20 Creepy Places Where Nightmares Are Born

Ever have one of those nightmares that feels so real, you swore you were actually there? Usually, after experiencing something like that, you'll wake up and reassure yourself that it was all just a dream. A place like that couldn't possibly exist in real life, right? Well, you're in for a (terrifying) treat.

Believe it or not, the places from your nightmares actually exist and they're probably closer to home than you might think. Prepare for some serious creepiness.

1.) Helltown, Ohio.

Boston Township was bought out by the government in the 70's, but plans for a national park never panned out. What's left are the remains of houses, and tons of ghost stories.
2.) Leap Castle, Ireland.

This castle is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the world. During a renovation workers discovered an oubliette, which is a dungeon that can only be accessed through a roof hatch. Inside they found three cart loads of human remains.
3.) Cincinnati Subway System, Ohio.

Cincinnati was a bustling city at the turn of the century. It was decided that the city needed a subway system. However they ran out of the money for the project as it was being built. So most of the stations and tunnels were built, but nothing was put in them.
4.) Island of the Dolls, Mexico.

Outside of Mexico City is a series of canals and artificial islands. One island is full of dolls and doll parts collected in tribute by one man for a dead girl he found in the canal. Super creepy.
5.) Villisca Ax Murder House, Iowa.

In June 1912, Josiah Moore and his family were brutally murder at their home in Villisca, Iowa by someone wielding an ax. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
6.) The Overtoun Bridge, Scotland.

The Overtoun Bridge has been the site of over 600 suicides since its construction. The creepy part though is that every year about 15 dogs jump to their death from the bridge. Yes, these dogs are trying to kill themselves.
7.) Abandoned Laboratory, Russia.

Urban explorers in Moscow uncovered an abandoned Soviet lab. Inside they found pickled brains in jars, and other Cold War era relics.
8.) Candido Godoi, Brazil.

This town has a twin birth rate 18 times higher than the rest of the world. No one can say for sure why that is. Locals say that the phenomenon only started when Nazi doctor Josef Mengele fled there after the war. Mengele was said to have an obsession with twins.
9.) British Sea Forts, North Sea.

These forts were built during World War II to defend the North Sea. They now sit abandoned and rotting.
10.) The Domes, Arizona.

No one know who build these concrete domes out in the Arizona desert. They just sit vacant and decaying.
11.) Scott’s Hut, Antartica.

In 1911, Robert Scott and his team were trying to reach the South Pole. They set out from this hut, but were beaten to the pole by another team. Sadly Scott and his crew met their end trying to get back. The cold has perfectly preserved his hut and everything in it.
12.) Chernobyl Amusement Park, Ukraine.

This amusement park was set to open on May 1, 1986, but five days earlier the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant happened.
13.) Beelitz Military Hospital, Germany.

This was the hospital where Adolf Hitler was treated after being wounded in World War I. It survived World War II intact, and now sits abandoned.
14.) Bird Suicide Grounds of Jatinga, India.

Every year in September or October hundreds of birds flock to Jatinga, and then dive to their deaths. Stranger still, it only happens between 7pm and 10pm.
15.) Griffith Park Zoo, Los Angeles.

Instead of demolishing this old zoo, the Los Angeles government decided to leave it open to the public. Weird, and pretty darned creepy.
16.) Muynak, Uzbekistan.

This landlocked ship graveyard used to be a huge lake that dried up after the Soviets diverted its water.
17.) Aokigahara Forest, Japan.

This dense forest at the base of Mt. Fuji is notorious as place to commit suicide in Japan. It's so serious that the government has posted signs throughout the woods urging people to reconsider.
18.) The Moscow Metro-2, Russia.

This secondary subway system in Moscow was supposedly designed for government officials. It also went to many more places than the official system. Today though, it sits abandoned.
19.) Remains of the Pegasus.

Pegasus Field is one of three airstrips in Antarctica. The desolate strip of snow and ice is named after Pegasus, a C-121 Constellation that crashed during bad weather in 1970.
20.) Mass Cannibal Grave, Germany.

This 7,000 year old mass grave contains the remains of 500 bodies. All the bodies have markings indicating that they were spit roasted and eaten.