Top 10 Creepiest Paranormal Mysteries of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Creepiest Paranormal Mysteries of All Time!

#10: Franklin Castle

Also known as the most haunted house in Ohio, Franklin Castle in Cleveland has a history steeped in tragedy and rumors of violence. It was built in the late 19th century by German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann, and during their stay, his wife and several of their children passed away. After the Tiedemanns, a few decades later, it was purchased by the Romano family. It was shortly after this that strange occurrences were reported, such as phantom organ music and flickering lights, as well as the sounds of babies crying and a woman in black appearing on the main stairway. Stories of secret passageways and hidden rooms started circulating, and in the 70s, human remains were discovered inside the castle walls on the second floor.

#9: The Enfield Poltergeist

In the late 1970s, a council house in Enfield, England, experienced intense paranormal activity. The Hodgson family, consisting of a single mother and her four children, reported a series of terrifying events such as furniture moving, objects flung across rooms, and unexplained knocking sounds. The phenomena centered on the two sisters, Janet and Margaret, with one or both reportedly full-on levitating and speaking in a gruff, disembodied voice! Investigated by members of the Society for Psychical Research, some of it is considered a hoax by many. But a police officer and other investigators claimed to have witnessed some of the unexplained phenomena firsthand. “The Conjuring 2” is also based on the real life investigation of this case by Ed and Lorraine Warren.

#8: Havana Syndrome

In 2016, U.S. and Canadian government personnel stationed in Havana, Cuba and other locations started reporting a series of odd health incidents. They experienced a range of symptoms, following a strange, localized sound described as a high-pitched screech or clicking noise. The symptoms included sudden headaches, nausea, vertigo, and cognitive difficulties, with some of them suffering long-term health effects like hearing loss and balance issues. Theories as to what this could be, range from sonic attacks to mass psychogenic illness. But to this day, no one knows the exact cause, and some have even tried to explain it as paranormal.

#7: The Lost Colony of Roanoke

In the year of 1587, a group of English colonists led by John White established a settlement on Roanoke Island, located in what is now North Carolina. The colony was struggling, and White returned to England for more supplies. Due to the ongoing war with Spain, John was unable to return to the colony for three years. By the time he made it back in 1590, the entire settlement had vanished. There were no signs of a struggle or battle. The only clues left behind were the word “CROATOAN” carved into a fort post, and “CRO” etched into a nearby tree. To this day, historians are still baffled about what could’ve happened. Did they assimilate with a Native tribe, or was it supernatural?

#6: Where are the Sodder children?

On Christmas Eve in 1945, the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, was destroyed by a fire. The parents and four of their children escaped, but five children weren’t accounted for. Even after a thorough search of the site, no human remains were ever found. The family was convinced the children survived and had been kidnapped. They pointed to a number of weird things that night, like an oddly malfunctioning phone line, a frozen water barrel, and two trucks that wouldn’t start. The Sodders kept the mystery alive for decades, by way of a billboard with photos of their missing children and pursuing leads.

#5: The Mothman

In 1966 and 1967, the town of Point Pleasant in West Virginia was gripped by a series of strange events. People allegedly saw a large, winged humanoid creature with glowing red eyes. The creature, dubbed ‘The Mothman,’ was first seen in the vicinity of a former World War II munitions plant. The sightings were sometimes accompanied by strange phenomena such as UFO reports and ‘Men in Black’ sightings. After the catastrophic collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967, people believed that the Mothman was a supernatural warning of the impending disaster. Were those reports simply misidentified wildlife, or is this infamous cryptid real?

#4: Dog Calling Bridge

Since the 1950s, a weird and deadly phenomenon has become infamous in Dumbarton, Scotland. Overtoun Bridge has seen, according to some sources, hundreds of dogs inexplicably jump off and suffer injuries - and even death. While they are in most cases on leashes, the dogs suddenly become aggressive or seemingly fixated on something down below. A number of paranormal theories have been suggested as the cause of this, with them ranging from Celtic mythology, to the local belief that the bridge and Overtoun House is haunted by the ghost of Lady Overtoun, also known as the “White Lady of Overtoun.” No definitive evidence has been found yet.

#3: Bigfoot

Bigfoot is reputed to be a large, hairy, ape-looking creature who’s become a cornerstone of cryptozoology and American folklore. Eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot, sometimes referred to as Sasquatch, have persisted for centuries with hundreds of alleged sightings across America. And yet, no indisputable physical evidence has ever been found. No bodies, bones, or definitive remains of Bigfoot have ever been found. The existence of the creature rests almost entirely on anecdotal evidence, blurry photographs, and grainy film footage - not to mention numerous hoaxes dating all the way back to the 1950s. With that said, Bigfoot sightings continue to be reported regularly across North America to this day. What do you think?

#2: Flannan Isles Lighthouse

Off the coast of Scotland in December, 1900, a supply ship arrived at the Flannan Isles Lighthouse to find a scene of eerie abandonment. The lighthouse keepers, Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald McArthur had disappeared without a trace. Beds were unmade and two raincoats were missing, suggesting they might’ve rushed out in a storm. But here’s where it gets a bit weird; some claim that the logbooks made no mention of severe weather, and the final entry was a cryptic note about a storm the keepers had never seen before as well as a reference to them praying. An official investigation concluded the men were swept away by a wave, but there were no signs of a struggle, and no bodies were ever found.

#1: The Bell Witch Haunting

The Bell Witch Haunting is one of the most famous cases of alleged paranormal activity in American history. It all started in 1817 when the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee, reported being tormented by an invisible entity. Apparently, John Bell had seen and fired at a creature resembling a dog with the head of a rabbit. It all went downhill from there. A disembodied voice tormented them, there were strange noises, physical attacks - it even slapped and pinched the children. The entity, or the witch, even claimed it would kill John, who did eventually pass away. A vial of mysterious black liquid was found in the house. Was John poisoned, or were the Bells really haunted?

Which haunting scared you the most? Tell us below!