181 Items Tagged

Ghosts

Is it a ghost or a gas leak? Scientists are trying new ways to explore what makes a place seem haunted.

A Haunted Chamber, a Quivering Blade, and Other Spooky Science Experiments

Could infrasound, electromagnetic blips, gas leaks, and mold explain why some places just give us the creeps?

Kate Golembiewski October 26, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Haunted Atlas

AO Puzzles October 23, 2023

It may look like a typical grocery store, but this shop in an old farmhouse in rural Norway has been the scene of unexplained activity, from power failures to flying potatoes, for years.

At a Haunted Grocery Store, Trying to Explain the Unexplained Has Consequences

In rural Norway, flying potatoes and other strange events troubled staff and customers for years. What happened when people shared their stories?

Kate Golembiewski October 17, 2023

The city of Pontianak was named after a ghost.

The Time a Town Was in an Uproar Over a 300-Foot Ghost Statue

Cast your votes on the “nightmare Statue of Liberty.”

Natalie Lawrence October 13, 2023

Podcast: The Stanley Hotel

We explore the hotel that some paranormal investigators call the most active haunted location in the world.

Sponsored by Visit Colorado

The 2012 film <em>The Possession</em>, starring Natasha Calis, was based on the legend of the "Dybbuk Box."

The Modern Resurrection of the Dybbuk, Demon of Jewish Folklore

How a superstition goes from the Talmud to TikTok.

Anya Gruber October 10, 2023

In 2018, artist Marisela Barrera fielded calls as San Antonio's ghostly Donkey Lady.

Why Are There So Many Female Ghosts?

Female ghosts seem to dominate the afterlife. Whether the spirits are real or not, the reasons for the disparity could be revealing.

Nathaniel Scharping October 6, 2023

Initially, Gef said he was a weasel, but later corrected himself and said he was, in fact, the ghost of a dead mongoose.

The Bizarre, True Story of Gef the Talking Mongoose

Oh, and Gef was a ghost too.

Steven Tucker August 31, 2023

Haunted Stays and Autumn Days in Colorado

There’s so much to love about fall in Colorado, some people never leave.

Sponsored by Visit Colorado

A large Victorian mansion with many windows.

Malden, Massachusetts

Mystic Side Opera Company

This Victorian home turned opera house may have a phantom of its own.

Podcast: Tonopah Mining Camp

The 'Queen of the Silver Camps' is 113 acres of history preserved.

Sponsored by Travel Nevada

The Ghosts that Haunt Tonopah

Sponsored by Travel Nevada

U.S. Marines stand guard in the Garmsir district of Helmand Province in 2009. The province was the site of the most deaths of American and British soldiers during the U.S./NATO–led occupation of the country.

The Harrowing Tale of Afghanistan’s ‘Haunted’ Outpost

Centuries-old culture and modern military psychology intertwined at Observation Point Rock.

Tom Mutch May 5, 2023

The exterior of this centuries-old candy shop.

Minatoya Yurei Kosodate-Ame Honpo

Legend has it that centuries ago, a ghost once frequented this candy shop to feed her still-living baby.

House of the Seven Chimneys

Known as the Casa de las Siete Chimeneas, this haunted 16th-century manor has a dark, mysterious past.

Dating back to the 11th century, San Severino di Centola was abandoned in the 1970s.

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly

Step 1: Buy it. Step 2: Maybe a poetry reading?

Vittoria Traverso May 3, 2023

The haunting by the entity known as the Bell Witch has resonated across centuries of American history.

The Elusive, Maddening Mystery of the Bell Witch

A classic ghost story has something to say about America—200 years ago, 100 years ago, and today.

Colin Dickey May 2, 2023

Gold, Ghosts, and Gin: The Curious Spirits and Elaborate History of Virginia City

This one-time boomtown still oozes with the spirit of the Wild West.

Sponsored by Travel Nevada