There is a small, isolated island in the vast, complicated maze of the canals. As your boat approaches the island, across the deathly still water, you cannot help but feel a sense of dread. Twisted, old trees with gnarled branches line the shore, but there is something very sinister about them. As you move closer, you notice that there are faces…hundreds of faces among the branches, staring back at you with dead eyes. Closer, and you see that they are children’s faces, infants with missing limbs, blistered faces, covered in cobwebs, nailed or lashed to the trees with rusted wire. Welcome to La Isla de Las Munecas: The Island of the Dolls.

The Island was created by Don Julian Santana, who, for reasons known only to himself, left his wife and family and lived alone on the island for over 50 years. Some say he was mad, fishing dolls out of the canals, thinking they were real children he could bring back to life. The real story is, that shortly after he chose the life of a hermit on this tiny island, he came to believe that it was haunted by the spirit of a poor little girl who had drowned in the canals. When he saw a lost doll floating by, he took it and put it up on a tree, to make the dead girl happy. One doll wasn’t enough. Soon Don Julian had turned the island into a shrine to the little girl. For decades he collected dolls he found in the canal and added them to his growing collection. Soon he would venture into the dumps and rubbish heaps of the city, scavenging lost and abandoned dolls. He brought them all back to his island for display. In his later years, local residents would trade old, unwanted or broken dolls for the fresh fruits and vegetables that Don Julian grew on the island.

Some of the dolls have decomposed over time. Damage from the sun has left many covered in blotches and blisters. The wind and rain have eroded any painted surfaces, and left their hair in ragged tufts. Many are missing limbs, or have been given limbs that are not their own. Some are headless. Some are only heads. Some have become the home to spiders and insects that inhabit the island. They are nailed to trees, wired to branches, hung from clothes lines, and jammed into knotholes and between branches. Some of them have smiles, melted by the tropical heat, into grimaces. Some have lost their eyes, or, even more disturbing, have eyes that flutter open in the breeze.

Some days there are visitors to the island, an average of about 20 per day. Some days there are none. All are greeted by one of the relatives of Don Julian, who act as caretakers of the island. There are some, however, who are convinced that the dolls themselves come to life at night to take care of their island home, since Don Julian passed away in 2001. Some even believe that Don Julian has joined the little drowned girl as a permanent resident of the island. Whatever they say, and whatever you believe, it’s hard not to agree with those who claim that La Isla de Las Munecas, The Island of the Dolls, is the Creepiest Place on the Planet.

The site where Bobby Mackey’s Music world is located, was first developed in the 1850′s as a slaughterhouse. In it’s heyday, it was one of the largest meat packing facilities in the Cincinnati area. Business soon outgrew the facility, however, and in the 1890′s it was closed and the building was abandoned. In the basement of the building was a well. It was into this well that the blood and refuse from the slaughterhouse was drained. Evidence suggests that this was one of the features that attracted a local group of occultists to the abandoned building. The well was used to dispose of the evidence of their satanic rituals and animal sacrifices. It is believed that, among these occultists, were one Scott Jackson, a dental surgery student from Cincinnati, and his roommate, Alonzo Walling. Jackson was from a wealthy family, and he became the suitor of Pearl Bryan, the lovely and popular daughter of a well-to-do family from Greencastle, Indiana. When Pearl confided to him that she was pregnant, he convinced her that allowing him to perform an abortion, to preserve their reputations, was the wisest course of action.

On February 1, 1896, Pearl told her family that she was going to visit friends in Indianapolis. Instead, she met Jackson and Walling in Cincinnati. She was 5 months pregnant. After a botched attempt at an abortion using dental tools borrowed from school, Jackson had a hysterical and seriously wounded young woman on his hands. At this point, Jackson and Walling took Pearl into Northern Kentucky. When and why their mission became a macabre and vicious murder plan is unknown. Pearl’s body was found less than 2 miles from the slaughterhouse. Her head had been severed and was nowhere to be found. Walling would later testify that Jackson took the head because “he had plans for it”. The young men were soon arrested, and during the ensuing trial, they refused to reveal what had become of Pearl’s head. Investigators did discover Pearl’s beautiful blonde hair in a suitcase in Jackson’s rooms. Prosecutors even offered to commute the death sentence to life in prison for the location of her head, but Jackson refused. It is widely believed that Pearl’s head was used in a satanic ritual at the old slaughterhouse and then disposed of in the well. Revealing this would have exposed other occultists in the secret society.

After the trial, the slaughterhouse was again abandoned and eventually torn down. On its foundations, a roadhouse was built in the 1930′s. The tavern was frequented by gangland figures and was the scene of several shootings. It reopened again in the 1950′s as a nightclub. The owner’s daughter, Johanna, fell in love with one of the singers in the club. Her father, enraged, had the young man killed. In revenge, Johanna tried, unsuccessfully, to poison her father, and then, committed suicide…in the now infamous basement of the building. Johanna was 5 months pregnant at the time. In the 1970′s, the bar opened again, but was eventually shut down by the authorities after fatal shootings there.

Bobby Mackey, a well known country singer in Northern Kentucky, and his wife Janet, bought the building in 1978 to turn it into a country bar. It was successful from the start, attracting guests from all over the area. Bobby and Janet hired Carl Lawson as a caretaker and maintenance man, providing him with living quarters upstairs. Carl soon began to have strange experiences there. Lawson told author Doug Hensley, “I’d double check at the end of the night and make sure that everything was turned off. Then I’d come back down hours later and the bar lights would be on. The front doors would be unlocked, when I knew that I’d locked them. The jukebox would be playing the ‘Anniversary Waltz’ even though I’d unplugged it and the power was turned off.”

Lawson’s experiences went from strange to frightening, though, when he met the spirit who called herself “Johanna”. She was often accompanied by the scent of roses. She would converse with Lawson, sometimes, even when others were present. Local residents began to think Lawson was crazy, and talking to himself. Before long, other spirits began to reveal themselves to Carl: dark sinister men behind the bar, and odd noises and scents in the basement, near an old sealed up well. Lawson had heard the stories about the well, and in an effort to bring some relief from the restless spirits, decided, one night, to sprinkle it with holy water. Instead of calming them, this seemed to provoke the spirits, because soon other employees and guests began to have the same kind of strange experiences that had plagued Lawson.

Bobby Mackey, himself, did not believe in the “ghost stories”, and worried that the rumors would affect his business. He instructed Carl to keep quiet about his experiences. His wife, Janet had been silent, until this time, but finally admitted to him that she, too, had seen the ghosts, heard the noises and even smelled the scent of Johanna’s signature rose perfume. One night, Janet went to the basement to check on something. While she was there, she suddenly smelled a strong scent of roses, and felt something unseen move past her. She was suddenly grabbed by the waist and thrown down the stairs. She struggled and got away from the force holding her there, and ran up the stairs. When she had nearly reached the top, she felt a presence pushing her back down. She looked up toward the doorway and heard a voice from behind her screaming “Get out! Get out!” She escaped, and refused to set foot in the bar for nearly 3 decades. Just like Pearl, and Johanna before her, Janet was 5 months pregnant at the time of the incident.

Once Janet came forward with her story, many others admitted to paranormal experiences at the nightclub. An exorcism in 1994 seems to have failed miserably, because the incidents continue to this day. The bar has been investigated by many “ghost hunting” groups like “Ghost Hunters”, “Ghost Adventures” and it is part of the Haunted Cincinnati tours. Bobby Mackey still says that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, but there are thousands who have visted the site and have become convinced. Want to find out for yourself? Visit Bobby Mackey’s “Wake the Dead” Halloween Party on October 31, and experience what has been called one of the most haunted places in the world.

The hanging was a public spectacle, attended by one Thomas Whaley, local businessman. He had come to San Diego in 1849 with the Gold Rush, and set up a business selling hardware, woodworking, and mining equipment. His business flourished quickly, but, it’s not quite clear, in 1855, when he decided to buy property to build a family home and new location for his business, why he chose the very spot where he watched Big Jim die. This is, in fact, what happened, and he built a single story granary and adjacent 2-story Greek Revival style, brick home. From almost the moment the family moved in, they began to hear ghostly footsteps, and feel a choking sensation in the area of an archway over the stairs to the 2nd floor. It was in this spot that Yankee Jim was hanged. Thomas became convinced that Yankee Jim Robinson haunted his residence.

In 1868, a theater troup operated out of the front upstairs bedroom, and the San Diego County Courthouse rented the former granary. Thomas ran a general store from the 1st floor of the house. In March, 1871, while Thomas was out of town, county officers raided the Whaley property and removed all court records and documents, abandoning the property and refusing to pay any rent owed. Thomas tried to sue the county for back rent. He lost, and remained bitter about it for the rest of his life.

Thomas Whaley and his wife, Anna, had six children. One of his daughters, Violet, either committed suicide or was murdered on the property in 1885. The youngest of their children, Lillian, lived in the house until her death in 1953. She was convinced that Yankee Jim haunted the house. Other guests and staff members at the Whaley house have encountered the ghosts of Thomas, himself, his wife Anna, who frequents the rose garden, their pet terrier, Dolly Varden, and a small, swarthy woman in calico who seems to live in the courthouse. Besides the ghostly footsteps, the sounds of activity in the former courtroom, guests have witnessed the apparition of a young girl, supposedly a playmate of the Whaley children, in the dining room. The frequency of these purported paranormal activities and the large number of people who have witnessed them have caused the government of the state of California to officially recognize The Whaley House as a haunted location. It is one of only 2 such locations in the state. The San Diego Paranormal Society conducts a monthly, night time “ghost hunt” at Whaley House, and offers special tours during October for Halloween season.

Every day, people come to tour Whaley House as an historic landmark. It was the first 2 story brick building in San Diego, housed the first commercial theater, served as a county courthouse and general store. How many of the visitors are there for the history isn’t clear. What is known is that of the 100,000 visitors per year, a large portion of them come to witness something extraordinary, something that will prove The Whaley House’s reputation as the most haunted house in America.

In 1870, Willard Carpenter dreamed of seeing a library built in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. He purchased the land and financed the construction of a Victorian Gothic style building to house it. In 1883, Willard died after suffering a paralyzing stroke, before seeing the library completed. He left most of his wealth and property to the Library Board for the ongoing project. In March of 1885, The Willard Library opened its doors to the public.

In 1937, the night janitor trudged to the library at 3 AM to stoke the coal furnace. Upon entering the basement, he was startled to see what he described as an “all grey lady”, dressed all in grey, from face veil to shoes. He was so shocked that he dropped his flashlight as the apparition faded before his eyes. The night janitor resigned his position shortly thereafter.

The Willard Library’s Grey Lady roams the building in silence. Some say she is the ghost of Louise Carpenter, Willard’s daughter, who was snubbed by her father in his will. Others say not, because there is nothing malevolent about this apparition, as they assume Louise would be. The current library employees consider the Grey Lady as a member of the staff, and know that, every so often, they will see her. And they do see her…often! Hundreds, perhaps thousands of incidences of ghostly activity have been reported. She has been seen among the bookshelves, perusing titles. She moves books and lights, rearranges furniture, turns on water faucets, leaves strange objects. Her presence is sometimes announced by the strong scent of an old-fashioned, musky perfume. Who is she? No one knows for sure, but she may not be the only spirit connected with the library.

So, are you ready to see for yourself? The Willard library provides live “ghost cams” positioned in rooms of the building where the apparitions are frequently spotted. They are available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you do spot something you think is unusual, just click the screen to save it and submit it to the library for their gallery. They are always looking for new ghost watchers, so pay them a visit at www.WillardGhost.com or www.LibraryGhost.com and check out the cams and image galleries. In October, the library hosts “ghost hunts” on the property, so if you are in the area, visit them. Then, let us know if you are one of the 48% of Americans who believe!

“Halloween” (1978) – Jamie Lee Curtis establishes herself as the scream to be reckoned with! Honestly, who would have guessed that an old William Shatner/Captain Kirk mask, painted white, could inspire more horror than his rendition of “Mr. Tambourine Man”?

“The Exorcist” (1973) – The movie that made me stay out of my attic for a year and throw away my recipe for pea soup. Demonic possession is one of those subjects that can inspire ongoing trauma. Just look at Linda Blair’s career! (It will make your head spin!)

“Dawn of the Dead” (1978) – Banned in 17 countries, this film has some of the goriest scenes ever committed to film. If that isn’t recommendation enough, then, let me just say..”ZOMBIES!” Still not scary enough? This movie is…. (dun, dun, dun) a SEQUEL!!!!!

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) – Much creepier than the 1956 original, this movie made the term “Pod People” a part of Americana. And honestly…any movie that makes Donald Sutherland look like this picture gets my vote for seriously creepy!

“The Thing” (1982) – Possibly the scariest movie of all time. This movie combines the absolute worst possible scenarios: a small group stationed in Antarctica (really…where are you going to run?), being stalked by a shape-shifting alien, and knowing that one of your buddies has to be that alien.

So, pick out your movie. Pop the corn. Grab a friend. Buy a nightlight. Enjoy!

Materials:
6 white flat sheets (queen size were used in this project)
3 boards, 1″x2″, 8 feet long (or 6 pieces of PVC pipe 4 feet long can be used)
Plastic grocery sacks, newspapers, black markers, heavy tape
Heavy black thread or non-reflective fishing line

Directions:
Cut the boards or PVC pipe into 4 foot sections. Cut one end of each at an angle, to make it easier to insert it into the ground. Pound these gently into the ground with a hammer. You don’t want to set them in too firmly at first, until you get a feel for how big your circle will need to be. This will depend on the size of your finished ghosts.
Next, make the heads, by stuffing a white plastic grocery bag with crumpled newspaper. Alternatively, you could use large styrofoam balls. Secure a head to each stake with tape (duct tape works well for this).

Drape a sheet over each head, so that you have an equal amount of fabric hanging on each side. At this point you can secure the sheet to the head in any of several ways: You can tie the head at the “neck” with string or fishing line, or, for the “neckless” version we have pictured, try gluing the very top of the sheet to the plastic bag head, or, stitching it there with fishing line and a darning needle.

With the permanent black marker, you may draw faces on your ghosts, or leave them blank, for an eerie effect. Tie the sheets together at the sides, as pictured, for the ghosts’ joined hands. If desired, attach fishing line to each knot and tie them to a tree branch to raise the hands to different heights and keep them off the ground. For the free standing ghosts, you can make your stakes longer, or your placement a little further apart to keep the ghost “hands” from dragging on the ground. If you choose to make the free standing ghost circle, try placing an artificial campfire in the center. Light your “campfire” with the flickering electronic pumpkin lights available at many party stores and Halloween shops.

Finish the project by pounding the stakes securely into the ground with a hammer. The ghosts can be stored and reused year after year. Watch this site for other ghostly yard decoration projects!

Ghostly tales have been told about Mammoth cave almost since the first guides began leading visitors through the underground rooms and passages by lantern light. Early man used the site as a burial ground, probably because they considered it the entrance to the underworld. Native American tribes used the area as a hunting ground, and shelter. European explorers and frontiersmen wandered through the subterranean tunnels, sometimes losing their way, and their life. Because of the minerals found in the cave, and because of the constant temperature underground, Mammoth Cave preserved some of these unfortunate visitors as mummies, which have been discovered over the years.

Many sightings of apparitions of men in period dress from the 1800′s have been reported. Some of the descriptions indicate that these spirits might have been former guides, or visitors. A woman’s voice, calling to a lost companion has been heard along the Echo River, a waterway that flows through the cave. This voice has been heard by both guides and visitors alike. One of the most famous ghosts, said to be heard and felt in the passages where he died, is that of Floyd Collins, a former owner of the area known as the Crystal Cave. While exploring the underground tunnels leading to and from the Crystal Cave, Collins became trapped by falling rock. After weeks of various unsuccessful attempts to rescue him, he died of exposure and exhaustion. The next owner of the cave displayed Floyd’s body there in a glass-covered bronze coffin for some time before he was eventually buried in the local churchyard. Some claim that his voice can still be heard calling for help along the path where he was trapped.

Is Mammoth Cave haunted? If two centuries worth of sightings and reports from guides and visitors are not evidence enough, perhaps the grudging testimony of scientists and skeptics, who have had strange and unexplainable experiences, might be. Even if there was no evidence of supernatural activity, the mystery, history and legends of Mammoth Cave are more than enough to make it a perfect Halloween Haunt!

When World War II broke out, in 1939, all luxury travel ceased. The Queen Mary was refitted, painted grey, and pressed into service as a troop ship. The “Grey Ghost”, as she became known, carried more than 800,000 troops across the Atlantic, and was part of almost every major campaign of the war, including the D-Day invasion. She was originally fitted to carry about 2400 passengers, but her refit increased her capacity to 5500. She holds the record for carrying the largest number of people ever on a floating vessel, when she carried 16,683 troops. She carried the wounded home, and she served as a transport for thousands of German prisoners of war. In 1942, while carrying 11,000 Allied troops, The Queen Mary collided with one of her escort cruisers, the Curacao. She was under orders not to stop, and was unable to save any of the 338 men who lost their lives.

After the war, in 1946, The Queen Mary made thirteen voyages to transport war brides and their children to be reunited with their GI husbands in the United States and Canada. These were nicknamed the “Bride and Baby Voyages”.

In 1947, she was refurbished and returned to service as a luxury cruise ship with weekly service from New York to Southampton and Cherbourg. In the 1960’s, transatlantic cruises lost popularity, as air travel became more affordable. The Queen Mary began occasional cruises to the Canary Islands and the Bahamas, however, she had no central air conditioning, and no outdoor pools, which made her ill-suited to this route. Finally, in 1967, she was withdrawn from service. In that same year, she was sold for $3.45 million to the city of Long Beach, California, where she has become a floating museum and hotel.

Alleged paranormal activity aboard the ocean liner began almost immediately from the time she docked at Long Beach. To date, staff and guests have reported hundreds of encounters with ghosts and other unearthly experiences, making the Queen Mary one of the most haunted locations in the world. The psychic hotspots on the ship seem to include the now-unused swimming pools, where ladies in 1930’s swimming costumes still leave wet foot prints from the empty pool to across the deck. The most active spirit of all the hundreds attributed to the Queen Mary, is Jackie, the spirit of a 6 year old girl who reportedly hugs visitors, plucks at their clothing and pockets, and who sometimes speaks, or sings audibly in the 1st class swimming pool area. A young woman in a beautiful white evening gown is often seen dancing alone in the dark corners of the Queen’s Salon. A young sailor who was crushed during the test of the watertight doors, is sometimes seen below decks, and many of the staterooms have their own permanent ghostly visitors. The voices of German prisoners, the cries of spectral infants and ghostly lights and orbs are common reports of both guests and staff on the ship. The staff offers a “Ghosts and Legends” tour of the ship daily, and a special paranormal tour on Friday nights.

At Halloween, the Queen Mary, and it’s immediate surroundings, host a series of haunted mazes and attractions, each with it’s own theme, from pirates to crazy clowns and a vampire village. The Shipwreck, as the Halloween attraction is called, advises that the mazes will each take 8-20 minutes to go through, depending on if you’re walking…or running! The haunted attractions run for 15 days of terror during the month of October and are attended by hundreds of visitors every year.