Being the final resting place for the dead, cemeteries are generally portrayed as silent, solemn and spine-chilling. No wonder, most people who dare to take a midnight walk by themselves along cemeteries often find themselves feeling something eerie. People generally fear cemeteries because they believe that these are the places where spirits reside, and that these spirits come out to scare the living especially at night. Even in horror movies, cemeteries are frequently portrayed as creepy settings, often finely covered with weeds and tombstones where mysteries occur. There are horror movies showing bony arms surfacing from the soil, grabbing ankles of people and pulling them down to the dark world beneath. Since ages ago, there have been hosts of real stories about people who had experienced traumatic experiences in cemeteries, either after actually seeing supernatural beings standing on top of their tombs or encountering some uncanny creatures who scared the hell out of them. Though some cemeteries are not as scary as they are portrayed in books or movies, there are cemeteries around the world that are known to be actually more bloodcurdling than they seem. Here is a list of the top 10 scariest cemeteries in the world:
10. City of the Dead in Cairo
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The Cairo Necropolis, also known as the City of the Dead, is said to have as many dead as living residents. Since ages ago, this scary cemetery or “Al Qarafa” has served as a burial ground for the people of Cairo. Homes and shops in this city are erected right next to creepy mausoleums and gravestones. The City of the Dead is a four-mile long dense grid of tomb and structures where dwellers are known to live and work among the dead.
9. Prazeres Cemetery in Lisbon
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The Prazeres Cemetery is one of the most widely visited in Lisbon and one of the top 10 scariest cemeteries in the world. Its name means “Pleasures” and it is most famous for its monumental tombs. This cemetery is remarkable because several famous Portuguese personalities were buried here, including actors, singers, painters, writers and television presenters. One of the weird things about this cemetery is that a lot of graves that can be found here have little front doors with glass windows through which visitors can see the caskets and remnants of the dead.
8. Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh
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People who have visited the Greyfriar Kurtyard in the past say that this graveyard is haunted. Located next to a church in Central Ediburgh, this cemetery is home to thousands of 17th century graves that show carvings of skeletons—a proof of it being a 17th century prison. Since 1990, there have been more than 300 reported paranormal sightings in the cemetery, especially in the Black Mausoleum of MacKenzie. The Greyfriar Kirkyard was once featured as one of the Scariest Places on Earth by a world-renowned paranormal TV program. It has scary cemetery ghost footage that has been captured of those people who visited this graveyard.
7. Highgate Cemetery in London
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A place of burial in North London, Highgate Cemetery is one of the most notable filming locations for horror movies such as the “Taste the Blood of Dracula” and “From Beyond the Grave.” There are about 170,000 people buried in this scary cemetery and it has been designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. Aside from its impressive architecture, this cemetery has long been associated with ghosts and sinister activities. No wonder that despite of its excellent architectural designs, the fear inculcated to the people who visited this burial place has never shunned away.
6. Sao Joao Batista Cemetery in Rio De Janeiro
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A private cemetery in the neighborhood of Botafogo, Rio De Janeiro, Sai Joao Batista Cemetery or the Cemetery of Saint John the Baptist is run by a Catholic charity known as the Santa Casa da Misericordiado Rio de Janeiro. This scary cemetery is filled with thousands of tombs and mausoleums of some of the country’s most famous cemeteries that is why it is often dubbed as “the cemetery of the stars.”
5. Zentralfriedhof in Vienna
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Known as one of the largest cemeteries in the world, Zentralfriedhof is where the remains of famous personalities like Beethoven, Schubert and Johan Strauss lie. Its name means “Central Cemetery” in German and it has the largest number of dead bodies interred in the whole of Europe. In the center of this cemetery is a monumental church. Famous for its interdenominational character, this cemetery is divided into Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, Russian Orthodox, and Jewish sections. It is the most famous cemetery among the 50 cemeteries located in Vienna.
4. Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
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One of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris, Pere-Lacheise Cemetery is also one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. This cemetery is home to the graves of famous personalities like Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Edit Piaf and has served as a model cemetery for several cemeteries around the world. The largest cemetery in Paris, Pere-Lachaise is the first garden and municipal cemetery in Paris. It is covered with trees and marble and looks like a sea of graveyards from afar.
3. Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague
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The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague is known as a 15th century cemetery that served as a burial ground for over 12,000 Jewish people during the era. Not like the other cemeteries on this list, this cemetery does not contain graves of famous personalities. It is filled with ancient gravestones and is considered as one of the most haunted sites in Europe as one of the scariest cemeteries ever. It is believed to be the secret venue of conspiracy meetings of the Elders of Zion.
2. Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.
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The Arlington National Cemetery is home to more than 360,000 veterans in the United States. It is one of the most famous burial sites in the country and is notable for its thousands of headstones. One of the most famous personalities interred in this cemetery is John F. Kennedy.
1. La Recoleta in Buenos Aires
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The La Recoleta Cemetery serves as the resting place of the remains of Eva Paron. It serves as a monumental sight in Buenos Aires because of its magnificent architecture, giant marble statues, and carved mausoleums. This is the scariest cemetery in the world that holds the remains of the most famous personalities in Argentina.