By Mamie Conrad
Real supernatural stories are a central part of the way people have understood life and the world since the beginning of humanity. Even if you are the most sceptical of sceptics, it is difficult not to get drawn in when you hear a tale of ghostly goings on. Here is a countdown of 7 well-known real-life ghost stories.
When Stephen King wrote his horror masterpiece The Shining he based the setting on The Stanley Hotel in Colorado. Built in 1909 this grand, prestige hotel has a long history of ghost sightings and ghoulish activity. Most commonly guests and staff report the clear sound of an all-night party coming from the ballroom in the middle of the night when the place is empty and the ghost of the hotel's first owner, who is said to walk the corridors on the fourth floor.
Since the early 1930's motorists passing through Justice, Illinois have been reporting the same thing. They pick up a young girl hitch-hiking, she them to stop at the cemetery then she disappears from the car. Not only that, all the drivers agree on her appearance, clothing, voice and behavior. The 'vanishing hitch-hiker' story is an old one but the sheer number of times 'Justice Mary' has appeared indicates there may be more than rumor going on in Illinois.
In the famous Tower of London, sightings are many of the ghost of Anne Boleyn, one of King Henry 8th's many wives. Henry grew tired of Anne and had her head chopped off on the charges of witchcraft and adultery. Now her headless body is seen walking around the tower, scaring guards, visitors and cleaning staff alike.
Another haunted hotel is the Hotel del Coronado in California. Here in 1892 a pregnant woman named Kate Morgan killed herself. Ever since hotel guests have reported a thin apparition, resembling a Victorian lady, in corridors and staff have constantly complained about weird screaming noises at midnight and lights turning themselves off.
Clifton House is an old English mansion with 17 bedrooms, a gym and a cinema. A dream home and a bargain at less than 3 million pounds. Or so thought Anwar Rashid when he and his family moved in. They moved out less than a year later after constant torment from supernatural beings in the form of voices, crying and apparitions.
One of America's most haunted houses is The Myrtles, now a Bed and Breakfast in Louisiana, whose owners boast is the home of three separate ghosts. The one which gives it the most renown is Chloe. Chloe was a slave, lynched during plantation times on the property, after she vengefully poisoned the master's food.
The final one of these real supernatural stories comes from Quezon City in the Philippines. The woman in white is seen by motorists standing on Balete Drive, her face a mask of blood. If you pass her with an empty back seat, the story goes, you'll see her sitting back there when you check your rear-view mirror.
When Stephen King wrote his horror masterpiece The Shining he based the setting on The Stanley Hotel in Colorado. Built in 1909 this grand, prestige hotel has a long history of ghost sightings and ghoulish activity. Most commonly guests and staff report the clear sound of an all-night party coming from the ballroom in the middle of the night when the place is empty and the ghost of the hotel's first owner, who is said to walk the corridors on the fourth floor.
Since the early 1930's motorists passing through Justice, Illinois have been reporting the same thing. They pick up a young girl hitch-hiking, she them to stop at the cemetery then she disappears from the car. Not only that, all the drivers agree on her appearance, clothing, voice and behavior. The 'vanishing hitch-hiker' story is an old one but the sheer number of times 'Justice Mary' has appeared indicates there may be more than rumor going on in Illinois.
In the famous Tower of London, sightings are many of the ghost of Anne Boleyn, one of King Henry 8th's many wives. Henry grew tired of Anne and had her head chopped off on the charges of witchcraft and adultery. Now her headless body is seen walking around the tower, scaring guards, visitors and cleaning staff alike.
Another haunted hotel is the Hotel del Coronado in California. Here in 1892 a pregnant woman named Kate Morgan killed herself. Ever since hotel guests have reported a thin apparition, resembling a Victorian lady, in corridors and staff have constantly complained about weird screaming noises at midnight and lights turning themselves off.
Clifton House is an old English mansion with 17 bedrooms, a gym and a cinema. A dream home and a bargain at less than 3 million pounds. Or so thought Anwar Rashid when he and his family moved in. They moved out less than a year later after constant torment from supernatural beings in the form of voices, crying and apparitions.
One of America's most haunted houses is The Myrtles, now a Bed and Breakfast in Louisiana, whose owners boast is the home of three separate ghosts. The one which gives it the most renown is Chloe. Chloe was a slave, lynched during plantation times on the property, after she vengefully poisoned the master's food.
The final one of these real supernatural stories comes from Quezon City in the Philippines. The woman in white is seen by motorists standing on Balete Drive, her face a mask of blood. If you pass her with an empty back seat, the story goes, you'll see her sitting back there when you check your rear-view mirror.