The tunnels themselves are quite scary because of the low lighting, the dark, echoey and damp conditions. Add to that some tragic stories, and the tunnels become even spookier. Imagine going through a paranormally active tunnel…. not scared yet ? Check the list below for some haunted tunnels with horrifying backstories. We’ll be looking at tunnels throughout the planet that are reputed to be spooky or have been deserted for different reasons.
Top 10 Haunted Tunnels With Horrifying Backstories:
10: Victoria Park Tunnel, Brisbane, Australia
Despite Australia’s fearsome wildlife, there is one more thing you should keep your eyes out for if you decide to visit the city of Brisbane. A limbless green phantom (some also believe it is headless) apparently emerges from the walls of the Victoria Park Tunnel. In November 1965, a group of youngsters heard rumors about a ghost being sighted in the Victoria Park Tunnel.
The night afterward, those youngsters headed to the tunnel in the hope of spotting this phantom. In the tunnel, as the group moved through, one of the boys lagging behind was accosted by the misty green apparition that emerged from the tunnel’s wall.
Seemingly put into a “hysteria” like state by the specter, the boy was dragged by his friends to the nearby hospital, convinced he had been possessed by the spirit. In spite of the fact that this is the most renowned such occurrence, it’s not the only one. There have been various revealed sightings all through the 20th Century.
See also; Top 10 haunted places in the world.
9: Nada Tunnel, Kentucky, USA
The Nada Tunnel, also known as ‘The Gateway of the Red River Gorge’ is a 900-feet tunnel that is one of the most spectacular ways to enter the gorge. It’s unique shape imitates an ancient hole that has been carved into the mountains. The trees and bushes encircling the tunnel seems like they will swallow your car as you approach further. Although none of this sounds particularly sinister, a unique circumstance awaits.
Construction of the tunnel began in 1910 and was completed in 1911. During the construction, one man had put a frozen stick of dynamite close to fire in order to defrost it, which eventually exploded and that man died in the blast. It is said that it is his apparition that haunts the tunnel.
Others believe that the tunnel is haunted by the ghost of a climber who tumbled to his demise while endeavoring to scale the steep cliffs over the tunnel’s entrance. Both of these accounts are ascribed to the legend that occasionally around night time, a creepy green orb can be seen skimming at the entrance of the Nada Tunnel. In addition, some strange and eerie moaning sounds are heard in the tunnel coming from inside the rock wall. It is not recommended to walk or cycle through the tunnel at night.
See also; Top 10 most haunted places in New England.
8: Belchen Tunnel, A2 Motor Highway, Switzerland
Belchen Tunnel is supposed to be home to the strange ‘White Woman,’ a hitchhiker, with pale and spooky skin, dressed in white apparel. She appears out of nowhere in front of the drivers and sometimes speaks with them. It’s said that if she is picked up, she’ll disappear from your vehicle not long after getting in. There is a report that two women had picked her up at the tunnel entrance. She (The ‘White Woman’) told them that she wasn’t well and something awful might befall. Suddenly she vanished as the two women drove through the tunnel.
With many police reports portraying equivalent experiences since the 1980s, even the most valorous individuals should remain away. If you choose to overlook the warnings and take this woman with you on a journey through the Belchen Tunnel, I hope she vanishes sooner rather than later.
7: Hoosac Tunnel, Western Massachusetts, USA
Some of the time alluded to as ‘The Bloody Pit’, Hoosac Tunnel positively satisfies its name. Around 200 workers died during the construction of the tunnel with causes ranging from fires, explosions, tunnel collapses and in one case, by the hand of another. The workers never reappeared after seeing the ghostly figures and hearing the painful groans of their fallen comrades deep in the tunnels.
A local hunter, named Frank Webster disappeared near Hoosac mountain. Three days later an emergency search party found him stumbling on the banks of the Deerfield River. He was in a state of shock and after the shock wore off he said that he had been brought into the tunnel by distant voices. Once inside, he was greeted by unearthly and undead figures wandering the tunnels. This is a place you may want to explore alone, with friends, or not at all.
See also; Top 10 most haunted places in Alabama.
6: Shanghai Tunnels, Oregon, USA
The Shanghai Tunnels is a series of underground tunnels that connects the basements of many hotels, lodgings and pubs of Portland’s Old Town District to the banks of the Willamette River and Chinatown. These tunnels were built by Chinese laborers for moving goods from container ships to downtown. By utilizing these tunnels, the crew members could keep away from the problem of downtown traffic. Very soon illegal acts were carried out in the tunnels.
These passages were supposed to be a hotspot for criminal activities especially from 1850-1941. A lot of criminal activities including smuggling, kidnapping, forced labor, forced prostitution and ‘Shanghaiing’ were committed with the help of these tunnels (The term ‘Shanghaiing’ refers to the act of kidnapping people and selling them into slavery as crew members to ship captains who needed additional crew).
Years later, it is said that these tunnels are haunted by apparitions of the tunnel’s many victims. The local people and visitors have claimed to hear ghostly screams and moans, sensations of scary vibe that somebody is standing behind when there is absolutely no one around, and even seeing the apparition of a ghost named ‘Nina’. Others additionally report seeing speedy movements of shadows and the sensation of spooky fingers on their shoulders when nobody else is near.
5: Downingtown Tunnels, Pennsylvania, USA
The Downingtown Tunnels are also called as ‘The Twin Tunnels’ despite the fact that there are actually 3 tunnels. These tunnels were constructed from around 1860-1912 as a crossing for the railroad over the Valley Creek. It is highly recommended that the tunnel must not be visited at night as it is one of the most haunted tunnels on earth.
One legend is about a woman who gave birth to an illegitimate baby. Scared of the consequences, the woman hanged herself using an electric wire in one of the tunnels while holding her baby. She died when the rope snapped her neck and her baby fell to its death on the hard surface below. Some people claim to have seen the apparition of a woman swinging from her neck in the tunnels.
The baby’s cries are also heard throughout the tunnels. Another piece of folklore insists that a dark shadow man is seen walking through the tunnels, thought to be the ghost of the Irish worker who was killed during the construction.
The ages of these stories makes it nearly impossible to confirm or deny the happenings, but the tragedy at these tunnels in 1995 is truly authentic. A dismembered body of a woman (her legs severed off) was found in a maroon suitcase by a fisherman just outside the second tunnel in the creek.
The investigators were unable to find a match and the woman remains unidentified till date. Six months after the suitcase was discovered, a pair of legs was found in the Middletown Township, Pennsylvania. They were believed to be hers. This murder has been added to the folklore of the tunnels. Some say it is her ghost that haunts the tunnels, with reports that you can hear a woman crying “Help Me!”.
4: Big Bull Tunnel, Virginia, USA
Construction of tunnels is a risky work. Furthermore, in the 19th century, such tasks regularly brought about incidental deaths. All things considered, Big Bull Tunnel feels particularly evil. The story can be traced back to 1905, when an inspection was conducted by three railway officials (Mr. John Peery, Mr. R. H. Gallaway and Mr. Rube Kerns). They guided a train through the tunnel and halted it right after the caboose emerged out of the tunnel.
When Mr. John Peery entered the tunnel, he heard ghostly sounds coming from the brick wall that caused him to run out of the tunnel. Then Mr. Gallaway and Mr. Kerns entered into the tunnel with him. Upon reaching the point where Mr. Peery reported hearing the sounds, the trio stopped. They didn’t had to wait long to hear those scary groans that came from the brick wall of the tunnel.
Upon hearing those sounds, Mr. Gallaway demanded “What do you want ?” and heard a voice saying, “Remove that awful weight from my body.” then added, “They are drinking my blood.” Visiting the tunnel is prohibited as it is on private property, but trains still travel through it.
3: Sensabaugh Tunnel, Tennessee, USA
There are numerous claims that this tunnel is a place of evil. It is highly recommended to follow locals’ advice and stay away. The tunnel is reportedly full of paranormal activities including satanic spirits and motor engines suddenly dying. It is said that an inhabitant of Church Hill named Mr. Sensabaugh lived near the tunnel with his family. One day he went crazy and murdered all of his family members and the stream they were dumped in went through the tunnel.
According to legend, if you turn off your car engine in the middle of the tunnel, it won’t restart and if you look into your rearview mirror, you will see the apparition of Mr. Sensabaugh approaching your car. Once he is near, your car’s engine will start. The crying sounds of a baby can also be heard in the tunnel. Considering the issue with car engines, this tunnel is best kept away from except if you’re certain about your capacity to move away by running.
2: Church Hill Tunnel, Virginia, USA
Till here, we have caught wind of a ton of apparitions, so now I believe it’s the ideal opportunity for something other than what’s expected. This tunnel may draw attention of an alternate type of paranormal expert, specifically a vampire hunter. Believe it or not; Virginia’s Church Hill Tunnel was evidently home to a vampire.
As the story goes, during a tunnel repair project on October 2, 1925, a locomotive pulling 10 flat cars entered the tunnel heading westwards. As the train approached the western entrance, 190-200 feet of tunnel collapsed; Trapping the train and killing many construction workers beneath it. The laborers who went to rescue the train and its injured workers reported seeing a blood covered unearthly creature with jagged teeth.
And partially decomposed body with rolls of skin hanging from its muscular body. The entity was reported to have been emerged from the cave-in. The creature then fled the scene as it was chased into the Hollywood Cemetery by a few men. And is believed to have disappeared into a mausoleum of the infamous ‘W.W. Pool’.
1: The Screaming Tunnel, Ontario, Canada
Unknown by any other name, the “Screaming Tunnel” procures the number one spot of this list. This 125-foot tunnel was constructed to allow rainwater to drain safely from surrounding farmlands without washing out the railroad tracks. It is also a source of fear for locals as far as anyone can remember. Furthermore, the story behind it is totally appalling. However there are three different clashing versions of the story.
In one version, there was a farm house close to the south entrance of the tunnel that caught fire. A young girl fled screaming from that house with her clothes engulfed in flames. She ran through the tunnel in search of water to extinguish her clothes. But she collapsed in the middle of the tunnel, perishing from her burns.
See also; Top 10 best places to visit in Canada.
Another sad version says; A girl was set ablaze in the tunnel by her own father after he lost the custody case to his girl’s mother. The third, more disturbing version of the story states that the girl was assaulted by a man, and her body was burned to hide the evidence. All these stories however, are attributed to the legend that if you strike a match in the tunnel, the young girl’s horrifying screams will fill the space and she will blow out the burning match. It’s her screams that give the tunnel it’s name.