10 Creepy Places to Visit in Los Angeles

Linda Vista is Los Angeles’ most famous haunted former hospital. Constructed in 1937, the original building served regional railway workers and was reportedly rife with spectral beings. The hospital earned such a hair-raising reputation that after its closure in 1991, it starred in virtually every paranormal investigation show on television. The spooky site also set the scene for cult horror films like Day of the Dead (1985) and Insidious (2010).

Sadly (or perhaps thankfully), the council knocked the wretched building down to make way for an old folks’ home in 2015. Hardcore ghost hunters still visit the site’s exterior today for a nostalgic sense of Los Angeles’ haunted past.

The Queen Mary is Los Angeles’ premier floating hotel and no stranger to paranormal activity. The ship began life as a luxury cruise liner, plying the Atlantic with illustrious guests like Winston Churchill on board. At the onset of WWII, she was drafted into service to ferry troops to the battlefields of Europe. And some of those fallen soldiers appear to have taken up residence because paranormal stories abound on the ship (its nickname is ‘The Grey Ghost’).

Eerie voices and inexplicable rattling sounds are par for the course of an overnight stay. Aim to visit during Dark Harbour – this month-long Halloween event offers mazes and street performances, as well as other horror-themed attractions like the R.I.P Lounge.

The haunted Hollywood Pacific Theatre first opened its doors as the Warner Bros. Theatre in 1928. It was supposed to host the world premiere of The Jazz Singer (1927), the first-ever motion picture with synchronised sound. But a series of mishaps saw it miss the construction deadline, and frustrated co-founder Sam Warner is said to have cursed the site.

Shortly after, Warner passed away from a brain haemorrhage, and many say his ghostly presence still inhabits the theatre halls. Although closed to the public, visitors can peep into this Los Angeles Historical-Cultural Monument from outside.

Griffith Park Zoo was deserted back in 1965, leaving nothing but a series of desolate ruins in its wake. The original animal cages remain peppered throughout its creepy cave-like façade, and there’s an eerie collection of derelict buildings and graffiti-strewn corridors to explore.

Legend has it the original owner’s niece cursed the land upon being cheated out of her uncle’s will. Untimely deaths and grave misfortune have since plagued the preceding owners, with many potential buyers reluctant to acquire the land. Despite donating the entire 3,015-acre lot to the city, the most recent owner passed away prematurely from liver disease.

Historic Colorado Street Bridge has earned the tragic moniker as the “Pasadena Suicide Bridge.” Since its construction in 1913, scores of unhappy Angelinos have leapt from its arches to an untimely death. Its wretched reputation is in stark contrast to the natural beauty of the place – the bridge spans a gushing river that cuts through a scenic gorge.

Countless ghostly encounters have been reported at the site. Witnesses have seen figures climbing over the rails but failed to find anyone upon closer investigation. Others have seen the spirit of a woman wandering into traffic before vanishing into thin air.

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the final resting place of some of the industry’s biggest names. Early 20^th-century stars such as Cecil B. DeMille and Mel Blanc are entombed here – you can also visit the grave of Toto from The Wizard of Oz (1939).

But it’s tales of spectral apparitions that tempt paranormal enthusiasts to visit. The most notable ghost belongs to Virginia Rappe, a silent film-era actress whose passing was linked to the Fatty Arbuckle scandal – she’s often seen weeping by the lake. The graveyard backs onto Paramount Studios, and staff report seeing period-dressed wraiths floating through the grounds.

The Hollywood Wax Museum is packed full of creepy effigies and is unsettling enough without the ghosts. But it’s tales of wandering spirits that have made the attraction infamous among paranormal buffs.

The Last Supper exhibit is notorious for the mysterious female spirit spotted praying by the bench. Then there’s the ghost of a local teen who loved the Chambers of Horrors so much he decided to spend the afterlife there. A journalist once locked himself inside overnight to cover the phenomena. When they let him out in the morning, he was deadly pale and never spoke of the experience again.