Many ghosts lurk in the shadows of the human realm, and with so many choices, we will cover some of the spookiest ghosts where people have had scary encounters. However, that by no means covers all of them. Ghosts are everywhere—or they could be nowhere if they don’t even exist—no one truly knows! Let’s have a look at the scariest ghosts that you can run into.

#1: The Bell Witch

Known as one of the greatest ghost stories in American history, the Bell Witch is a dark paranormal tale of a Tennessean family haunted and attacked by a spirit or possibly spirits. It all began on a farm in Adams, Tennessee, in 1817. The first appearance began as the witch took the form of strange animals, such as a black dog, a rabbit, or a bear. 

To paint a picture of the true horror of this, one of the Bell family slaves described the black dog as having either no head or two heads.

Soon, knocking on the doors and walls started to keep the family awake at night. Differing accounts of what happened thereafter have been woven into this American legend. For example, in one of the accounts, the ghost reveals itself saying that it was once a happy spirit but someone disturbed its grave and one of her teeth is nearby, and she’s looking for it. 

In another version, the ghost reveals itself as a spirit from everywhere. Heaven, hell, earth. 

The hauntings began after John Bell pulled his rifle and shot at the hellish dog-like creature. After he fired, the dog vanished. More disturbing from this story comes from the sounds of choking, strangling and chains heard dragging on the floor. Heavy objects would hit the floor without reason. 

Despite their terrifying hauntings, this family of 11 spoke to no one of it. Eventually, things grew worse as the Bell Witch became even more dangerous. Members of the Bell family suffered pinching, striking and having their hair pulled. The Bell family owned slaves, and they were reported to not even be able to get into the house without being attacked by the Bell Witch.  

Ultimately, the story ended as John Bell Sr. had his psyche severely impacted by the hauntings. On December 19, 1820, John Bell Sr. took to his sick bed. John Jr. attended to him and went to the medicine cabinet to retrieve one of the vials. There were supposed to be three—only one remained. At this point, it was reported that the Bell Witch talked to John Jr. saying that it was too late, and she had already poisoned John Bell Sr. He would never rise from his bed again. On December 20, 1820, John Bell Sr. died. 

While that had appeared to be the goal of the Bell Witch all along., that wasn’t the end of this frightful supernatural tale. The Bell Witch attended the funeral where she sang bawdy drinking songs over the priest’s droning voice. Even today, people visit the Bell Witch Cave where strange sounds are often reported, and you can feel the eerie vibes. 

#2. Huggin’ Molly

No one knows who Huggin’ Molly was, and you have varying accounts today of her origin. Most accounts depict her as a giant 7-foot-tall woman. Haunting the town of Abbeville, Alabama, she proved an especially frightful tale for children. Some believe that mothers would tell it to their children to make them hurry home after dark.

Anyone who grew up in Abbeville knew the legend of Huggin’ Molly. Legend has it that this ghost woman would hug children but follow it up with a piercing scream in the ears. She especially seemed to target boys. We wouldn’t consider this the most dangerous ghost, however, because she would never harm them. She only left them with ringing ears. Still, you wouldn’t want to encounter her icy presence on the street since she can be quite terrifying.

The figure of Huggin’ Molly stood 7 feet tall, and she wore a wide-brimmed hat with dark clothing. Many in the town swear of her existence because they experienced one of her terrible hugs. Some know her as the Lady in Black. 

The stories of Huggin’ Molly began in the early 1900s. Some say Huggin’ Molly is simply misunderstood rather than a malevolent spirit with malicious intent. They believe she’s searching for her own child and scream when she realizes she has the wrong one. 

#3: Hanako-san

Japan is host to some of the most terrifying and creative supernatural legends in the world. The ghost of Hanako-san gives us one example of those legends. She’s an urban legend that some have traced back to WWII, and they believe she may have been a girl killed during that time. Legend has it that she haunts the school bathrooms. 

Hanako has short and straight black hair, and she wears a school uniform. Many say that Hanako-san is the same as the West’s version of Bloody Mary. She lives in the third bathroom on the third floor. You will feel her evil presence in the bathroom. At that point, you can walk away, or if you’re brave enough, knock on the stall and say, “Are you there, Hanako-san?” If she is, she will answer with, “Yes, I am.”

One of two things will happen at this point—either she will disappear down the toilet with a flush, or she will grab you and pull you in with her bloody hand to kill you. 

#4: The Demon Barber of Paris

The fictional Sweeney Todd story took place in London, but did you know that the original and true tale of a demon barber happened in 14th century Paris? Some say the true 14th-century version was more gruesome. 

The story goes that a local bakery was putting out meat pies. They happened to take the meat from the barbershop next door. Something tasted funny about the meat pies, and local authorities suspected that a string of disappearances was connected to the barbershop. 

They saw one of the disappeared men’s dogs near the shop looking for his owner. Upon further inspection, they discovered a grisly sight of bones, corpses, and mutilated body parts. The barber and the baker worked in collusion with each other as they found the bodies at the barbershop and at the bakery. For the collection of their crimes, they were burned at the stake. 

Today, you can visit the site, but it looks different from before. Instead, you will visit a Parisian Police motorcycle garage, but some say you can still hear the screams of his victims.

#5: The Headless Ghost of Anne Boleyn

Arguably the most famous ghost of the United Kingdom, the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn was so scary that she even caused some to have heart attacks. She’s headless because King Henry VIII had her beheaded in 1536 after marrying her as his second wife. Like his first wife, she failed to produce for him a male heir. She appears at six locations including the Tower of London, Hever Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Chapel of St. Peter of Vincula, and Bickling Hall. 

Some say her headless corpse paces in the tower at night. Most frequently, you spot her at the Chapel of St. Peter of Vincula. Some say that they’ve seen her there holding her severed head. In 1817 one sentry suffered a heart attack after seeing the ghost of Anne Boleyn. That wasn’t the end of this ghost’s reign of terror, however. Another sentry in 1864 reported that he saw a figure in a veil and French hood without a head. 

After he commanded her to stop, the ghost moved toward him, so he thrust his bayonet at her. The ghost walked right through him and sent a fiery flash up his rifle that caused a shock. He was found sleeping at his post and court-martialed at first, but eventually, they dropped the charges when others said they had heard him shouting at someone. 

#6: Mrs. Crawley

Reported to haunt the Monte Cristo homestead, Mrs. Crawley belongs to a list of 11 ghosts that haunt the location in Junee, NSW, Australia. The grand and sprawling property has become the site of bone-chilling stories. Mrs. Crawley was the wife of William Crawley. Now, she wants no one else to have the property. Even animals wisely avoid this home. 

Some of the murders that took place at Monte Cristo are believed to have had Mrs. Crawley as the culprit. For example, there was a pregnant maid who commit suicide by throwing herself off the balcony. Some say it was William Crawley’s baby, and Mrs. Crawley was the one who pushed her. You can still see the white stain on the concrete where they used bleach to remove the blood stain. 

Mrs. Crawley will either like you or dislike you. Everything from how you speak to how you dress could influence that. You don’t get a say in the matter, but you will know if she dislikes you. Many who stay at Monte Cristo won’t make it through the night since they will see spirits or the ghost children of the servants. 

You always feel like someone is watching you here, and a lot of tragedy has plagued the home. Common things to happen at Monte Cristo include a sense of pressure on your chest or someone playing with your feet while you sleep. Many others report feeling sick on the property. The last thing that you want to do here is to disrespect the spirits. Some people have had the fear of God in their eyes after a visit to this property and for good reason. It’s not for the faint of heart, and Mrs. Crawley and her spirits are said to be more active than at many of the other locations. 

#7: Ghost of Ruiru

Deserted for over 30 years, the Ruiru palatial mansion is believed to have dark forces there that will hit, slap and attack visitors. While it may look like the nicest home in the area, no one wants to or can live there.

It’s located in Kiambu County, Kenya, and is situated 18 miles from Nairobi. Many see the design as similar to a freemason owl, which symbolizes mourning and desolation. To put it lightly, the freemason owl eventually came to symbolize Satan since it avoids the light.

Tenants who once lived there tell stories of nightly attacks that caused them to flee in terror for their lives. The Ruiru ghost is reported to be a gay ghost that has choked, beaten, and raped the tenants that it haunts. 

The Ruiru ghost shows us one example of the spirits that haunt this location. Many locals believe it is infested with evil spirits. Some who moved near the house said that there were stones thrown at them by spirits that they could not see. Since that day, people don’t even want to move near it.

Some locals finally made a decision to go inside the Ruiru mansion. According to them, they were attacked and sent running outside, but the gate was closed. They shouted for help but no one came knowing the evil and frightening reputation of this site. The person reported how the trouble started when cooking sticks and spoons started hitting them and forcing them to flee. They struggled with the gate for hours before the spirits finally decided that they had suffered enough and let them through the gate. 

Since that time, the victims have not even gone near the place for fear. 

Final Thoughts

Highlighting the most dangerous ghost can prove challenging, but we figured to highlight some of the worthy mentions here. However, you have hundreds of fascinating examples of dangerous ghosts that it would be best to stay clear of. The interesting thing about spirits is that while some don’t believe in them, sightings and experiences with them have been reported around the world. In some cases, people who didn’t believe before were made believers.