The 10 Most Haunted Places in Asia

You might be looking forward to seeing ancient temples and trying diverse cuisine on your trip to Asia, but there's a spookier side to the continent. If it's ghost stories you're after, Asia has some of the best and creepiest. After all, some of the scariest horror movies were dreamt up by Asian filmmakers, including "Shutter" from Thailand and "Ring" from Japan — the originals, of course. From a World War II-era prison in Indonesia to a haunted fort in India, add some of the most haunted places in Asia to your itinerary — if you dare.

Bhangarh Fort, India

This impressive centuries-old fort, located in Rajasthan, was once home to royalty. Today, as the Rajasthan Tourism Office reports, it's one of the most haunted places in India. In the 18th century, the fort and its surrounding town were abandoned, leaving behind empty temples and desolate marketplaces. There are several stories people tell to explain why folks promptly fled this once-great fortress. One of them alleges that someone placed a curse upon it because it was casting a shadow over their home, while another attributes its ruin to a love potion gone wrong.

Lawang Sewu, Indonesia

This structure was built in the early 1900s as an outpost for the Dutch East Indies Railway Company before it was taken over by Japanese soldiers and used as a prison during World War II. Later, it became the site of a bloody altercation between Dutch, Japanese, and Indonesian forces. While it's certainly a hotbed for ghosts in general, there's one ghost in particular who gets people's attention: A young Dutch woman who died by suicide is said to roam the property. As the Indonesia tourism authority points out, the building's name means "a thousand doors" in Javanese, a reference to the many doors and similar-looking windows that line the façade and produce a mesmeric architectural effect.

The Forbidden City, China

The Forbidden City was the home of Chinese emperors for five centuries, and it is one of the world's most famous palaces. The site is typically closed to the public at night, adding to its mystique and spooky allure. One of the most popular legends is that of a ghostly woman in white who can reportedly be heard crying inside the palace. Reports of this specific ghost date back to the 1940s.

Old Changi Hospital, Singapore

There's hardly anything spookier than a derelict hospital. Singapore's old Changi Hospital, in operation between 1935 and 1997, is one such place. Locals know it to be one of the most haunted places in the country, teeming with the ghosts of former patients and victims of the Japanese Occupation, during which it served as a military hospital. Rumored underground bunkers that run beneath the hospital add to the spookiness. Although it's closed to the public, people find their way in somehow and often leave graffiti behind.

Sathorn Unique Tower, Thailand

Bangkok's unfinished Sathorn Unique Tower has been aptly nicknamed the "Ghost Tower" for a couple of reasons, the first of them being its eerie appearance. It was meant to be a residential building, but construction on the high-rise halted in the '90s amid a financial crisis and never resumed. Now the skyscraper, only 80 percent finished, is without exterior walls. Despite the risks involved and the fact that it's off-limits to the public, the open-air structure has attracted many a daredevil, plus an army of stray dogs that are said to occupy the ground floor. The building has even seen at least one death — one reason it's thought to be haunted.

Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, South Korea

Believed by many to be the most haunted place in South Korea, this abandoned psychiatric hospital is located in the province of Gyeonggi-do. After the hospital shut down in the '90s and the building was abandoned, legends began to spread about the mysterious nature of patient deaths and doctors going mad and being driven to suicide. The truth is that the hospital closed because of sewage issues, but that hasn't stopped urban explorers and paranormal adventurers from trying to get a peek inside. In 2018, a found footage-style film based on the hospital became South Korea's third most-watched horror movie.

Khara Khoto, China

This ancient site in the Gobi Desert was once a prominent Mongolian city along the Silk Road, but many of its citizens perished in the 14th century at the hands of a rival Ming Dynasty army. The story goes that the invaders diverted water from a nearby river away from the walled city, rendering it uninhabitable after it had been won. Today, Khara Khoto is largely covered by sand, but stories circulate about strange noises emanating from the ruins and fires seemingly fueled by nothing. Tour companies like Silk Road China Tours operate excursions to the remote spot in Inner Mongolia from the Gansu Province city of Jiayuguan. It takes about seven hours to drive there, but the ruins rising from the desert have a desolate beauty.

Himeji Castle, Japan

Near the city of Kobe, this castle is a popular tourist attraction in its own right, but it's perhaps most famous for inspiring the plot of "Ringu," the original Japanese film that led to "The Ring," one of the top-grossing horror films of all time. The castle is the site of the infamous well where a servant girl named Okiku dove to her death after being falsely accused of a crime. You can still see the well when you visit the castle, and Okiku's ghost is said to sometimes still appear on the castle grounds wearing a white dress with her long black hair hanging down.

Teacher's Camp, Philippines

Despite its innocent-sounding name, many Filipinos believe that this is the most haunted place in the country. The site in the city of Baguio was originally built by Americans in the early 1900s to train teachers, and it's still used to host events and retreats. During World War II, however, it was occupied by Japanese forces who used it to hold prisoners. Reported ghost sightings include a headless priest, a roaming lady in white, and a blood-covered woman whom you might wake up to find standing over your bed.

Genting Highlands, Malaysia

In the Malaysian resort town of Genting Highlands, home to a 26-acre theme park, there may be something paranormal afoot at Amber Court. The onetime hotel was built in the '90s and then abandoned due to a financial crisis. During this time, algae grew on the building's façade giving it the sinister appearance that spurred its haunted reputation. Visitors report seeing a woman walking around and vanishing into thin air. It has since been cleaned up, renovated, and reopened as an apartment complex, but the ghost stories persist — much to the current residents' chagrin.