cemeteries
Haunted Halloween Harvest
Atlas Obscura Scares Up the Best of the Season
October is our favorite month to celebrate the macabre, the mysterious, and the monstrous. Join us on a wild ride through a landscape of unsolved hauntings, terrifying legends, and hidden places almost too creepy to be real. It's going to be ghoulish good fun.
Tales of Terror: The mother of all witches, creepy cryptids, the many faces of death, and more.
An Extra-Creepy Atlas: Create your own Road Trip of the Damned with these unsettling Places you can visit IRL (in this life or the next).
You Are Fearless. You Have Scrolled Deep Into the Atlas Obscura Crypt.
Venture even deeper into the shadows for more spine-tingling Stories, positively paranormal Places, and other spooky surprises.
Scroll down at your own risk
forests
Podcast: Spooky Places
Our Places Team shares spooky legends from both Transylvania and Appalachia.
haunted
Why Horror Is So Damned Fun
We go inside Denmark’s Recreational Fear Lab to learn why our brains crave a good scare.
cryptozoology
Beware the Thunderbird, Badass Cryptid of the Skies
The source of storms and an (occasional) kidnapper, the massive ancient beast has inspired muscle cars and jet fighters.
paintings
6 Cursed Objects, and the Legends Behind Them
Maybe it's best to just steer clear of white lighters, medieval books, and Robert the Doll.
natural history museums
Podcast: Luomus Spiders
The tale of a Scandinavian museum's 50-year infestation with Chilean recluse spiders.
witchcraft
The Secret History of Female and Nonbinary Occultists
A new book examines how supernatural beliefs have often offered a voice, visibility, and vulnerabilities.
Still hungry for more mischief and mayhem?
Satisfy your appetite for all things Halloween, from tasty treats to unsolved mysteries, with these classics from years past.
Explore now