Looking for the most haunted places to visit in Los Angeles?
You’ve come to the right place.
Los Angeles is one of America’s shining jewels.
Home to history, high finance, and of course Hollywood, there’s so much to see and do in the City of Angels.
With the region’s story spanning back hundreds of years to the time of the Spanish missionaries, it’s only natural that Los Angeles would also be the site of more paranormal activity than almost any other place in the United States.
Photo credit left: flickr/fatalblades right: flickr/deadbydawn
Updated 2/10/2020 – Check out some of our favorite spooky spots to visit in L.A..
If you decide to visit, bring a friend.
You might need someone to hold onto.
Haunted Los Angeles: The 13 Scariest Places to Visit if You Want to See a Real Ghost
1) Wonderland Murders House
Photo credit: flickr/leavetheguntakethecannoli
This was the site of a grisly murder committed by porn star John Holmes.
The story goes he used a lead pipe to murder four drug dealers here.
The act of vigilante justice (or was it?) inspired the Val Kilmer movie Wonderland and along the way created one of the most haunted locales to check out in Los Angeles.
The ghosts here are angry, and will sometimes push and pull at visitors, especially at night.
Get too close to the TV, and the supernatural activity intensifies.
Don’t change the channel, they’re watching it.
It’s all they’ve got anymore.
Address:
8763 Wonderland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
2) “The Entity” House
Photo credit: roadtrippers.com
Some haunted places to check out in Los Angeles aren’t all fun and games.
They’re truly terrifying!
Such is the case with this house formerly owned by Doris Bither.
She was the victim of incredibly violent spectral assaults by poltergeists.
They would throw objects around and physically attack her, to the point that she and her family fled.
The poltergeists followed them, to their extreme dismay.
The events at this cursed home were so shocking that they inspired a horror movie.
The Entity, released in 1981 and 2012, dramatizes the events as Hollywood does.
However, there is a horrifying core of truth to the tale.
A recent visitor who consulted telephone psychics, prior to visiting, was advised to stay away from this home.
She chose to do otherwise and since that day reports problems with severe nightmares.
Address:
11547 Braddock Drive
Culver City, CA 90230
3) The Old Zoo, Griffith Park
Photo credit: flickr/disneykrayzie
No longer operational as a zoo, this is now a cute picnic area where you can see the caves and pens once inhabited by tigers and lions and bears.
At least, that’s during the day.
At night, the Old Zoo is among the little-known haunted places to spend time at in Los Angeles.
The animal spirits are active here, and their chitters and cries are downright unnerving.
Spirits can impart emotions on the living, and a feeling of fear and panic permeates the zoo.
Turn on the recorder and you might catch an EVP of wolf howls.
Oh my!
Address:
4730 Crystal Springs Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
4) Silent Movie Theatre
Photo credit: stageandcinema.com
This historic theatre has stood since 1942.
Although silent films were long dead and gone by that time, the theatre was intended to celebrate their history.
A later owner of the building, actor Lawrence Austen, was shot and killed by his boyfriend who worked as a projectionist.
The girl working the concession counter was left for dead in the shooting, but she survived and was a great help to the police.
It’s become one of LA’s great scary places to tour.
Ever since that day, Lawrence has appeared to young women in the theatre on occasion.
They say he’s looking for the one who was present at his murder, perhaps to thank her for bringing the projectionist to justice.
Address:
611 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
5) Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle
Photo credit: Dearly Departed Tours
Something is weird about this spot in Beverly Hills.
It’s definitely one of the strangest paranormal places to visit in LA, but the forces at work here go beyond ghosts and spirits.
It’s just bad luck, this place.
Howard Hughes crashed a plane here.
Bugsy Siegel was murdered here.
Jan & Dean almost died in a truly bizarre car accident.
A successful publicist was killed here in a seemingly random drive-by shooting.
A few spiritual advisors, who normally give psychic readings online, visited the area in-person and reported intense feelings of anger and confusion.
Clairvoyants often experience jumbled visions of pain and suffering.
The stories go on and on and they won’t stop.
What is going on here?
Some parts of the world act as loci for supernatural forces, and it appears that Los Angeles is home to such a place.
Address:
N. Linden Dr. and N. Whittier Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
6) Hollywood Wax Museum
Photo credit: flickr/pawoodhead
This staple of the Hollywood tourism scene also happens to be a great haunted place to see in Los Angeles.
Although the figures here are all wax replicas, it seems even some ghosts can’t tell the difference by looking.
A woman has been seen praying on a bench before the representation of The Last Supper.
She’s typically seen in the early morning before the museum opens, or late at night.
When approached by security guards, she simply disappears.
They say she never appears on camera, even though multiple people swear they have seen her.
Her identity is unknown.
Address:
6767 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
7) Hollywood Pacific Theatre
Photo credit: flickr/specialagent
The Hollywood Pacific Theatre is historic, swanky, famous, and one of the very scary places to check out in Los Angeles.
The place suffers under an actual curse, cast by one of the Warner Bros. of all people.
Sam Warner was so upset that construction didn’t finish in time for the premiere of The Jazz Singer in 1928 that he cursed the place.
It seems to have backfired, as he died of a freak cerebral hemorrhage the day before the New York premiere of the film.
Today, his ghost has been seen all over the theatre, especially in the lobby and offices.
Address:
6433 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
8) Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Photo credit: flickr/khrkhr
As the final resting spot of luminaries like Alfred Hitchcock and Dee Dee Ramone, it’s no wonder that this graveyard is one of LA’s most ghost-infested spots.
If you dare to visit, you may see more than you bargain for.
There are numerous ghosts here, from a weeping woman who appears by a lake (it’s said that she is the spirit of Virginia Rappe), to groups of people dressed in period clothing.
The identity of these people are unknown.
They’re not movie stars.
Could they be cemetery visitors from yesteryear, reenacting the rituals of their old lives?
Whoever they are, they’re ephemeral.
Graveyard staff reports seeing them walk through walls.
Address:
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90038
9) Thriller House
Photo credit: flickr/pjraval
Not exactly qualifying as one of the haunted places to visit in the City of Angels, this is still a real treat for the paranormal enthusiast.
This old Victorian style house in Angelino Heights was featured in Michael Jackson’s Thriller video.
Yes, this is the house those zombies pounded on after Mikey and his girlfriend ran for what seemed like years.
The house is in a bit better shape than depicted in the video, but will still send a thrill down your spine, no pun intended!
For a little extra fun, head two doors down to see the house from TV’s Charmed.
Address:
1345 Carroll Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90026
10) Linda Vista Hospital
Photo credit: flickr/neilarmstrong2
Absolutely one of the scariest haunted places in Los Angeles, the Linda Vista Hospital has a long and storied history.
The place was downright infamous for its multitude of strong and malevolent spirits who loved to toy with hapless visitors and determined ghost hunters alike.
The hospital closed in 1991, and stood abandoned for years.
Today, the location has been renovated as senior housing.
The ghosts are still there, though, and certain hallways and especially the former boiler room are avoided by the staff and residents.
Address:
610-30 S. St. Louis St.
Los Angeles, CA 90023
11) Boris Karloff’s Rose Garden
Photo credit: Dearly Departed Tours
Famous horror actor of yesteryear Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, Curse of the Crimson Altar) was an avid gardener in his time.
His gardens were so beautiful that some of his friends made a highly unusual request.
They wished for their ashes to be scattered amongst the roses, so that they could enjoy them for all eternity.
As a good friend and the possessor of somewhat macabre taste, Boris obliged.
By doing so, he created one of L.A.’s most haunted places to tour.
Visitors to the gardens today can very clearly feel the presence of Karloff’s friends.
They’re peaceful, and most agree the haunting enhances the ambience of the gardens.
It’s still pretty creepy.
Address:
2320 Bowmont Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
12) Bela Lugosi’s Apartment
Photo credit: flickr/matthh
Another luminary of the old horror movie industry, Bela Lugosi is most famous as the man who gave life to Dracula.
Bela loved his fine cigars, and made a daily trek on foot to a nearby cigar shop.
The tall man died of a heart attack in 1956, to the mourning of the horror-loving nation.
His spirit gave one last spooky farewell to his fans, cementing his apartment as one of Los Angeles’s greatest haunted places to tour.
As the hearse carrying his body passed the apartment, it started driving itself, to the driver’s shock.
The hearse kept going on its stately journey, but made a slight detour.
It went right past Lugosi’s favorite cigar shop, at which point the driver regained control.
Address:
5620 Harold Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027
13) American Horror Story House
Photo credit: flickr/fatalblades
The filming location of the first season of American Horror Story, the Rosenheim Mansion easily tops the list of the most haunted places to visit in Los Angeles.
There’s something just downright creepy about this place.
You can feel it.
Although the murders depicted in the TV show didn’t occur here, it’s impossible not to wonder what did go down here.
Psychic sensitives have issues entering the house.
Their abilities go haywire, overloading them with information, and some have been known to suffer from migraines or pounding headaches.
Ghosts and spirits have been seen here for years, which was a large factor in the house’s selection as the so-called “murder house”.
They’re indistinct, but incredibly numerous.
People often feel crowded and suffocated in the house, especially in the grand dining room.
Address:
1120 Westchester Place
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Take a Haunted Tour of Los Angeles
Photo credit: Dearly Departed Tours
Want to explore the darker side of Los Angeles?
Then we highly recommend going on this tour:
Dearly Departed: The Tragic History Tour of Los Angeles
This ‘death tour’ is a 2.5-hour multimedia bus excursion investigating the infamous homes and locations where the city’s most famous stars met their demise.
On your tour you’ll see the places where death claimed some of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities throughout Beverly Hills, Hollywood and the Sunset Strip.
Macabre, dark, and thrilling, the Dearly Departed tour has been featured by both Anthony Bourdain’s ‘The Layover’ and E!’s ‘Hollywood Death Trip’.
Here’s a quick video with some highlights of the tour:
If you’re in the mood for an unhinged trip into the twisted past of Los Angeles, you’ve gotta check this tour out.
Click Here to check the availability of tickets for the Dearly Departed tour.
