The world is dangerous. Whether you're atop a mountain, in a forest, or below the sea, someone or something can strike, scream, whisper, lurk, watch, trap, twist, shatter, drown, burn, freeze, poison, chase, grab, stalk, or even kill you.
Curious about which places top people's anti-bucket lists, Reddit user Hwangster4 asked everyone on the platform to share the creepiest corners of the globe they'd never want to visit—at least not without an Iron Man suit and a battalion for backup.
#1
Underwater caves would be pretty high up on my list, if not right up at the very top of it!
109points
#2
Nutty Putty Cave
ShiraCheshire:
I don't understand that hobby.
Going into a spacious proven safe cave that doesn't fill with water at any point... yeah okay, not my cup of tea but I see how that's exciting for people.
But going into flooded/near flooded caves, going into caves you can easily get lost in, going into incredibly narrow caves you can easily get stuck in, going into caves that fill with water when the tide changes... why.
ShiraCheshire:
I don't understand that hobby.
Going into a spacious proven safe cave that doesn't fill with water at any point... yeah okay, not my cup of tea but I see how that's exciting for people.
But going into flooded/near flooded caves, going into caves you can easily get lost in, going into incredibly narrow caves you can easily get stuck in, going into caves that fill with water when the tide changes... why.
93points
Of course, the fact that there are many types of places on this list illustrates how subjective our fears can be. According to the DSM-5, specific phobias typically fall within five general categories:
- fears related to animals (spiders, dogs, insects, etc.)
- fears related to the natural environment (heights, thunder, darkness)
- fears related to blood, injury, or medical issues (injections, broken bones, falls)
- fears related to specific situations (flying, riding an elevator, driving)
- others (drowning, loud noises)
#3
The Strid at Bolton Abbey
It's a river in England that looks almost quaint but is anything but.
It's a river in England that looks almost quaint but is anything but.
69points
#4
Not really anything scary but kinda creepy so here goes. There's a coal mining town in PA called Centralia. It's unknown how exactly it happened but the mine caught fire in 1962 and the underground of the town has been on fire to this day. Basically a ghost town with a population of like 5 people. This town also apparently is the inspiration for the game silent Hill.
66points
#5
This is more eerie than scary, but towns that have been flooded to make a reservoir. The idea that there are people's belongings and houses down there, at the bottom of the lake, preserved in the cold water.
60points
Interestingly, the most common specific phobias in the U.S. include:
- Claustrophobia: Fear of being in constricted, confined spaces;
- Aerophobia: Fear of flying;
- Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders;
- Driving phobia: Fear of driving a car;
- Emetophobia: Fear of vomiting;
- Erythrophobia: Fear of blushing;
- Hypochondria: Fear of becoming ill;
- Zoophobia: Fear of animals;
- Aquaphobia: Fear of water;
- Acrophobia: Fear of heights;
- Blood, injury, and injection (BII) phobia: Fear of injuries involving blood;
- Escalaphobia: Fear of escalators;
- Tunnel phobia: Fear of tunnels;
And we can kind of see this list reflected in people's submissions.
#6
The very true out back of Australia. If you're traveling nobody expects to see you for up to a week, nobody expects phone calls or messages as theres no phone service. If you break down it could take a couple days until you are found by a passing car. And if they don't find you in time the dry extreme heat will k**l you, you could never pack enough water to survive as long as it takes for someone to notice you're even missing. It's unforgiving and a horrible way to die.
Not to mention that if you die the heat will decompose you in a matter of days and scavengers will scatter you meaning your family may never know.
Not to mention that if you die the heat will decompose you in a matter of days and scavengers will scatter you meaning your family may never know.
60points
#7
F*****g Snake Island.
Something crazy like 2 snakes per square metre lol.
Something crazy like 2 snakes per square metre lol.
58points
#8
Aside from the well known places such as various death camps, prisons and battlefields.
F*****g Poveglia island. Throughout the history it was used as quarantine zone during the plague outbreaks, there are multiple mass graves on site, supposedly it was just a dying ground for the afflicted, where at some places the very soil was purely composed of rotting plague corpses. The fun doesn't end there. Later on someone decided to build a mental asylum right on top of that, in 1922. Countless cases of observed hauntings by the patients, but nobody belived them, since they were supposedly crazy. The headmaster of the institute then later on commited s*****e by climbing the belltower and jumping down.
F*****g Poveglia island. Throughout the history it was used as quarantine zone during the plague outbreaks, there are multiple mass graves on site, supposedly it was just a dying ground for the afflicted, where at some places the very soil was purely composed of rotting plague corpses. The fun doesn't end there. Later on someone decided to build a mental asylum right on top of that, in 1922. Countless cases of observed hauntings by the patients, but nobody belived them, since they were supposedly crazy. The headmaster of the institute then later on commited s*****e by climbing the belltower and jumping down.
53points
#9
Haunted forest of Romania and in that forest: a circle where nothing grows. Anything from strange UFO sightings in there to a little girl went missing for 5 years and reappeared, when questioned, she couldn't remember anything between the time she disappeared to the time she reappeared. Even creepier is the circle. A perfect circle where no plants grow and wildlife doesnt go into either. No explanation as to why things don't grow and very strange myths and legends. Personally, I'm not someone to get wigged out on much, but everytime I think, hear or see pictures of this site, hair on the back on my neck stands up. Every time. I get weird vibes from that site just looking at it
Edit: I'm not an expert on this forest. OP asked for scary places on earth known to man. I watched a documentary on this forest. I gave my opinion what I believe to be pretty creepy at least given the stories and such and the vibes I get when I see things related to the forest. So please stop trying to "discredit" my opinion on what I think is creepy for op. The forest is interesting, and the documentary discussed a lot. Again. I'm not an expert. Have a good day guys.
Edit: I'm not an expert on this forest. OP asked for scary places on earth known to man. I watched a documentary on this forest. I gave my opinion what I believe to be pretty creepy at least given the stories and such and the vibes I get when I see things related to the forest. So please stop trying to "discredit" my opinion on what I think is creepy for op. The forest is interesting, and the documentary discussed a lot. Again. I'm not an expert. Have a good day guys.
53points
#10
If you are afraid of dolls/mannequins
The silent people(hiljainen kansa)-field in Finland
Its a field of mannequins facing the main road... and somebody goes and changes their clothes once in a while
Its really creepy in spring when the nights are still dark.
The silent people(hiljainen kansa)-field in Finland
Its a field of mannequins facing the main road... and somebody goes and changes their clothes once in a while
Its really creepy in spring when the nights are still dark.
Report
45points
#11
Hot Tub of Despair
Scientists have discovered a 'lake' in the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone, who enters this pool at the bottom of the sea will suffer horribly.
The water in the 'lake within the sea' is about five times as salty as the water surrounding it. It also contains highly toxic concentrations of methane and hydrogen sulphide and can thus not mix with the surrounding sea.
For animals (and people) who swim into it, these toxic concentrations can be deadly. Only bacterial life, tube worms, and shrimp can survive those circumstances.
Scientists have discovered a 'lake' in the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone, who enters this pool at the bottom of the sea will suffer horribly.
The water in the 'lake within the sea' is about five times as salty as the water surrounding it. It also contains highly toxic concentrations of methane and hydrogen sulphide and can thus not mix with the surrounding sea.
For animals (and people) who swim into it, these toxic concentrations can be deadly. Only bacterial life, tube worms, and shrimp can survive those circumstances.
Report
45points
#12
Catacombs of Paris.
Whackjob-KSP:
I remember the article about some kids trespassing to explore those catacombs, and they found the body of a girl that had gone missing years earlier. Apparently another group of kids had gone down there, and in all the fun missed that they were sans one. Apparently, she had blundered around, in the dark and silence, before falling down and just dying there.
Whackjob-KSP:
I remember the article about some kids trespassing to explore those catacombs, and they found the body of a girl that had gone missing years earlier. Apparently another group of kids had gone down there, and in all the fun missed that they were sans one. Apparently, she had blundered around, in the dark and silence, before falling down and just dying there.
Report
44points
#13
Kawah Ijen Volcano
Constantly spews sulfur in gas and liquid, lit up with bright blue flames, and has a lake of acid with pH down to 0.5.
Constantly spews sulfur in gas and liquid, lit up with bright blue flames, and has a lake of acid with pH down to 0.5.
Report
43points
#14
It depends on what you qualify as scary. Places that come to mind are the marianas trench, chernobyl and if you can count it the kola super deep bore hole in russia.
Marianas trench is so deep its impossible for humans to survive down there in any way IIRC. Yet weird baloon like fish manage to live down there.
Chernobyl is self explanatory, though the radiation has significantly declined over the years its still a very dangerous zone, especially with the radiation mutated animals like something out of fallout.
The kola super deep bore hole was a project by the soviets to try and break through the earths crust and get to the earths mantle. I think the size of it was only maybe a foot wide tunnel dug straight down. But it got to the point where their equipment couldnt operate anymore because of the extreme temperatures, something like 180 degrees celsius or some other high temperature. It was stopped with the collapse of the soviet union and the final depth was about 7.5 miles down. The scary part about it is that these f*****s literally dug a third of the way through earths crust just to see if they could/what would happen and just slapped a cover over it.
Marianas trench is so deep its impossible for humans to survive down there in any way IIRC. Yet weird baloon like fish manage to live down there.
Chernobyl is self explanatory, though the radiation has significantly declined over the years its still a very dangerous zone, especially with the radiation mutated animals like something out of fallout.
The kola super deep bore hole was a project by the soviets to try and break through the earths crust and get to the earths mantle. I think the size of it was only maybe a foot wide tunnel dug straight down. But it got to the point where their equipment couldnt operate anymore because of the extreme temperatures, something like 180 degrees celsius or some other high temperature. It was stopped with the collapse of the soviet union and the final depth was about 7.5 miles down. The scary part about it is that these f*****s literally dug a third of the way through earths crust just to see if they could/what would happen and just slapped a cover over it.
42points
#15
Boesmansgat
It barely looks like much more than a pond, yet is actually hundreds of metres deep and multiple people have died there.
I read a couple of articles that, whilst fascinating, were also faintly terrifying.
It barely looks like much more than a pond, yet is actually hundreds of metres deep and multiple people have died there.
I read a couple of articles that, whilst fascinating, were also faintly terrifying.
42points
#16
Antarctica, with temperatures that can drop down to -89C, winds up to 300+km/h, thousands of Km from the closest inhabited nation, ultra low population density which the super majority are concentrated at various camps and just a place of ice. Get lost and you're dead.
40points
#17
Mayak nuclear facility in Russia, including the nearby Lake Karachay and the Techla River.
Probably the most polluted place in the entire planet where there have been more nuclear accidents than I’d like to count and the authorities have been dumping nuclear waste into the lake for 50+ years, just converting it with concrete slowly.
They’ve also been dumping water into the river for all that time too and it’s unknown how many people living downstream might have suffered from radiation and poisoning of their water/food supplies.
Storage facilities for high level and low level waste are essentially rotting away and neglected or poorly operated, leading to repeated criticality events and explosions over its lifetime. This place has emitted more radiation into the environment than any other nuclear accident in history; including Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Probably the most polluted place in the entire planet where there have been more nuclear accidents than I’d like to count and the authorities have been dumping nuclear waste into the lake for 50+ years, just converting it with concrete slowly.
They’ve also been dumping water into the river for all that time too and it’s unknown how many people living downstream might have suffered from radiation and poisoning of their water/food supplies.
Storage facilities for high level and low level waste are essentially rotting away and neglected or poorly operated, leading to repeated criticality events and explosions over its lifetime. This place has emitted more radiation into the environment than any other nuclear accident in history; including Chernobyl and Fukushima.
40points
#18
The blue burrito.
In prison if you go on a hunger strike, or if you are a s*****e risk, they will wrap you up in this blue binding with your hands to your sides. Only your head poking out the top. And throw you in that tiny padded broom closet room.
And leave you wrapped up like this 24 hours a day, for as long as they want. Theyll help you eat, and go to the bathroom, but otherwise you will be completely immobilized.
That sounds worse than death.
In prison if you go on a hunger strike, or if you are a s*****e risk, they will wrap you up in this blue binding with your hands to your sides. Only your head poking out the top. And throw you in that tiny padded broom closet room.
And leave you wrapped up like this 24 hours a day, for as long as they want. Theyll help you eat, and go to the bathroom, but otherwise you will be completely immobilized.
That sounds worse than death.
40points
#19
The North Korea/South Korea border.
Less of creepiness, and more of direct danger that makes it so you will most likely die within seconds. More than likely there have been hundreds (possibly even thousands) of people that were shot or blown up in that area with their remains never retrieved.
Less of creepiness, and more of direct danger that makes it so you will most likely die within seconds. More than likely there have been hundreds (possibly even thousands) of people that were shot or blown up in that area with their remains never retrieved.
Report
39points
#20
The ocean, we know more about other planets than we do below the surface of the ocean. Their is an estimated 100 thousand to 10 million species that are undiscovered. "Point Nemo" also know as the loneliest place on earth is located in the ocean. The closest island is the Pitcairn which is still 2,700 KM (1,677 Miles) and inhabited by approximately 50 people. If you were at point nemo and the international space station were to pass over you, they would be the closest people to you. Not only is the ocean lonely and cold, it also has lots of pressure. If you were to be placed at the bottom of the Mariana Trench with no protection you would be crushed with the force of about 50 jumbo jets. Which is around 25,000,000 Pounds or 12,500 tons.
38points