There are some truly terrifying places to visit in the world. Places that really belong in horror movies or works of fiction, yet have somehow crept into our reality. What makes a scary place even scarier? Abandonment. A place that once thrived with life and had purpose, but has now succumbed to the punishment of time and rotted away, leaving only small reminders of what it once was. Take a look at these terrifying places, would you visit any of them? Really?

Despite Chernobyl being the exact epicentre of the nuclear disaster, many of the images we see of the aftermath of the event depict the small town of Pripyat, a few miles away from the power plant. This was once the home to thousands of people, many of whom worked at the Chernobyl plant. When the disaster struck, all of those residents were evacuated pretty much over night, and did not take all of their possessions with them as the evacuation was initially just precautionary. What is left in Pripyat are many creepy reminders of the life that once made this place such a thriving town. Nowadays, the only life that exists (if you believe some accounts) is the occasional shadow-like figures seen by visiting tourists. NO. THANK. YOU.

You will, of course, know the superstitions about walking under ladders, the belief that touching wood protects you from the worst happening and that the number six is considered unlucky due to 666 being ‘the sign of The Beast.’ But within Helltown, Ohio, some much darker and more complex beliefs exist regarding the town and its former residents.

After worries over deforestation, the US government authorized the town’s people to sell up and let their homes be vacated in order for a new national park to be established. It never materialized, however, and all that remains are empty homes. There are now many superstitions, beliefs and theories about the town, the most popular being that an old bus is home to ghosts of former residents who have been murdered.

Want to visit this place? Only a few government warnings and barricades stand in your way, but I certainly would not recommend it!

Prisons are hardly the epitome of safe and calming places at the best of times. Remove the inmates and neglect the building for a few decades and you get an entirely different, yet still very unnerving, place. Closed in 1971, this prison hosted the likes of Al Capone and its unique structure and design made it a model for many prisons built after. Despite its haunting corridors and grim-looking cells, the prison is visited by guests every week for regular tours. I wouldn’t fancy an overnight stay though!

Hospitals definitely have an air of creepiness about them. Mental asylums take that to the next level as they are notorious for being places of death, injustice and insanity. Make it an abandoned asylum and you have yourself one very scary place indeed. There were many scary asylums in the U.S that we could have chosen, but ultimately, the former Mombello Asylum near Milan took the biscuit.

This psychiatric hospital was built over 150 years ago in 1863 and closed in 1978 due to the Italian government’s abolition, by law, of psychiatric hospitals. Benito Albino Dalser was an inmate and died in 1942 due to ‘unclear circumstances.’ Not too much of a relevant point in isolation, but if you add in the context that Dalser was related to dictator Benito Mussolini, that takes the mystery and intrigue of this spooky place to the next level.

Known as ‘the Suicide Forest,’ Aokigahara is a forest in Japan that is visited by thousands of tourists every year. It’s also apparently the home of the ghosts of the dead. Although not technically abandoned, nobody permanently resides in the area and so it ticks quite a few of the ‘won’t want to visit’ boxes that make the criteria for this list. Hundreds of people attempt to commit suicide in this forest each year, not all of them being successful. Recently, Logan Paul stirred up huge controversy by visiting the forest and disgracefully making light of a very serious issue after fooling around when finding an actual body in the forest. Certainly not a place that will be on the bucket list.

ment block collapsed, and he tumbled down six stories to his death. Unlucky choice, or revenge of the date? Depends on your view; Bob Renphrey would agree that the day simply had it out for poor Daz Baxter.

Opened in 2000, this theme park was a thriving destination for all thrill-seekers… For five years at least. In 2005, it was devastated by hurricane Katrina, which tore apart much of the city and has since never reopened. All that is left of it is a derelict ghost town. What makes Six Flags creepy is the happiness and joy that was it meant to bring. Now it is just an empty reminder of what was meant to be. No fun, no joy, just lost potential for amusement and a worthy selection for this list.