Hotspots Of Paranormal Activity: Haunted Sanatoriums, Asylums, And Hospitals

Whether purely coincidental or precisely because of the dark pasts that many of them harbor in their now ruined walls, many hospitals, and asylums long since shut down, seem saturated in activity and chilling encounters of the paranormal kind.

Many in the supernatural and paranormal community believe there is a connection between ghost manifestations and energy. Over the course of their respective times, many of these complexes would inevitably build up a huge amount of negative energy. Be it the general suffering that patients would endure as part of being ill, or the malicious actions of some truly horrific practices and individuals, it is not hard to imagine why these buildings perhaps evoke uneasiness. Perhaps they also attract certain activity and entities.

Very recently in March 2015 at the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, Australia, a girl’s ghost appeared on media platforms. The fact that the photograph was taken in what is the most haunted part of the building made it creepier. Known as “The Grevilla Wing” many a person would receive electro-shock treatment there.

Are these types of encounters great examples of the power of suggestion? Or is it proof of activity from beyond the grave?

Before we look at some of the most haunted pieces of land on Earth, check out the short video below. It looks at the aforementioned ghost picture from Beechwood Asylum.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium – One of the Most Haunted Buildings on Earth!

Many believe Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky to be one of the most haunted buildings on the planet. And when you look to some of the details and records of its past, it’s easy to see why.

Opened in 1910 the building initially took in patients suffering from TB. At the time there was an epidemic of the disease in the United States. Most who checked into the facility didn’t leave alive. And when they did leave, they made their final journey most often via the “Death Tunnel” – a secret exit to avoid them going out in view of the other patients.

There are even bizarre reports from people who would simply drive past the ruined building. As they did so, many would see a distressed and chained woman, running from the doors, screaming and pleading.

Timmy, a young boy who likes to play with a ball, also makes regular appearances on the fourth floor. Many ghost hunting teams have managed to (they claim) catch Timmy on film. Some even bring a ball with them in an effort to entice Timmy to interact with them. While it appears Timmy is of a friendly nature, other parts of the building are most definitely not. In fact, one particular room appears to be the “hub” of the paranormal energy that resides there.

Before we look at that, the short video below looks at Waverly Hills Sanatorium and the ghostly events that occur there.

The Infamous “Room 502”

Perhaps the most infamous area of Waverly Hills Sanatorium is Room 502. The sightings in this particular room are equally chilling as its past. Records show at least two people took their own lives in the room. A young woman hung herself here in 1928. Claims ran wild that she was pregnant with a staff doctor’s child, out of wedlock to boot. Four years later, a nurse flung herself from the window. Again, rumors swirled that a patient had pushed the unfortunate staff member.

For those that do dare enter Room 502, expect the door to slam shut behind you, not to mention the temperature plummeting. An overall “nasty” or “menacing” feeling is said to permeate anyone who steps in the room.

There is also considerable activity on the roof of the complex. Interestingly enough accepted thinking at the time was to treat TB with plenty of fresh air. Many patients were hence, left on the roof to achieve this. Many of them would die in the freezing cold of the Kentucky winters.

The short video below looks at Room 502 in a little more detail and on location.

Other Chilling Abandoned Medical Institutions Around The United States

While Waverley Hills Sanitorium is without a doubt one of, if not the most haunted of such one-time mental institutions, the United States is littered with similar buildings with equally similar accounts. And as we shall see, as well as claims of ghostly activity in the buildings once they had ceased to act as sanitoriums and asylums, there is also a small mountain of claims of abuse, neglect, and even horrific medical practices having taken place, perhaps contributing to the paranormal activity we see in these buildings today.

The Widespread Mistreatment At Pennhurst State School and Hospital, Pennsylvania

Not only are the buildings of Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Pennsylvania one of the nation’s most haunted locations, it is also the site of one of the most intensive investigations into the mistreatment of patients of the twentieth century.

So much so, it was labeled as the “shame of Pennsylvania” following a documentary named Suffer the Little Children was released to the public in 1968 and so laying bare the truly terrible crimes that were taking place there. Even then, legal wrangling meant the facility remained open and operational for almost 20 years before it was finally closed in 1987.

The main thrust of the accusations – which turned out to be wholly accurate – was that the treatment was so bad inside the facility that they bordered on human rights violations.

Furthermore, many of those inside the facility shouldn’t have been there, at least in its early years following its opening in 1908. As well as taking in the mentally ill, those who were physically handicapped also found themselves inside the hospital. Even low-level criminals, immigrants, and orphans became “patients” there. To some, the facility simply took in those that society deemed “unfit”.

Perhaps making the existence of those inside even direr, was the fact that the hospital grew most of its own food and even had a power plant on site. This meant that very few people from “the outside” ever came to the facility.

Following its closure and rapid fall into disrepair, many with an interest in the paranormal began investigating the buildings. And, if we believe the claims, they were right to. Several pictures have been captured claiming to show “shadowy figures”, while many other researchers have claimed to have recorded strange, unnerving voices. There are also claims of people occasionally being physically struck and even scratched. One researcher, who is also a psychic medium, Sharon Pugh, claimed that there was a demonic-like energy in the building.

The video below examines Pennhurst State Hospital a little further.

The Brutal Methods Of Dr. Cotton At Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, New Jersey

While there is no doubt that Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey has a dark past that has seemingly remained with it decades after, when it first opened in 1848, it was one of the best such establishments for over a half a century.

However, when one Henry Cotton took charge of the facility in 1907, things changed drastically. It was Cotton’s misguided belief that mental illness was a consequence of actual infections in the body that would lead to the harrowing suffering and death of many of the patients in his care.

Many would end up as nothing more than guinea pigs for him to test and (in his mind) prove that his claims were correct. Some patients would “merely” have rotting or infected teeth removed. Others, though, would undergo forced amputations of limbs that might have infections. Many of those who went through these ordeals would contract further infections, ultimately costing them their lives. In fact, according to some figures, almost fifty percent of Cotton’s patience at the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital would die during his tenure.

Perhaps unbelievably, when the authorities of New Jersey examined his controversial practices in the mid-1920s they would find no problems and allowed his brutal treatments to continue. What’s more, these practices continued at the facility for over two decades following his eventual retirement in 1930.

With such suffering and mistreatment (intentional or not) having taken place inside the asylum’s walls, it is perhaps easy to see why such negative energy would be left behind to manifest itself into the many sightings and apparent apparitions that people have seen in the building since.

Many people, for example, claim to have witnessed strange orbs floating in the building, with others state they have heard wailing voices. Even more alarming are the claims of ghostly apparitions with missing limbs, and perhaps most bizarre of all is the apparent ghost of Dr. Cotton himself. There are also reports from many paranormal investigators who have ventured into the building of strange “cold spots” as well as a feeling of being watched by someone – or something.

We should note, though, for all the reports, no one has managed to capture any pictures or video footage of the apparent entities from the other side.

The location certainly is unnerving, though. The short video below looks at this truly morbid building.

The Horrors Of The Hudson River State Hospital

The Hudson River State Hospital originally began with less than 50 patients in its care when it opened in 1871. However, it continued to expand for the next quarter of a century, eventually having thousands of patients reside within its walls.

Perhaps unlike many of the other facilities said to contain spirits of those who once resided there, there doesn’t appear to be any particular claims of abuse or neglect at the one-time hospital. There are, however, a stream of accounts from paranormal investigators who have ventured inside of spooky activity.

For example, many who have entered the building since its closure often speak of the feeling of intense and sudden depression, and even sadness. It is the belief of some that these feelings are those of the residents who undoubtedly felt such dark emotions while alive.

Even more alarming are the reports of hearing voices appear out of nowhere, many of them with a desperate tone to them as if they are in pain or scared. Doors and windows are known to regularly open and close as if done so by invisible hands, and even random objects scattered around the ruined buildings sometimes move in the same disturbing way. Some researchers have even experienced and researched accounts of the full apparitions of former staff and patients appearing in various locations around the one-time mental institution.

Perhaps most frightening of all are the reports of shadow people seen roaming around the corridors and even around the outside of the buildings themselves.

Various dead bodies have also been discovered in the abandoned building in the years since its closure, some of whom are suspected to have been murdered. This only adds to the build-up of negative energy that seemingly oozes from the location.

In short, the Hudson River State Hospital could be one of the more discreet hotspots of paranormal activity in the United States.

The short video below takes us inside this unsettling building.

The Shadowy Figures And Levitating Objects Of St. Albans Sanatorium, Virginia

Perhaps what makes St. Albans Sanatorium in Radford, Virginia most intriguing is that the build-up of negative energy occurred during both its use as a boys’ school in the early 1900s and then as a sanatorium when it was reopened after a brief closure in 1916.

When it was a boys’ school, it was a place with a reputation for bullying. And this bullying was often discreetly encouraged by a large number of the staff at the school. This would ultimately lead to several suicides of pupils.

Despite the promise of first-class treatment at the facility for the mentally unwell, it would eventually come to light that many of the patients were subjected to questionable experimental treatments, some of which resulted in death.

Compounding these issues further was the eventual overcrowding at the facility, which reached a peak in the mid-1940s following the end of the Second World War. The fact that the hospital was almost always understaffed would lead many of them to take their own lives under the pressure.

It would eventually close in the 1990s and has been of immense interest to paranormal investigators ever since. In fact, is considered to not only be one of the most paranormally active locations in Virginia but on the entire east coast of the United States. Many people claim to have witnessed shadowy figures, with some even witnessing objects suddenly “levitate” in front of them. What’s more, this activity continues today.

The short video below looks at this creepy abandoned building a little further.

The Spirits Of The Controversial Athens Mental Hospital, Ohio

Remaining open from 1874 to 1993, the Athens Mental Hospital (sometimes called the Athens Hospital for the Insane, or The Ridges) in Athens, Ohio is not only a place that is said to contain the spirits of those who perhaps met their end there, but is also one whose files remain controversial and mysterious – not least as special permission from the state authorities is required to access them.

That is quite interesting as many lobotomies are known to have taken place there on the “violent” criminals. What might have actually taken place, and on who, would perhaps make intriguing reading in itself. While there are no specific allegations of abuse, it would appear that more went on behind the walls of the Athens mental facility than we might know. That might be why the location seemingly remains inhabited today – at least by the spirits of apparently former patients.

One particularly regularly seen ghost is that of Margaret Shilling, who died in the building. Many people claim to see her looking down from the window at the place where her body was discovered. Other people who have ventured inside claim to have seen strange, shadowy figures in doorways, while others claim to have heard the squeaking wheels of hospital beds seemingly being moved from one place to another.

If that’s not enough, there are even reports of screams and strange voices by some, as well as the flashing of strange lights. In short, it would appear that the one-time mental institution could very well be one of the most haunted locations in Ohio.

The video below explores this intriguing, abandoned location a little further.

The Plethora Of Supernatural Activity At Rolling Hills Asylum, New York

Another asylum in the state of New York where paranormal activity is said to be rife is the Rolling Hills Asylum, perhaps one of the oldest such establishments in this region of the United States. Opened in 1827, the building has served several different purposes. These range from being a general hospital, to an orphanage, to caring for tuberculosis patients, and of course, as an asylum.

Adding an even further feel of the morose is the claim that around 1700 bodies also reside on the grounds, all in unmarked graves. By the time the facility closed its doors for good in 1974, the number of harrowing scenes and emotional misery it must have witnessed seemingly left its mark for good.

There is certainly a small mountain of paranormal activity to examine. Such things as unseen footsteps walking around the halls, doors closing of their own accord, strange bangs and noises, and even voices sounding out of nowhere. Perhaps most alarming of all to those who have ventured inside since its closure is the appearances of “full-body apparitions”, shadowy figures, and even being touched or pushed by unseen hands.

It would appear that certain rooms in the one-time hospital are more active than others. For example, in a room known as “Hattie’s Room”, one paranormal investigator managed to record a strange voice saying “hello”. When she researched this and ultimately played the recording to a one-time employee, it would appear the voice belonged to a woman called Hattie – a patient at the hospital – who was also blind and would often call out “hello” if she sensed someone had entered the room.

There is also a shadow-type figure known as Roy, another patient who died at the facility in 1942. He was over 7 feet tall and suffered from gigantism. What’s more, when he appears (which he often does) his figure is said to reflect his real life-size.

There are also regular sightings of shadow people on the second floor of the buildings, especially on the East Wing. Perhaps the most active part of the building, though, are the psychiatric ward, the solitary confinement ward, and the morgue. And it probably doesn’t take too much imagination to see why. Here, you are not only likely to hear unnerving voices, but many people report being “shoved and knocked off their feet”. It is certainly a part of the facility that even those with an interest in the paranormal think twice about spending too much time in.

The strange activity continues today.

The video below looks at this most fascinating location a little further.

The Satanic Rituals At Taunton State Hospital, Massachusetts

Not only are there reports of paranormal activity being witnessed inside the now-demolished Taunton State Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts following its closure, but there are also several rumors of outright Satanic and occult activity and rituals taking place inside its walls while it was open. What’s more, these rituals – at least according to local legend – involved several of the doctors and other staff employed at the hospital.

Most accounts state that these rituals took place in the basement. Even more harrowing is that it would appear that some of the patients would often find themselves taken to the basement where they would be sacrificed during such rituals.

How true these claims might be is obviously very much open to debate. There are claims that staff (who were not involved) had reported seeing bloodstains in the walls and floor of the basement in question.

One local legend states that a staff member decided to go further into the basement to investigate. However, when he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he was unable to physically step down into the room – as if an invisible force was stopping him. At the same time, an intense feeling of pain began to creep through his body. He immediately retreated and ultimately quit his job, refusing to work in the building following the experience.

When we add the fact that one of the patients was the infamous serial killer, Jane Toppan, then the facility takes on an even darker appearance. Toppan murdered 31 people while working as a nurse, essentially poisoning them by injecting them with various concoctions of drugs. It is even claimed that she would often lie in bed with her victims until they died.

There have been several sightings of ghosts in the grounds – some of which came while the hospital was open and operational. For example, several staff members reported a strange figure of a man wearing white clothing walking around the corridors of the facility. What is even more unnerving about this apparent entity is that many claim the figure is faceless. There are also further reports of doors shutting of their own accord as well as lights turning on and off.

Perhaps also of interest is that the paranormal activity at the location appears to stretch beyond the limits of the building itself. Many believe the woods around where the building stood is also haunted. Many claims of hearing strange crying and other anguishing noises have come from those who have been there. As well as claims of feeling ice-cold winds blowing over them as if from nowhere.

The short video below examines this chilling location further.

The Black Ghosts Of Kings County Insane Asylum, Brooklyn

What perhaps makes the accounts of ghosts haunting the Kings County Insane Asylum (officially known as Kings Park Psychiatric Center) in Brooklyn all the more intriguing is that they date back to when the asylum first opened in the 1890s. And while there are still reports of activity taking place today now it has been abandoned, these early hauntings are very much worth examining.

According to one newspaper report from 1892, one night a nurse at the facility went to check on a strange light near one of the doors. However, as she did so she heard a “strange swishing noise” in the hallway. Even more alarming, the benches then began to “rattle around at a terrible rate”.

In the same report, another nurse even claimed to have seen the ghostly woman who was dressed in a long, black dress. What’s more, several other nurses had complained of having their hair pulled by seemingly invisible hands. It was thought by the nurses who had experienced strange encounters at the time that the activity was down to the one-time seamstress of the facility who had passed away only six months previously.

The following year, in the spring of 1893 another newspaper reported very similar spooky goings-on. Whether the new activity was down to the same alleged spirit of the former seamstress or not is perhaps open to debate. However, many nurses who worked the nightshift began hearing the same “swishing” sound as the previous encounters. This was thought to be the long, black dress the ghostly figure is said to have worn.

Perhaps the most alarming encounter involved a nurse named Mrs. Greary. She would claim that as she was walking around the facility one evening, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. When she turned around, she could see the ghostly woman staring straight back at her. Such was the general fear among the staff at the hospital that the head doctor decided to hire two-night watchmen.

Whether such paranormal activity continued is open to debate. However, many who have taken an interest in the one-time asylum claim such activity remains rife. There were certainly many of the same stories of abuse and neglect during the hospital’s lifetime as we have found in the pasts of other similar buildings so that such negative energy might have built up within the walls is perhaps very likely.

The short video below examines the old medical facility a little further.

Masonic Influence Of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, West Virginia?

While the stories of paranormal incidents are rife enough, the layout and measurements of the building draw some people’s attention. The Trans-Allegheny Asylum, in West Virginia, sits on 666 acres of space, a number normally linked with the Devil.

Rumour has it that “ancient” and “sacred” Masonic formulas are responsible for the dimensions and overall layout of the complex. The fact that specialist stone masons – themselves connected to Masonic lodges of Europe and brought to the United States in order to finish the hospital – is confirmation of sinister connection for some.

Some of the stories of treatments carried out within its walls include lobotomies, electroshock treatment, and even the use of chemicals as medicine. Although widespread acceptance of many of these practices would rule at the time, in reality, they were more akin to unauthorized experiments.

The reports are as varied as they are terrifying. People claim to see “shadow people”, demonic dogs and other apparitions. Loud purposeful banging on the crippled pipework also rings out without warning. Some people even report being physically pushed against the walls of the old asylum.

Many investigations take place on these apparently haunted grounds. Reports range from captured images on film to EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recordings.

Check out the video below – just one of many investigations into the building and EVP recordings made there.

 

Similar Paranormal Activity In Sanitoriums In United Kingdom

Perhaps in part given the influence of the British settlers in the new world of the United States during the 18^th and 19^th centuries, it should not surprise us that similar practices and apparent consequential hauntings of sanitoriums and asylums in the United Kingdom are also rife.

Indeed, for its size, the UK is seemingly saturated with such haunted abandoned buildings. And while we do not have time nor space to examine each and every one, we will turn our focus to some of the most unsettling.

“Ghost” At The Window Of St. John’s Asylum, Lincolnshire

On the other side of the Atlantic, in Lincolnshire, England, a photograph appeared in 2010 that claimed to clearly show a ghostly figure at the window of the abandoned St. John’s Asylum.

The picture managed to generate a little wave of publicity for the area. So much so that many paranormal investigators would arrive to look at the building for themselves. Local talk suggests that many people report seeing strange sights and experience the sensation of someone watching you. As well as dark apparitions that vanish the moment you turn to look at them, there is the “Grey Lady”.

Local reports say you are likely to see the gray lady throwing her baby from one of the clock towers. She then leaps to her own (would be) death.

There are plans to turn the one-time asylum into luxury apartments. It would perhaps be interesting to see if there are any paranormal activity reports from the people who might live in them.

The footage below features one such adventurer filming around the abandoned facility. While there do not appear to be any ghosts in this footage, it gives a good feel for the building.

The Questionable Treatments At Severalls Hospital, Colchester

Not only was Severalls Hospital in Colchester, England an institution for the mentally unwell, but it was also a place where chilling experiments to treat such conditions took place. Perhaps most notably the use of electroshock treatment. What’s more, many of these questionable treatments continued right into the late-20^th century before it finally closed in 1997.

What perhaps made these practices even worse was that the hospital suffered from an almost constant case of being understaffed.

Furthermore, and similar to Whittingham Hospital above, many of those who found themselves in the facility were not mentally ill but often young women who had become pregnant out of wedlock and were consequently shunned by their families. There were also many “temporary patients” who might find themselves on certain wards at the hospital due to a shortage of beds elsewhere in the region. Thankfully, they did not undergo the harrowing treatment of those deemed mentally ill.

There are many strange sightings and sounds said to have been heard within the building. And given the horrific treatments and practices that have taken place over the years, it is easy to see why.

The video below takes us around this most disturbing abandoned building.

The Crying Girl Of Nocton Hall Hospital, Lincolnshire

Although it was used as a makeshift hospital for wounded American soldiers during each of the World Wars, as well as years later in the Gulf War, Nocton Hall Hospital in Lincolnshire in England was previously a large stately home. In fact, it is thought that one of the most regularly seen spirits of the now-abandoned building is that of a young girl who once served in the home before it became a hospital.

According to many paranormal investigators and enthusiasts, although this young girl’s spirit has been seen all around the building as she wanders around the abandoned halls, her presence is seemingly particularly strong in one particular bedroom. She is often heard crying and sometimes even speaking of a “devilish man” and of what he “done to her”. There are even further chilling reports of the young girl waking those who have slept in the building at exactly 4:30 am with her cries.

What is perhaps particularly grim about these apparent sightings is that it appears the spirit can be tied to someone who not only once lived at the property, but who was murdered there. According to reports, she was a servant girl at the house and was one night raped by the house owner’s son. Upon discovering that she was pregnant, the son murdered her and disposed of her body.

There are reports of other apparent apparitions – such as a “grey lady”, for example – but the vast majority of the haunting activity centers around the unfortunate servant girl.

The video below looks at this mysterious building a little further.

The “Pure Evil” Of Newsham Park Hospital, Liverpool

Although it is a popular ghost-hunt location now, the hauntings and paranormal activity at Liverpool’s one-time asylum at Newsham Park Hospital are very real. And what’s more, at least according to one person ^[1] who spent over a decade working there, the activity is such that the building itself is “pure evil”.

Now 84 years of age, John Gray – who worked at the facility as a telephonist – even went on to state that the whole complex “should have been demolished years ago”. He would recall how when he worked his shift at night you could “feel the evil in the atmosphere”. There were even parts of the building that staff would refuse to go so strong was this unsettling feeling.

On one particular night, while searching for a blanket for warmth, he claimed a man in a white coat “with no head” walked straight past him and disappeared into a wall. On another occasion, he was working on the reception of the building when he noticed a lady in Victorian-style clothing on the stairs opposite the desk. By the time he had looked up fully, she had disappeared. When he described the woman to others, he was informed that she was once a matron who worked at the facility.

Staff would regularly hear strange bangs from rooms where no one should have been, as well as doors closing by themselves. One particularly strange area feature cupboards where staff would often put children inside who had misbehaved. Staff would often say they could hear bangs and taps from inside the cupboards as if the children were still inside them.

Not only was Newsham Park Hospital used as an asylum during the second part of its life, it also served as a mortuary, and perhaps because of this, is largely regarded as Liverpool’s most haunted building.

The short video below looks at Newsham Park Hospital a little closer.

Haunted Asylums From Around The World

As we might imagine, while we have concentrated on many apparently haunted asylums from across the United States and in the United Kingdom, there are similar buildings and accounts from right around the world. Some, though, are perhaps more terrifying than others. It is to some of those disturbing buildings that we will turn our attention next.

Ararat Lunatic Asylum – Australia’s Most Haunted Asylum

Known as the most haunted asylum in Australia, Ararat Lunatic Asylum, as it named upon opening in 1867, certainly lives up to its name with all manner of chilling and unnerving sightings and incidents taking place.

In the first decades of its existence, perhaps like many such facilities around the world, the methods and practices were suspicious at best, and downright bordering on criminal at worst. And the fact that many violent criminals with mental health issues were also sent to this asylum, we can perhaps picture perfectly the atmosphere and happenings that the walls of the building would have seen.

Perhaps adding to the build-up of negative energy within the building is that out of the many thousands of people who spent time at the facility until it closed in 1998, it said that somewhere in the region of 13,000 people had died there. As we might imagine, then, the one-time asylum is home to many ghostly sightings and strange phenomena.

Some reports claim to hear strange voices whispering at them from out of nowhere, while the overall feel of the place seems to affect the mood and emotions of those who enter. Many investigators and enthusiasts have also reported seeing ghostly figures who are there one moment and then gone the next. What’s more, these sightings and stage goings-on continue today.

The video below features a brief investigation into the facility.

Beechworth Lunatic Asylum – Ararat’s “Sister” Asylum

If Ararat Lunatic Asylum is Australia’s most haunted such location, then Beechworth Lunatic Asylum (also once called Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum) is a close second. Opened at the same time as the one Ararat for the same reasons for reducing overcrowding at the country’s only other mental institution (at the time), the facility has an equal number of strange deaths, questionable admissions, and of course paranormal activity.

While it was open there were reports of patients disappearing or even dying under suspicious or mysterious circumstances. What’s more, there were even rumors of bizarre experiments taking place within the walls of the asylum. Some reports even mention that various body parts were kept, preserved in jars in the laboratories of the facility.

It is thought that just short of 10,000 patients met their end in the hospital. How many of those deaths were untimely is perhaps a matter for debate. The energies that are apparently still at the location, though, would perhaps suggest many of them were.

There are many accounts of the people witnessing shadowy figures out of the corner of their eyes, and even of some hearing the chilling, distressed cries that come out of nowhere. The location certainly remains a place of interest for paranormal researchers, and regular ghost tours take place.

The short video below examines this further.

The Self-Reliant Community Of Tranquille Sanatorium, British Columbia, Canada

In a similar way to Waverley Hills Sanitorium, Tranquille Sanitorium came into being essentially to cope with the influx of TB patients in the region. Originally a small ranch in British Columbia in Canada, the facility was turned into a hospital in 1907 in order to cope with the increasing number of TB patients – many of which had already been staying there. Many of the staff even lived on the site and became a tight-knit community.

Over time, however, by the late-1950s, the hospital was reopened as a sanitorium. And what’s more – in a similar way to the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Pennsylvania – the small community on the site had developed in such a way that the hospital was an almost completely self-reliant entity.

As well as growing and supplying the facility with crops and food, and even clothing, there was a small farm, leisure facilities, and even a fire department. However, the patients inside the facility were not allowed to receive any such goods from “outside” without the permission of the staff. What’s more, rumors began to circulate that they were more like prisoners than patients, with even mail being read before being passed on.

How true these rumors may or may not be is open to debate. There are, though, many reports of paranormal activity taking place at the abandoned hospital. Many who have ventured inside claim they are overcome by a sudden feeling of sadness, as well as a sudden feeling of freezing cold air around them. Perhaps the most alarming sightings of all are those of a nurse who was – according to legend – killed by one of the patients.

The short video below examines the facility a little further.

Old Changi Hospital – One Of The Most Haunted Locations In Singapore

Not only is the Old Changi Hospital one of the most haunted locations in Singapore, but many who have investigated the building claim it to be one of the most active paranormal sites in the world.

It came into being to serve as a hospital for the Royal Air Force in 1935, and while it wasn’t used exclusively as an asylum, it is perhaps its use during the Second World War, when the base came into the hands of Japanese forces who would put to use as a prisoner of war camp, that makes it worthy of inclusion here.

Considering what we know of some of the horrific treatment of prisoners of war in Japanese camps at the time, it is clear that not only would executions have taken place, but most likely ghastly torture sessions that would have left many who underwent them half-crazed. If the reports of those who have ventured into the now abandoned facility are to be believed, there have been many sightings of the spirit of these prisoners of war within the hospital’s walls.

Others who have spent time inside the buildings often report strange sounds and cold spots around them, as well as intense feelings of fear, anxiousness, and even nausea. It is a location that is certainly of intense interest to paranormal investigators.

The short video below examines some of the strange goings-on at Old Changi Hospital a little further.

The “High Street Haunted House” – The Sai Ying Pun Psychiatry Hospital, Hong Kong

Without a doubt, one of the most intriguing and chilling old asylums and sanitoriums around the world is the Sai Ying Pun Psychiatry Hospital in Hong Kong. When it was first built in 1892 it acted as housing quarters for nurses from Europe working in the city.

However, according to legend, during the Second World War, much like the Old Changi Hospital mentioned above, the facility was captured and overtaken by Japanese soldiers. Even more chilling, it is claimed that the building was used for the duration of the war as an “execution hall”. If true, we can only imagine the horrors that would have taken place there.

It was in the years following the war that the building served as a mental institution until the early 1960s. Today it acts as a community center for various charities.

However, there are many reports and claims of paranormal activity. Some people report hearing strange, crashing noises coming from inside the building, while others insist they can hear an unseen woman crying. Perhaps the most alarming report of an apparition is that of a bizarre man who appears out of nowhere before vanishing in a wash of flames.

The video below takes a walk around this unnerving building.

Khovrinskaya Hospital, Moscow – A Paranormal Hot-Spot In The Making?

There are many reports of strange activity at the decaying hospital in Pripyat. Given that it was the last place many of those caught in the Chernobyl Disaster took their last painful breaths, perhaps it is no wonder. We have written about the whole area around Chernobyl previously. However, another Russian hospital that didn’t house even a single patient is a magnet for strange and menacing behavior.

Khovrinskaya (or Khovrino) Hospital in Moscow, Russia didn’t even reach completion to house any patients. That has not, however, prevented the site from witnessing countless murders, and most probably satanic rituals. At least according to the paraphernalia discovered there. Essentially, the amount of misery the unfinished project has witnessed will surely result in paranormal activity in the near future.

The project began at the height of the Cold War in 1980. In 1985 however, without warning or reason given, the project simply stopped dead. Rumors at the time swirled that the ground survey was incorrect. Underground water made the building unsafe, and it would eventually sink into its foundations. Whether true or not, barbed wire encased the shell of the building, which would only serve to entice sinister activity even more.

The short video below looks at the grim past of the abandoned hospital project.

The “B-Movie-Like Plot” Of Wolfe Manor, California

We will return our attention to two more asylums of the United States, as they are truly remarkable. The story of Wolfe Manor in California reads very much like the plot of a horror b-movie. The property first saw the light of day in 1922. The intention was for it to be a luxury mansion, but the project went bankrupt soon after completion.

By 1942, it had become known as the Clovis Avenue Sanatorium. It specialized in treating and housing the mentally ill and would do so until it closed its doors in 1992. Among already growing allegations of patient mistreatment, the full details of Clovis Avenue came to light.

Due to the original design having anything but a medical facility in mind, there was no morgue on site. This often meant that dead bodies would often pile up in the basement of the property. The mortality rate itself was well above average for its size. The hospital most often ran with more patients than it could handle, and was chronically understaffed.

The short video below gives a brief overview of the makeshift facility.

“Real Life” Haunted House Attraction

Five years after its closure in 1997, Tom Wolfe would buy the building. Knowing full well of its dark past, he would rename it Wolfe Manor. His intention was to open it as an interactive haunted house, for which he would (in theory) become a rich man. Staff would leap out and scare people as they toured the old asylum. It would all be part of the experience.

However, when staff themselves began to report unseen hands dragging them into rooms, and of hearing strange and chilling voices, it looked as though the house had taken on a life of its own – quite literally.

The final straw would come when after police had made several false alarm calls to the property. They were responding to emergency calls placed from Wolfe Manor’s address. When they realized that the building had no live phone line – nor even a physical line entering it – plans proceeded to destroy it. This would happen in 2014 when safety standards failed to meet minimum requirements.

Check out the two videos below. They feature interviews in which Tom Wolfe where he talks about some of the encounters in Wolfe Manor.