7 scariest haunted houses around the world

Seekers of thrill and otherworldly realms have always been attracted to the concept of ghosts. But something what catches their attention even more, is haunted houses. Something as cosy and warm as a house being inhabited by one or more scary ghosts? It's ironic and daunting at the same time and thus attracts a lot of people who want to know more about such stories and verify their reality. Below are some of the scariest haunted houses in the world.

A 160-room mansion with beautiful architecture and surrounding greenery— It sounds like a dream, right? Well, not really as the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, is filled with occult objects such as trapped doors, staircases leading to dead ends and several designs such as candles and stones that include the number 13. The house was worked upon by Sarah Winchester, the widow of rifle magnate William Wirt Winchester. It is believed she had the house built so as to confuse the spirits that had been haunting her as they had been killed by the rifle her husband built.

Built on the execution grounds of James Robinson, the Whaley House in San Diego is a real-life haunted home. As per the story, in 1852, Robinson received a grand larceny conviction and was sentenced to death by hanging. However, the hangman tied the noose improperly, which led to Robinson's feet grazing the ground and prolonging his death. In 1856, Thomas Whaley bought the land and built a home for his family on it. It was believed that his youngest daughter could hear the sound of stomping boots, belonging to Robinson. Now, post their death many have seen the Thomas couple's ghost in the house too.

In 2007, the Blickling Hall was named the most haunted home of the country by the National Trust of England. The house was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Obsessed with having a male heir, the king divorced his first wife and married Boleyn who later gave birth to a girl. Thus, to get a second divorce the king accused Boleyn of adultery and sentenced her to death. Boleyn was beheaded in the home on May 19th, 1536 and thus it is believed that her headless ghost roams the Blickling Hall and arrives in a carriage drawn by a headless man.

The ghosts in Rose Hall, a former plantation and home to Annie Palmer and her husband still haunt the people of Jamaica. Built in 1770, the house is said to house the ghosts of Palmer and other men. Growing up in Haiti, Annie learned the art of voodoo. Unsatisfied by her husband, Palmer sought out the African men working on the plantation. Those who didn't keep quiet were killed and buried below the house, including her husband and two other men. Palmer herself cast a voodoo curse on one of the maids who saw her escapades and was killed by the woman's grandfather. Thus, people to date see the ghosts of Palmer and other men roaming around the home.

On the evening of June 9th, 1912, Josiah Moore with his wife Sarah and their four children left the house to attend a ceremony at a local church. Along with them were family friends Lena and Inna Stillinger, to spend the night after the event. However, at night a group of intruders entered the house and used Moore's axe to crush the skull of everyone present, even the children. Now, it is said the house is haunted by the murdered victims.

The enslaved Africans had to face a lot of extremities and the Lalaurie House is a standing example of it. Owned by a socialite called Madame Lalaurie, the three-story house had a lot of enslaved Americans owned by the madame. However, they were treated so poorly that a child amongst the group fell to death from the roof of the house because of the madame. While she was punished and forced to sell the enslaved people, they were bought by the relatives and sold back to her later. Details of Madame Lalaurie's torcher reached the people when one of the people set the house on fire and neighbours arrived to help. They pulled seven malnourished and ill-treated people from the building along with two buried nearby. While Lalaurie fled to Paris, it is believed that the souls of these people still haunt the house.

Any person remotely interested in the tales of horror would know about the famous Amityville abode. Located in New York, the house has had multiple books and movies created on its story. In 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were murdered by the eldest son Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr. While he later claimed that he had been possessed by a demon, the house was adorned with a horrifying legacy that has stuck till now. It was sold to a family in 1975, but they fled because of experiencing weird instances such as loud noises, strange extreme smells and slime emanating from the walls.