Whether purely coincidental or precisely because of the dark pasts that many of them harbor in their now ruined walls, many hospitals, and asylums long since shut down, seem saturated in activity and chilling encounters of the paranormal kind.

Many in the supernatural and paranormal community believe there is a connection between ghost manifestations and energy. Over the course of their respective times, many of these complexes would inevitably build up a huge amount of negative energy. Be it the general suffering that patients would endure as part of being ill, or the malicious actions of some truly horrific practices and individuals, it is not hard to imagine why these buildings perhaps evoke uneasiness. Perhaps they also attract certain activity and entities.

Very recently in March 2015 at the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, Australia, a girl’s ghost appeared on media platforms. The fact that the photograph was taken in what is the most haunted part of the building made it creepier. Known as “The Grevilla Wing” many a person would receive electro-shock treatment there.

Are these types of encounters great examples of the power of suggestion? Or is it proof of activity from beyond the grave?

Before we look at some of the most haunted pieces of land on Earth, check out the short video below. It looks at the aforementioned ghost picture from Beechwood Asylum.

Khovrinskaya Hospital, Moscow – A Paranormal Hot-Spot In The Making?

There are many reports of strange activity at the decaying hospital in Pripyat. Given that it was the last place many of those caught in the Chernobyl Disaster took their last painful breaths, perhaps it is no wonder. We have written about the whole area around Chernobyl previously. However, another Russian hospital that didn’t house even a single patient is a magnet for strange and menacing behavior.

Khovrinskaya (or Khovrino) Hospital in Moscow, Russia didn’t even reach completion to house any patients. That has not, however, prevented the site from witnessing countless murders, and most probably satanic rituals. At least according to the paraphernalia discovered there. Essentially, the amount of misery the unfinished project has witnessed will surely result in paranormal activity in the near future.

The project began at the height of the Cold War in 1980. In 1985 however, without warning or reason given, the project simply stopped dead. Rumors at the time swirled that the ground survey was incorrect. Underground water made the building unsafe, and it would eventually sink into its foundations. Whether true or not, barbed wire encased the shell of the building, which would only serve to entice sinister activity even more.

The short video below looks at the grim past of the abandoned hospital project.

Waverly Hills Sanatorium – One of the Most Haunted Buildings on Earth!

Many believe Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky to be one of the most haunted buildings on the planet. And when you look to some of the details and records of its past, it’s easy to see why.

Opened in 1910 the building initially took in patients suffering from TB. At the time there was an epidemic of the disease in the United States. Most who checked into the facility didn’t leave alive. And when they did leave, they made their final journey most often via the “Death Tunnel” – a secret exit to avoid them going out in view of the other patients.

There are even bizarre reports from people who would simply drive past the ruined building. As they did so, many would see a distressed and chained woman, running from the doors, screaming and pleading.

Timmy, a young boy who likes to play with a ball, also makes regular appearances on the fourth floor. Many ghost hunting teams have managed to (they claim) catch Timmy on film. Some even bring a ball with them in an effort to entice Timmy to interact with them. While it appears Timmy is of a friendly nature, other parts of the building are most definitely not. In fact, one particular room appears to be the “hub” of the paranormal energy that resides there.

Before we look at that, the short video below looks at Waverly Hills Sanatorium and the ghostly events that occur there.

The Infamous “Room 502”

Perhaps the most infamous area of Waverly Hills Sanatorium is Room 502. The sightings in this particular room are equally chilling as its past. Records show at least two people took their own lives in the room. A young woman hung herself here in 1928. Claims ran wild that she was pregnant with a staff doctor’s child, out of wedlock to boot. Four years later, a nurse flung herself from the window. Again, rumors swirled that a patient had pushed the unfortunate staff member.

For those that do dare enter Room 502, expect the door to slam shut behind you, not to mention the temperature plummeting. An overall “nasty” or “menacing” feeling is said to permeate anyone who steps in the room.

There is also considerable activity on the roof of the complex. Interestingly enough accepted thinking at the time was to treat TB with plenty of fresh air. Many patients were hence, left on the roof to achieve this. Many of them would die in the freezing cold of the Kentucky winters.

The short video below looks at Room 502 in a little more detail and on location.

“Ghost” At The Window Of St. John’s Asylum, Lincolnshire

On the other side of the Atlantic, in Lincolnshire, England, a photograph appeared in 2010 that claimed to clearly show a ghostly figure at the window of the abandoned St. John’s Asylum.

The picture managed to generate a little wave of publicity for the area. So much so that many paranormal investigators would arrive to look at the building for themselves. Local talk suggests that many people report seeing strange sights and experience the sensation of someone watching you. As well as dark apparitions that vanish the moment you turn to look at them, there is the “Grey Lady”.

Local reports say you are likely to see the gray lady throwing her baby from one of the clock towers. She then leaps to her own (would be) death.

There are plans to turn the one-time asylum into luxury apartments. It would perhaps be interesting to see if there are any paranormal activity reports from the people who might live in them.

The footage below features one such adventurer filming around the abandoned facility. While there do not appear to be any ghosts in this footage, it gives a good feel for the building.

Masonic Influence Of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, West Virginia?

While the stories of paranormal incidents are rife enough, the layout and measurements of the building draw some people’s attention. The Trans-Allegheny Asylum, in West Virginia, sits on 666 acres of space, a number normally linked with the Devil.

Rumour has it that “ancient” and “sacred” Masonic formulas are responsible for the dimensions and overall layout of the complex. The fact that specialist stone masons – themselves connected to Masonic lodges of Europe and brought to the United States in order to finish the hospital – is confirmation of sinister connection for some.

Some of the stories of treatments carried out within its walls include lobotomies, electroshock treatment, and even the use of chemicals as medicine. Although widespread acceptance of many of these practices would rule at the time, in reality, they were more akin to unauthorized experiments.

The reports are as varied as they are terrifying. People claim to see “shadow people”, demonic dogs and other apparitions. Loud purposeful banging on the crippled pipework also rings out without warning. Some people even report being physically pushed against the walls of the old asylum.

Many investigations take place on these apparently haunted grounds. Reports range from captured images on film to EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recordings.

Check out the video below – just one of many investigations into the building and EVP recordings made there.

Wolfe Manor, California

The story of Wolfe Manor in California reads very much like the plot of a horror b-movie. The property first saw the light of day in 1922. The intention was for it to be a luxury mansion, but the project went bankrupt soon after completion.

By 1942, it had become known as the Clovis Avenue Sanatorium. It specialized in treating and housing the mentally ill and would do so until it closed its doors in 1992. Among already growing allegations of patient mistreatment, the full details of Clovis Avenue came to light.

Due to the original design having anything but a medical facility in mind, there was no morgue on site. This often meant that dead bodies would often pile up in the basement of the property. The mortality rate itself was well above average for its size. The hospital most often ran with more patients than it could handle, and was chronically understaffed.

The short video below gives a brief overview of the makeshift facility.

“Real Life” Haunted House Attraction

Five years after its closure in 1997, Tom Wolfe would buy the building. Knowing full well of its dark past, he would rename it Wolfe Manor. His intention was to open it as an interactive haunted house, for which he would (in theory) become a rich man. Staff would leap out and scare people as they toured the old asylum. It would all be part of the experience.

However, when staff themselves began to report unseen hands dragging them into rooms, and of hearing strange and chilling voices, it looked as though the house had taken on a life of its own – quite literally.

The final straw would come when after police had made several false alarm calls to the property. They were responding to emergency calls placed from Wolfe Manor’s address. When they realized that the building had no live phone line – nor even a physical line entering it – plans proceeded to destroy it. This would happen in 2014 when safety standards failed to meet minimum requirements.

Check out the two videos below. They feature interviews in which Tom Wolfe where he talks about some of the encounters in Wolfe Manor.