

Why Halloween’s ‘Poison Candy’ Myth Endures

Even though we know better.
Jennifer Byrne October 19, 2023
Much of the soundtrack from the 1973 classic horror film, <em>The Exorcist</em>, has become canon for fans of Halloween music.
haunted

The Best Halloween Songs To Usher in the Spooky Season

From The Exorcist's "Tubular Bells" to a murder ballad by Tom Waits.
Sarah Durn October 17, 2023
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the first widespread adoption of color television, as seen in this 1962 BBC test pattern from an early satellite television broadcast. <em>Late Night Horror</em> was an innovator in the field.
horror

The Twisty Tale of the BBC Show Supposedly So Terrifying That It Was Destroyed

"Late Night Horror" was weird, innovative, and—mostly—will never be seen again.
Pat Cassels October 16, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
monsters

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Monster Mashup

AO Puzzles October 16, 2023
You must not say the town's name aloud.
List

13 Unlucky Places to Avoid on Friday the 13th

From a “killing stone” to a town too cursed to speak its name, superstition surrounds these places.
Michelle Cassidy October 12, 2023
The 2012 film <em>The Possession</em>, starring Natasha Calis, was based on the legend of the "Dybbuk Box."
horror

The Modern Resurrection of the Dybbuk, Demon of Jewish Folklore

How a superstition goes from the Talmud to TikTok.
Anya Gruber October 10, 2023
Inside the abandoned and ruined structure of Torrevieja Relaxation Park in Alicante, Spain.
photography

Spine Chilled? Share Your Favorite Spooky Pic and Win!

A trip to Dracula’s Castle in Romania could be in your future, when you enter Atlas Obscura’s Spooky Snaps photo contest.
Winnie Lee October 6, 2023
trees

The Charming True Story of the Haunting ‘Lady in the Tree’

How an art prank created a new Halloween legend for the Miawpukek First Nation.
Roxanne Hoorn October 6, 2023
haunted

Podcast: The Fear Lab

Ever wondered why our brains crave a good scare?
The Podcast Team September 21, 2023
abandoned

Haunted Stays and Autumn Days in Colorado

There’s so much to love about fall in Colorado, some people never leave.
Spooky oddities abound.
Chandler, Arizona

Terror Trader

Stock up on all your horror paraphernalia at this year-round Halloween emporium.
Costumed performers at Bloodview Haunted House in Ohio prepare to frighten guests. We visited haunted houses this year to examine the science of fear and sexism in the haunted attraction industry.
haunted

2022 Was Another Scary Year, and We Have the Spooky Stories to Prove It

From oomancy to human hematophagy, we got weird, wondrous, and wicked this year.
Samir S. Patel December 29, 2022