14 Haunting Places in Literature

From Dracula's castle to the villa where Frankenstein came to life.

by Atlas Obscura

14 Places

There’s nothing quite like a horror story. The supernatural and macabre have haunted our imaginations for centuries—and inspired writers for centuries to create works that can terrify us.

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite places across the world that have appeared in horror literature, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to places that inspired Edgar Allan Poe before his death. Take a spine-tingling tour of these horror-inspiring locations—if you dare.

Whitby, England

Ruins of Whitby Abbey

The gloomy ruins that inspired Bram Stoker to bring Dracula to life.

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Bran Castle

The possible imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler here earned the medieval castle its nickname, "Dracula's Castle."

Lizzy Mae van Son

Added by Lizzy Mae van Son

Hunedoara, Romania

Corvin Castle

This fairy-tale castle would make Dracula (who is said to have been imprisoned there) jealous.

SamM

Cruden Bay, Scotland

New Slains Castle Ruins

The remains of a grand castle that may have inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.

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Stephen King's Former House

The eccentric mansion of one of the most popular horror authors of modern times.

JWOcker

Added by JWOcker

Thomas Hill Standpipe

This 1.5 million-gallon water tower inspired Stephen King while he was writing "It."

Rottenbot

Added by Rottenbot

Haverhill, Massachusetts

Bradford College

A defunct all-girls college which may be the resting place of H.P. Lovecraft's real-life Necronomicon.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Nanwei, Micronesia

Nan Madol Ruins

The ruins of an ancient island city built atop a coral reef in the South Pacific are spectacular and strange enough to have inspired H.P. Lovecraft.

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Providence, Rhode Island

Stephen Harris House

H.P. Lovecraft’s 1937 short story "The Shunned House" was inspired by this cursed colonial home in Rhode Island.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

North Bennington, Vermont

Jennings Hall

The building that inspired Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House."

JWOcker

Added by JWOcker

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Grip the Raven

The taxidermied remains of Charles Dickens' pet raven, which helped inspire one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems.

Dylan

Boston, Massachusetts

Fort Independence (Castle Island)

On a former island, this old fortification once used to protect the Boston Area and started Edgar Allan Poe in his military career.

London, England

Strawberry Hill

In Twickenham sits a small whitewashed castle that inspired Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein.'

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Added by dtheodora

Cologny, Switzerland

Villa Diodati

Where Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein' and John William Polidori's 'The Vampyre' were born.

Vololona

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