Haunted Places

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Real places, real tragedies, and the ghosts left behind.

The gist

Haunted Places stages each location as a cluster of short dramas: a present-day visitor sees something that should not be there, and the script steps back to the tragedy that might explain it. Narrated history runs between the scenes, so the 1928 Charfield collision or Boggo Road Gaol's bleak cells arrive as fact beside the fright.

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About Haunted Places

Haunted Places runs on a simple premise with a lot of structure underneath: pick a real location with a dark past, then tell its ghost story as drama. The places range widely. Recent titles include 'Pfister Hotel' in Milwaukee, 'Chaonei No. 81' in Beijing, 'Koh Kham Noi' off the coast of Thailand, 'Hill of Crosses' in Lithuania and 'Hoia Baciu Forest' in Romania, alongside a university dorm, a Nashville auditorium and a fort in Boston Harbor. Episodes tend to open with a plain-spoken advisory naming exactly what is coming, whether domestic violence, execution, pandemics or references to enslavement, along with a warning about children under 13. Then comes a scene. A newcomer walking a Gloucestershire village at night hears a train whistle where no train runs. A tour guide at Boggo Road Gaol notices a man staring at her a little too intently. A young man tags someone else's mural on Hosier Lane and watches his spray paint refuse to clear. From there, the script travels backward, staging the lives and deaths that might explain the haunting. In 'Charfield Railway', that means a man searching a burning carriage for someone named Lucy, and a driver at an inquest confronted by a ghost no one else in the courtroom can see. In 'Davelis Cave', the cast runs from a stonecutter hauling stolen marble to a scientist working underground beside a Defense Department colonel. Woven between the scenes is a narrated layer of history, delivered straight. The narration notes that the Charfield driver had a spotless record across 37 years before the 1928 collision, that Melbourne's graffiti is legal only with a wall owner's permission, and that Boggo Road's early cells had bars but no window panes. That record is where the speculation attaches. On Hosier Lane, the narration wonders whether the spirit of the killer Frederick Deeming lingers there because a famous artist is exactly the kind of prize he would covet. The writing leans hard into atmosphere and, at times, close physical gore. It also leaves room for small human moments, like a brother in 'Cahawba' insisting on picking the music for the drive home, or a stonecutter rolling his eyes at a boss who never hears a thing. A cluster of episodes titled 'Behind The Conjuring' turns to houses tied to The Conjuring film franchise, including Amityville and Enfield. Closing credits name the writers, a fact checker, a researcher and a sound designer, and the episodes sign off with Greg Poulsen. For a first listen, 'Charfield Railway' shows the format at its clearest: a modern sighting, a reconstructed disaster and the driver's account of a signal, all bound together. The result sits somewhere between radio drama and a history lesson told with the lights off.

Made for: Suits a listener who likes ghost lore pinned to real places and real dates, and who would rather hear a haunting acted out than argued over. A strong stomach helps; the advisories at the top are there for good reason.

What sets it apart: Rather than hosts trading theories, it offers scripted, sound-designed drama that cuts between a modern sighting, reconstructed tragedies from the past and a narrated historical record, with fact checking and research credited at the close.

In their own words

You’ve heard of haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, haunted islands...but do you know how a normal place can become a paranormal minefield? Every haunted place on earth has a frightening, real backstory. Every Thursday, we take you on an audio tour of a new haunted place, and its haunted history! Subscribe for free on Spotify to listen our Urban Legends bonus series every Tuesday. Haunted Places is a Spotify Original from Parcast.

Why you'd press play

A hotel cupola turns waiting for a sailor into a story you may wish you'd heard in daylight.

Press play if you want

  • to feel a haunting through dramatized people before you hear its backstory
  • to find the grief beneath a hotel's ghost story
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Ghost stories tied to real locationsHistorical disasters, murders and executionsPrisons and gaolsHotels, inns and grand housesChurches, cemeteries and ghost townsHouses linked to The Conjuring filmsSites spanning several continents

Talks about

Best episodes of Haunted Places

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

Big Moose LakeSep 30, 2021

Big Moose Lake finds its chill in mist, rain, and a silhouette that should not be there.

Big Moose Lake works best as a haunted-place piece, turning an Adirondack inn, a misted lake, and a rain-streaked hallway window into quiet pressure points.

Charfield RailwaySep 23, 2021

A village bridge becomes the point where an impossible whistle and a terrible railway memory meet.

Charfield Railway turns Tosh's nighttime walk over Wooten Road bridge into a quiet railway haunting, led by a whistle that arrives without a visible train.

CahawbaSep 16, 2021

Cahaba folklore turns concrete through a devil-delaying mirror, a ghost tree, and a ruined manor that will not sit still.

Haunted Places treats Cahaba, Alabama, as a place where protective folklore has weight, texture, and a job to do. Elijah's mother's blue-framed ghost mirror is not just a spooky object; it is meant to keep Satan fixed on his own reflection until sunrise.

Central Michigan UniversitySep 9, 2021

A dorm-room murder rumor and a night drained of color shape a campus haunting with a steady chill.

The episode makes Central Michigan University dorm life feel unstable, turning an ordinary hallway into a place with a violent afterlife. Mickey arrives at Wolt Hall hoping for relief after an exhausting science and engineering residency, but the room offers little refuge:…

St. James ParishSep 2, 2021

A mournful haunted-parish story where wartime memory, colonial dread, and regret move through the same fog.

St. James Parish offers Jack, an unhoused Wilmington man, a place to get through the night and steady himself when Vietnam presses too close to the present.

Podcasts like Haunted Places

Episodes

  1. 1

    Big Moose Lake

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places' Big Moose Lake opens with a woman-shaped mist at the Big Moose Inn in upstate New York, then ties the haunting to Grace Brown's death.

    Sep 30, 2021·41m·2 clips
  2. 2

    Introducing: Wild Wild West

    Sep 27, 2021·16m
  3. 3

    Charfield Railway

    Haunted Places, hosted by Greg Poulsen, examines the Charfield Railway disaster in Gloucestershire, where a 1928 collision killed 16 people and injured more than 40.

    Sep 23, 2021·41m·2 clips
  4. 4

    Cahawba

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places visits Old Cahaba, Alabama's first state capital, where floods, yellow fever, enslavement, and repeated abandonment shaped a ghost-town history.

    Sep 16, 2021·45m·3 clips
  5. 5

    Central Michigan University

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places visits Central Michigan University, a public research school with more than 19,000 students and multiple buildings associated with resident spirits.

    Sep 9, 2021·45m·4 clips
  6. 6

    St. James Parish

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places visits St.

    Sep 2, 2021·40m·2 clips
  7. 7

    La-Roche-En-Ardenne

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places examines the legend of Château de la Roche-en-Ardenne, a medieval castle in southern Belgium that has reportedly been haunted for more than 1,000 years.

    Aug 26, 2021·45m·3 clips
  8. 8

    Fort Warren

    Haunted Places examines Fort Warren on George’s Island through the legend of the Lady in Black, a Confederate woman said to have entered the fort to rescue her husband.

    Aug 19, 2021·43m·3 clips
  9. 9

    Hosier Lane

    Haunted Places examines Hosier Lane, Melbourne's graffiti-covered alley, through the legend of Frederick Bailey Deeming, a serial killer associated with murders in Melbourne and England.

    Aug 12, 2021·39m·2 clips
  10. 10

    Platte River Ghost Ship

    Haunted Places examines the Platte River Ghost Ship, a frost-covered 50-foot vessel linked to three recorded eyewitness accounts in Wyoming between 1862 and 1903.

    Aug 5, 2021·41m·2 clips
  11. 11

    Chaonei No. 81

    Haunted Places, hosted by Greg Poulsen, presents Chaonei No.

    Jul 29, 2021·45m·3 clips
  12. 12

    Casa Loma

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen recounts Casa Loma's construction by Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellet, who completed the 98-room castle in 1914 after spending the modern equivalent of $65 million.

    Jul 22, 2021·38m·2 clips
  13. 13

    Koh Kham Noi

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places examines Koh Kam Noi, a Thai island less than half a mile across that served as a burial ground for malaria victims.

    Jul 15, 2021·39m·2 clips
  14. 14

    Pfister Hotel

    Haunted Places examines the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee through stories involving Charles Pfister, his father Guido, and Ida, a Jewish immigrant worker Charles refuses to marry because of an inheritance condition.

    Jul 8, 2021·45m·3 clips
  15. 15

    Hill of Crosses

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines Lithuania's Hill of Crosses, where thousands of religious symbols became associated with Catholic resistance during Soviet occupation.

    Jul 1, 2021·42m·3 clips
  16. 16

    Ghost Mountain

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen investigates Ghost Mountain near Fayetteville, Arkansas, where locals reportedly hear a woman's screams around a hidden cabin and stone well.

    Jun 24, 2021·46m·3 clips
  17. 17

    One If By Land, Two If By Sea

    Haunted Places examines One If By Land, Two If By Sea at 17 Barrow Street in Manhattan's West Village, a restaurant built on a site associated with Aaron Burr, a firehouse, and an early-1900s brothel.

    Jun 17, 2021·42m·2 clips
  18. 18

    Davelis Cave

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines Develis Cave near Athens, Greece, a site associated with Pan worship, bandit legends, and a 1977 U.S.

    Jun 10, 2021·46m·3 clips
  19. 19

    Ryman Auditorium

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, which opened as Thomas Ryman's 1892 Union Gospel Tabernacle and hosted the Grand Ole Opry for 31 years.

    Jun 3, 2021·43m·3 clips
  20. 20

    Behind The Conjuring: The Amityville Horror House

    Haunted Places examines 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, linking the 1974 murders of six DeFeo family members to the later experiences reported by George and Kathy Lutz.

    May 27, 2021·48m·3 clips
  21. 21

    Behind The Conjuring: The Brookfield House

    Haunted Places examines the 1980 Brookfield, Connecticut case involving 12-year-old David Glatzel, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the house on Old Hollyville Road.

    May 20, 2021·42m·2 clips
  22. 22

    Behind The Conjuring: The Enfield House

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen recounts the 1977 Enfield haunting at 284 Green Street, where police constable Carolyn Heaps reported an empty armchair sliding three feet.

    May 13, 2021·44m·3 clips
  23. 23

    Behind The Conjuring: The Old Arnold Estate

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places examines the old Arnold Estate, a 1736 colonial on 200 acres that inspired the 2013 film The Conjuring.

    May 6, 2021·47m·3 clips
  24. 24

    The Black Monk House

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines 30 East Drive in Pontefract, England, where the Pritchard family reported flying objects, violent attacks, chickens, eggs, and floral scents.

    Apr 29, 2021·47m·3 clips
  25. 25

    Hoia Baciu Forest

    Haunted Places, hosted by Greg Poulsen, examines Romania's Hoia Baciu Forest through legends of disappearances, twisted trees, and a circular clearing called Poyana Rotunda.

    Apr 22, 2021·43m·3 clips
  26. 26

    Hotel Galvez

    Haunted Places examines Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas, a resort built in 1910 near the site of the 1900 hurricane that killed at least 8,000 people.

    Apr 15, 2021·53m·3 clips
  27. 27

    Boggo Road Gaol

    Haunted Places examines Bago Road Jail, a Queensland prison where 42 criminals were hanged between 1883 and 1913 before capital punishment ended in 1922.

    Apr 8, 2021·44m·3 clips
  28. 28

    Hahn Mansion

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places: Hahn Mansion traces the history of a 1916 craftsman home in Spokane’s South Hill, where construction accidents, disputed deaths, and reported apparitions accumulate across several owners.

    Apr 1, 2021·48m·3 clips
  29. 29

    Resurrection Cemetery

    Haunted Places examines Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, a 400-acre cemetery built in 1904 on Archer Avenue and linked to Resurrection Mary.

    Mar 25, 2021·45m·3 clips
  30. 30

    Castello Di Montebello

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines Castello di Montebello, an Italian fortress above Torriana that includes Roman remains and an 11th-century structure.

    Mar 18, 2021·48m·3 clips
  31. 31

    Mary Ellen Pleasant Park

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places examines Mary Ellen Pleasant Park in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, where six eucalyptus trees stand beside the site of Pleasant’s former 30-room mansion.

    Mar 11, 2021·45m·3 clips
  32. 32

    Xunantunich

    Haunted Places examines Xunantunich, a Maya city in Belize whose 130-foot pyramid El Castillo became associated with a white-clad “stone woman.” The episode follows Jacinto, Napuc, and the royal twins Lady Bots and Ishna through supernatural encounters involving jade, Spanish friars, drought, and human sacrifice.

    Mar 4, 2021·49m·3 clips
  33. 33

    A Bram Stoker Classic from Haunted Places: Ghost Stories

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places Ghost Stories presents a Spotify adaptation of Bram Stoker's The Judge's House, narrated by Alastair Murden as Cambridge student Malcolm Malcolmson.

    Feb 26, 2021·31m·2 clips
  34. 34

    The Alamo

    Haunted Places examines the Alamo in San Antonio, connecting its 1836 battle, slavery, and contested historical symbolism to stories of fiery spirits called Los Diablos.

    Feb 25, 2021·42m·3 clips
  35. 35

    Pennhurst Asylum

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines Pennhurst Asylum, opened in 1908 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, as an institution shaped by segregation and eugenics.

    Feb 18, 2021·49m·3 clips
  36. 36

    Chicago Water Tower

    Haunted Places examines Chicago's 182-foot Chicago Water Tower, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1869 that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

    Feb 11, 2021·45m·3 clips
  37. 37

    Mackinac Island

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen traces Mackinac Island’s violent history from the 1715 French fort through the War of 1812 and a two-day American attack involving 700 troops.

    Feb 4, 2021·48m·3 clips
  38. 38

    The Haunted Vicarage

    Haunted Places: The Haunted Vicarage examines the Borjevatnet Vicarage, a gray six-bedroom house built in 1876 in Sweden’s Jämtland forest.

    Jan 28, 2021·44m·3 clips
  39. 39

    Old City Jail

    Haunted Places visits the Old City Jail in Charleston, South Carolina, a prison built in 1802 on land used to bury enslaved people, impoverished people, sex workers, and condemned people.

    Jan 21, 2021·44m·3 clips
  40. 40

    Donner Memorial State Park

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places examines Donner Memorial State Park in Truckee, California, where the Donner Party spent five months trapped by snow after taking the untested Hastings Cut-Off.

    Jan 14, 2021·46m·3 clips
  41. 41

    The Smithsonian Institution Building

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places visits the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., known as the Castle, which opened in 1855 and now belongs to a 19-museum complex with a zoo.

    Jan 7, 2021·44m·3 clips
  42. 42

    The Iditarod Trail

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen follows the Iditarod Trail from Anchorage to the Bering Strait and examines legends surrounding Old Woman Mountain.

    Dec 17, 2020·43m·3 clips
  43. 43

    Hotel Monteleone

    Haunted Places examines Hotel Montleone in New Orleans, a 600-room French Quarter hotel associated with Antonio Montleone, ghostly employees, and recurring apparitions.

    Dec 10, 2020·46m·3 clips
  44. 44

    The Hell-Fire Caves

    Haunted Places visits the Hellfire Caves beneath West Wycombe, England, a network commissioned by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 1750s beneath St.

    Dec 3, 2020·46m·3 clips
  45. 45

    Mythology Crossover: La Llorona

    Haunted Places presents a Mythology crossover about La Llorona, the Mexican folklore figure known as the Weeping Woman.

    Nov 26, 2020·53m·3 clips
  46. 46

    The Joshua Ward House

    Haunted Places host Greg Poulsen examines the Joshua Ward House, built in 1784 on the foundation of George Corwin's Salem home.

    Nov 19, 2020·44m·3 clips
  47. 47

    Riverdale Road

    Hidden gem

    Haunted Places host Greg Pulsing investigates Riverdale Road, an 11-mile highway between Thornton and Brighton, Colorado, associated with ghost cars, spectral figures, and the ruined Wolpert Mansion.

    Nov 12, 2020·43m·2 clips
  48. 48

    Mikhailovsky Castle

    A female guard at Mikhailovsky Castle encounters a strange man fixated on a portrait of Catherine the Great, hinting at a paranormal event.

    Nov 5, 2020·43m
  49. 49

    Hex Hollow Murder House

    The episode tells the story of the River Witch of Marietta, who curses a rival farmer, leading to a haunting.

    Oct 29, 2020·46m
  50. 50

    Urban Legends: College Halloween Scare

    Oct 27, 2020·31m