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41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister

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We’ve all gone down the ‘haunted places’ rabbit hole at some point in our lives. Hours of content on YouTube that we idled away, only to later feel a little too scared to go into the bathroom alone or walk down a dark corridor… wait, is that just me? Surely not.
Anyway, whether it’s a bit of a micro-obsession or just something you enjoy reading about from time to time, rest assured: you’re not the only one. In fact, someone recently turned to netizens to ask what kind of scary experiences they’d had while living, working, or staying in places that were notoriously haunted, and the answers did not disappoint.
Read more: Reddit

#1

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I was the kitchen manager of a pub in a small richy beach/retirement town. Building the pub was in was old, probably late 1800's.

I would get to work about 30-45 minutes before my opening server/waitress would get there. Every day I'd open the backdoor, come in and lock it because I would be in the basement getting stock from the walk-in. I would always hear the server unlock the door and hear foot steps, then her voice at the top of the basement stairs ask if I was here. I'd yell up the stairs I was, bring up my first load of stock, and have a quick coffee and smoke with her before we continue on our days.

One morning I got to work, unlocked the door, turned the lights on, locked the door and headed downstairs. I was busy getting stock and I heard footsteps above. The ceiling was not finished in the basement just support beams and old wood so you could see dust/dirt sometimes falling from the ceiling if someone was walking around. I yelled up the stairs "hey I'll be up in a sec". I heard the footsteps stop and walk back towards the kitchen/backdoor. I thought it was weird she didn't say anything and I didn't hear the kitchen door close. I figured maybe she didn't hear me or forgot something in her car. I made my way up the stairs into the kitchen. I peaked in the bar area and didn't see her/her purse. I went to the backdoor and it was locked. I was confused and unlocked the door and stepped outside. Her car wasn't there nor was the owner. She pulled in right as I was about to head in. I laughed and asked her if she forgot something. She looked at me confused and asked what I was talking about.

I explained to her what happened in the basement/hearing footsteps etc. She got very spooked and said she's had multiple strange encounters prior to me working there because the other kitchen staff would get there later and she would be the first in. She said it stopped when I was hired and she thought she was just going crazy before.

Another separate time awhile after this I heard someone call my name in the basement. Very clearly and with an urgent tone. Following this the overhead light went out and there was a VERY loud stomp right above my head. I went outside until the server got there lol.
17points

#2

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Staying in an old hotel in Toronto for three nights. I had to change my room after night two. I would hear banging noise from adjacent room. Called downstairs and they informed me that the room next to me on both sides were empty. They pretty much told me that the entire floor only had two other guests. At night, I swear I felt someone touch my face. The fingers felt like a jolt of electricity. During breakfast, the staff member made small talk with me, and recommended that I change the floor. She said that floor is not right. I did immediately.
17points

#3

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Maybe not shakes me to my core but, when I lived in a haunted house I couldn’t put any framed pictures/decor on the wall above my bed, or it would literally come off the fixture in a way that defied logic and be thrown down several feet away. I don’t live there anymore but I just noticed, that even now in my current home I have nothing on the wall above my bed frame.

What really shook me and made me move from the old place, was the sleep paralysis with a giant wet dog/wolf I could smell and feel coming in my room getting on the bed and holding me down. :(:( also the noises from upstairs that stopped if I went up there and no one was there. It was a house built in 1700’s and was the servants quarters behind the “master house” I don’t blame it for being haunted at all. Eek.
15points

Maybe you don’t even believe that ghosts exist and that they’re pulling people’s hair or throwing things off counters, but some people claim to have experienced moments they can only describe as supernatural. The U.S. has plenty of such stories. In California alone, there have reportedly been 6,400 ghost sightings, many tied to eerie events with no clear explanation.

In fact, according to paranormal enthusiasts, California, Ohio, and Michigan are among the states with the most reported hauntings. Of course, few places are as famous as Salem, Massachusetts, though, which is known for its history of witch trials and the troubled spirits that allegedly still roam there to this day.

#4

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
My grandmother & I were waiting in the ICU waiting room for my grandfather to get out of heart surgery back in the early 1980’s. There was only one other family there visiting their extremely ill mother. We were each entertaining ourselves quietly, some reading, my grandmother was knitting, others were writing. All was silent in the little room. We had earlier mentioned that the generic “grade school” looking clock wasn’t accurate. About an hour goes by, and randomly the clock hands start whirring very fast clockwise, then stopped and rapidly went backwards, and stopped. We all looked at each other to confirm that we had all just experienced the same thing. This clock continued to RANDOMLY spin forward or backwards at the oddest times. Scared some of the visitors so much the wouldn’t stay in the room. After my grandfather was in recovery, I mentioned that this clock was acting weirdly. She said, “Oh we know about it and have had it checked out and once it was replaced, but continued to randomly spin forward or backwards. We’ve gotten used to it.” Do you know why it does that? I asked. She said , oh it just the ghosts who have passed when they were in this unit messing with the living.” Another nurse, at the nurses station piped up and said it was a former patient of hers named Ben trying to liven up our waiting. If it disturbed us to much all we need to say was, That’s enough Ben, and that he would stop.

The next day it happened again and I spoke out loud to Ben as advised, and it stopped. This all happened at a hospital in Portland ME and there were 6-8 people who witnessed it both times.
14points

#5

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Apologies but I'm a bad story teller...
I used to be a network technician working for local government in the UK. The offices were a maze of very old buildings, built in the 16th century iirc.

A colleague and I were making some changes to network switches that had to be done out of hours and after evening backups had ran as it involved dropping links and rebooting.

It was about 2/3am and we were nearing completion. My colleague was in another part of the site working, I was in the MDF room tappity tapping away at a switch config. The MDF happened to be next door to the old condemned cell - where criminals were kept the night before they were taken outside and ended.

As I was working i heard footsteps walking down the corridor, I shouted out thinking it was my colleague. No response. I got up and stuck my head round the door. There was noone there. I phoned him and he confirmed he was still at the other side of the site.

I set back to work and again footsteps and a heavy door opening and closing. I called out, but again nothing.

After another 10 mins or so I heard the footsteps again, this time the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt as if I was being watched. I heard a noise in my ear, like a loud wheezy "HHHUUUUUUUR" like someone was breathing into my ear. I quickly confirmed i could remote into the switch. Saved the config and got the hell out of there.

I learnt sometime afterwards that they used to use the condemned cell for file storage but had to stop as the files kept getting rearranged.
13points

#6

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I worked in my teens in a fish and chip shop in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Each Friday night, I was working on my own until midnight, when the owner or their relative would come and help me close up. During the first few shifts until I learnt the ropes, I wore my glasses. But I was a vain teenager and could manage without them, so when I ran the shift 6-12 pm on my own, I stopped wearing them. Then each friday like clock work just before 11 pm each night, a little old man would go by and say "night nipper" as though he had come out of the neighbouring pub. I used to put my hair in my cap, so I thought he probably thinks I'm a boy. He never came in, and when I think back, he never looked in. He kinda called out as walking by.

My dad had been the mayor of Shanklin for a little while, so I had a lot of older people who would say hi, and I never knew who they were, so I thought nothing of it. This Friday night ritual went on until I left.

Years later, I was clearing out my dad's things after he was gone, and there was a picture of the old man. I asked my Mum who he is. She said, "That's Hector, you remember him when you were little, he lived at the bottom of the road. He called you nipper as you had short hair, and you would get cross as you thought 'nipper' was for calling boys, but it's an islander way of saying young one. I asked did Hector move? My mum was confused why I was so interested, said: "No, he was gone when you were 6 or 7, I think he had a heart attack one evening in town.".
13points

These spine-chilling stories may actually go beyond just physical experiences, though. In fact, many psychologists tie moments that may seem potentially paranormal to being simply a fragment of the mind. Perhaps triggered by hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and suggestibility, the human brain can simply turn sensory input into the perception that something or someone is right there with us.

So it’s not that we’re not experiencing these moments, but rather that when we see something out of the ordinary while knowing we’re in a place that is otherwise known for being “haunted,” it may just be our brains playing tricks on us. A door opening or closing may simply be the wind, and an old hotel making creaking noises may just be… because it’s old.

#7

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Wow do I have SO many stories. Recently I worked at a Mexican restaurant that was in a building from 1890. There is more than one spirit/entity there and every staff member has seen/felt/heard something, some of those experiences have been shared at the same time. I won’t get into everything, but one particular day I cleaned all but one picture frame (I couldn’t reach) and the angry woman who haunted the place knocked it off the wall. She pulled my hair that day and also tried to close the ice machine door on my head while I was scooping ice. The motion detector cameras in the bar actually caught her face and the picture frame incident, too.
13points

#8

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I work in a school that was built in the 1800's. Since I'm a regular staff member and not teaching faculty, I work in Summer. Given that fact, besides a handful of custodians, there really aren't any other people in the building with me. One day I had to meet a parent at our main entrance to drop off some forms, and on my way back to my office I was admiring what a great job our custodians had done polishing the floors. I mean, the floors were GLEAMING.

As I was walking and marveling at the shiny floor I saw a boy, about six years old wearing sandy colored shorts with a white short-sleeve button down and shiny brown ankle boots running down the hall. The weird thing was that the child I saw wasn't in the hall, but reflected on the floor. Kind of how you would see a reflection when looking into a pond.

It was a very eerie, unexplainable experience, and since I'm really chicken, I don't admire the floors much after they've been polished anymore.
12points

#9

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
When it snows a few inches in Seattle, the city shuts down. I used to work in a doctor's office in a hospital. It wasn't the part of the hospital with patients, just labs and clinics.
During a storm, I was the only one in the office and mostly sitting around answering the phone.
I may have been the only person in the entire tower besides the security on the first floor.
I felt someone in the waiting room all day, especially around the fish tank. I kept on checking one of the patient rooms.
I don't know why I remember that day so well, but I can remember every part of the clinic that day. That was almost 20 years ago, but I can hear the sounds and feel the dread like a map.
I'm sure I just creeped myself out. Fish tank noises and "empty hospital" probably contributed.
9points

Paranormal experts also often state that the most common reasons behind these allegedly unexplainable moments are mold and gas leaks. Toxic black mold is quite common in older buildings without proper insulation, and these professionals have explained that, if not dealt with properly, it can easily become a main cause of hallucinations and even stress-induced sleep paralysis.

Gas leaks are also more common than one might think, and chemical exposure in older houses and buildings may be enough to make the average person start seeing and feeling things that aren’t really there. Considering that most of these stories do happen in places like old buildings or hotels, the chances of some kind of intoxication are higher than we might assume, which in and of itself is scary enough.

#10

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
So the volunteer fire department in the small town we use for our secondary ambulance station has the spirit of one of the former volunteer chiefs who passed away. Nothing really started until the volunteers built a memorial for him in the station. It used to be you'd just see a flash of light walk past a door. Then it turned into full blown noises out in the bay late at night. Doors on the fire trucks opening and closing. Foot steps. Whispering. I will never forget my very first shift in that station when we took over after they got our living quarters built. I was sleeping very good because it was one of those rare nights we don't get called out. I locked my bedroom door before bed because anyone can come and go on the fire department. 6:45 am rolls around and my bedroom door opens and a deep male voice tells me "It's 6:45. It's time to wake up." I thought I was dreaming when it woke me up. Sure thing my bedroom door was wide open. Nobody else was at the station except my partner who was a woman.

Another time I was laying in bed around the middle of the afternoon just bored because it was a slow day. I was watching a movie on my iPad. I felt the pressure of someone sit on the side of my bed but there was nobody visibly there. He will do this frequently if you were laying in bed during the day.

He is also a lot more vocal lately. He whispers just outside the bedroom doors or right in your ear as you're laying in bed at night.
9points

#11

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
My husband was locked down for a DUI, and we were living alone at that time. It was about 3ish in the morning when I finally shut everything down to try and get some sleep.

My house was small, tiny living room/kitchen, 1 bedroom and bathroom. My bedroom door faced toward the kitchen and I left my bedroom door open. Anyway, I was halfway between asleep and awake when I heard this blood curdling female scream coming from my kitchen. Next thing I hear is all 3 of my cats' claws scrambling on the floor as they came hauling furry little tushies into my room. There was just enough light to see that all three had eyes wide open and ears slicked back on their skulls. They jumped up on the bed with me. One was plastered to my side in front of me, another was plastered to my side in back of me, and the mama cat was laying on my back. They didn't move until the sun came up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another time I had just got into the shower when I swear I heard my 3 year old nephew screaming my name in the yard between the front house and my house in the back. I jumped out of the shower, wrapped my towel around me and ran out to the back yard. My nephew wasn't there, but one of my brothers was standing in the doorway and I asked him where my nephew was. My brother said he wasn't there, then asked me if I heard him screaming for me too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a different house, we were living with a housemate, about 4/5:00 in the morning, my husband and I were sitting in front of the window smoking a cigarette, housemate was sitting at the kitchen table. What looked like a smokey, see through head came flying by the side of my face. I turned around and my housemate was staring at me with her eyes wide open and asked me if I had seen that too. Yes ma'am, I sure did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

My aunt's house. My grandma was sick so my mom and I (I was 14 at this time) took the greyhound to where they were living and my mom and I stayed with my aunt. I was staying in my cousin's room in the basement. She had asked me to braid her hair for school in the morning. Once again, I was halfway awake and halfway asleep. I heard the basement door open then shut, and footsteps down the stairs and then a light knocking on the door. Footsteps going back up, basement door open and shut again. I figured it was time for my cousin to start getting ready for school, so I went upstairs and everyone is still asleep. I went back down and then locked the door. Then I hear it again. Basement door opens and shuts, footsteps coming down the stairs, but this time the doorknob jiggled like someone was trying to get in. Then footsteps back up the stairs, door opens and shuts. I went back upstairs and still, nobody is awake. I made my uncle go down and get my stuff because I wasn't sleeping in that room anymore after that.

~~~~~~~~~~

Same aunt's house. This time it was my brother and mom that went for my cousin's wedding. I don't really know what all happened because my brother refused to say, but my cousin told me that my brother was sleeping in the back room of their house and something happened because when she woke up and went in the back room, my brother was sitting up, hugging a pillow and he refused to stay in her house ever again. He went and stayed with our other aunt and refused to go back. A few months later there was a fire in that room he was staying in and they ended up having to rebuild their home from the ground up.
8points

#12

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
My office was downstairs from the lobby, it used to be a ballroom. The hotel is over 100 years old. It was after 1am...I was coming from an event, headed to my desk to wrap up financials. As I walked the stairs downward I could hear a party.......glasses clinking, muffled voices and music. It was completely dark. I rounded the corner flipped a switch... and now, totally silent. A room of cubicles just as it should be.
8points

The paranormal, however, has long been discussed by both believers and skeptics alike. While science will quickly explain the very existence of ghosts through logic, paranormal aficionados will often go the exact opposite route, attributing the cases where there is no logical explanation for certain events to the paranormal.

Nonetheless, a large percentage of people actually believe in ghosts. A 2021 poll indicated that 41% of U.S. adults have admitted to believing in paranormal activity, while 20% have admitted to having had paranormal experiences themselves. This, however, may also go to show that both culture and religion also play a big part in our belief system and how it operates when faced with adversity.

#13

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
My brother did housecleaning at an historic inn downtown. He would see shapes dart out of the corner of his eye when he looked in mirrors, and the beds would untuck themselves after he’d made crisp corners. Some days he heard footsteps up behind him on the narrow stairs, and his hair stood on end.

Add to that his vacuum being constantly unplugged when the cord was completely slack and toilets flushing themselves.

When he brought it up with his manager, she said, “Oh, don’t mind that. It’s happened since I can remember.”.
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7points

#14

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Worked graveyard shift in an old boutique hotel. It was only me and the front desk lady. I didn't have much to do at nights so I would sit in the lounge and watch movies on my laptop. One night I was watching a movie and I looked up towards the front desk and I saw a little boy staring at me. In my head I thought "oops didn't hear the elevator open, must be a family checking out." I set my laptop down and got up to walk into the lobby, once I walked around the corner there was no one in there. I radioed the front desk lady and asked if she saw anyone on camera, to which she replied "no."

The boy was probably 9, wearing an old newsboys outfit from the early 1900s. Didn't creep me out, but definitely made me question my sanity.
7points

#15

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I worked in a building that used to be the payroll location for a lumber business in the Pacific Northwest. (One of our meeting rooms was actually a vault with a big vault door.) It was an old brick building with hardwood floors and even a fireplace. The space had a subtle creepy vibe but nothing too major. Cool to work there. However, the security system would trip at night and the company would have to come and investigate. They kept getting notices that the back door was being opened. There were so many times when the security company would be at the office trying to figure out what was tripping the alarms at night. We always joked about having a sleepover in the building to see what we could witness. But of course we never did.
6points

Professionals have asked for opinions from fields ranging from psychology to religion, and unsurprisingly, the theories are endless. They claim that cultural belief in ghosts is an integral part of many societies (i.e., El Día de los Muertos, celebrated in Mexico), and that those who seek solace in religion may also find comfort in the idea of spirits protecting the living.

In fact, quite a few of these stories end up having a wholesome twist, with people being reminded of their loved ones or even connecting with what they believe to be a kindred spirit — so if no harm is done, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of haunting. So, what do you think of these stories? Have you experienced any haunted moments yourself? Let us know in the comments!

#16

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I grew up in a haunted house. Idk why but it feels embarrassing to share like no one will believe it and think I make stuff up. But I would hear steps running up and down the hallways at night so I would sleep facing the wall. One night I woke up and had the urge to look at my bedroom door and sure enough there was a god darn little girl standing there. Idk my heart dropped and after sometime I was able to turn over and shut my eyes as hard as they could until I went back to sleep.
6points

#17

Worked in a "haunted" hotel for about 3 months, noticed all the internals were from the time the house was built, which is why there's occasionally issues with electrical equipment or a sense of unease, the building itself is generating a small electromagnetic force, but apparently explaining that to people is grounds for getting fired.
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6points

#18

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I worked for the parking department of the Disneyland Hotel. That day I was working with a coworker I really liked that was 6’5” and 650 pounds. He jokingly pushed me and a large hand, which I assumed was his, grabbed my arm and kept me from falling in front of a car that was driving up which would have run me over. When I thanked him for grabbing me later he told me he’d never grabbed me.

A few months later I had transferred to our bell department. I was helping our bellman, who was around 65 at the time, take luggage up to rooms since it was backing up on him. It was around 11:30 pm at this point, bar and pool are closed. I heard children laughing in the pool area and since I was taking bags up I decided I’d tell them to go back to their rooms if they didn’t have any adults there. I came back down and still heard children’s laughter so I used my master key to let myself into the pool area. There were no kids or adults, the entire pool deck was empty. While no one legally passes away on Disney property (they’ll have you taken off property to be declared gone according to corporate policy) I have no doubt someone drowned in that pool.
6points

#19

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
I didn't work there, but on a trip to Ireland I stayed at the ballyseede castle (I'll have to probably edit that spelling lol.) it's like a b&b castle so I thought maybe it had a ghost. I was sharing a room with 2 other girls and we were all asleep. I woke up around 3 and saw a shadow figure looking over me. I was terrified but like just kinda tried to not freak out and wake my friends. we had breakfast the next morning and the guy who like is the waiter / castle expert confirmed that there was a ghost there named Hilda. she actually seems sweet but apparently she scares a lot of people doing the same stuff. I went to her grave on the property and wished her a good rest. told her thanks for visiting, sorry I was scared lol.
6points

#20

41 Chilling Encounters People Had That Turned Ordinary Homes Into Something Far More Sinister
Not my story, but one that was told to me by my friend in the early 90s.

We were in the Army, stationed in Mannheim, Germany. The buildings on our post were old WWII barracks. One building was just used for storage, so it was empty most of the time. My friend (I'll call him "Kris" for clarity) was a driver for the command staff, that meant when he wasn't driving them around, he was open to do all kinds of BS little jobs. One day he had to get some folding chairs from the storage building.

Kris came to me just when I was going to lunch and he was all shaken up. He said the building was empty, but he kept hearing whispers in German and seeing shadows. He was genuinely scared to go back and get the chairs and asked me to go with him. I didn't because I was about to meet my (at the time) girlfriend for lunch.

Kris did get the chairs, but he was adamant that the ghosts of WWII German soldiers were haunting the place. I can't say if that's true, but he wasn't a "joker" kind of guy and he didn't scare easily.
5points
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