While travel tales are interesting, spooky tales haunt one forever, don’t they? Fear of the supernatural is a common thing, but at the same time, people find it intriguing. There’s nothing like a spooky tale during a night out or while camping, right? Sometimes, the tales seem so real that the eeriness can be felt in the air. Stories about haunted tunnels seem especially scary. Ever imagined being stuck in a dark, paranormally active tunnel? Not scared yet? Read about these 21 scariest tunnels from across the globe to get the spooky vibes!
1 | Shanghai Tunnels, Portland, Oregon, United States
The Shanghai Tunnels are a network of hidden passages connecting the basements of Portland’s historic district. Many have collapsed, but some survive. In the daytime, they were used to transport goods between the hotels, bars, and brothels of the old town. At the night, they may have had a more sinister purpose – human trafficking.
It’s also possible the tunnels were used to transport men who had been “Shanghaied.” It was a real practice in the 19th century. Ships were constantly short of labourers, who would flee for an easier life as soon as they hit port. To replace them, drunk men were pulled from bars and hauled to the waterfront. They woke up at sea to a hard life as a seaman with no escape except drowning. The echoes of those unhappy Shanghaied men are still said to haunt the Portland tunnels.
2 | Big Bull Tunnel, Wise County, Virginia, United States
A voice from behind the brick masonry was heard to cry, “Remove that awful weight from my body!” Like any tunnel built in the 19th century, the Big Bull Tunnel’s construction caused many deaths from rock falls, collisions and other fatal accidents. There was even at least one murder in the tunnel.
The tales of hauntings go all the way back to the tunnel’s earliest days. During one official inspection in 1905, two inspectors reported hearing the ghostly voice coming from behind the bricks. They asked what it wanted. After complaining about the weight on its body, the apparent spirit continued, “They are drinking my blood!”
3 | Screaming Tunnel, Niagra Falls, Canada
Located near the Niagra Falls, Canada, this nineteenth-century rail tunnel is allegedly the site where a young girl ran to while on fire after her nearby farm caught fire. She is said to have collapsed right in the middle of the tunnel where she met her horrible death. The scream of her death pain remains on its walls. The pain of burning alive! The girl’s spirit is said to still haunt the tunnel, which is truly creepy to look at, and it is said that if a wooden match is lit off the tunnel wall around midnight you can hear her terrific scream. Read More
4 | Tunnel No 33, Shimla, India
Also known as the Barog Tunnel, Tunnel No 33 is one of the most haunted places in Shimla, India. British engineer Captain Barog was assigned the responsibility for constructing this tunnel en route Shimla Kalka Highway. He failed to complete the task assigned and was thus humiliated and penalized by the supervisors. Out of frustration and defame, Barog committed suicide. Locals believe that spirit of Captain Barog still roams in the tunnel. Many people have also seen a woman walking along the rail track and disappearing gradually.
5 | Kiyotaki Tunnel, Kyoto, Japan
Located outside of the Kyoto city, Kiyotaki Tunnel is reputed to be one of the most haunted locations in Japan. Built in 1927, this 444 meters long tunnel has witnessed a lot of deaths and bizarre accidents. It is believed that the tunnel is haunted by the ghosts of all the slave-workers who died while building it under harsh work conditions.
People claim that their ghosts can be often seen to work in this tunnel at night, they can even get in your car and scare you, leading to an terrible accident. There is a mirror in the tunnel which has also gained enough infamy. According to a local legend, if you look at the mirror and see a ghost, you will soon die a horrible death. Many even claim that the length of the tunnel can vary depending on whether you measure it at night or in the daytime.
6 | Moonville Tunnel, Moonville, Ohio, United States
Legend says the ghost of a man carrying a lantern appears inside this haunted tunnel. He is said to have been a railroad brakeman who was struck by a train in the late 1800s. This narrow railroad tunnel reportedly killed many foolish pedestrians trying to dash through it as a shortcut. In fact, newspaper reports indicate at least four brakemen met their end in or near this dangerous tunnel. Trains stopped using the tunnel in 1986, but the brakeman is said to continue his lonely vigil.
7 | Point Rock Tunnel, Columbia, Pennsylvania, United States
The Point Rock tunnel was constructed between 1850-1851 for the original Pennsylvania Railroad Columbia Branch. While trains no longer pass through the tunnel, bikers, hikers, and ghosts are frequently sighted there. One such paranormal entity is said to be the spirit of a man struck by a train long ago.
According to local lore, the ghost of a bearded old man with a staff and red lantern is seen in the tunnel. His spirit is said to frequently appear between midnight, and 1 am and rumoured to carry and red lantern or handkerchief. In 1875, a railroad worker reported seeing the ghost on three separate occasions. One time he knows that the spirit saw him as it greeted him with a wave before disappearing. Other ghosts are said to drift along the path of the old railroad tracks, as well.
8 | Aoyama Tunnel, Mie, Japan
Nested in the mountains of Mie, Aoyama Tunnel is a dimly-lit passage at night. Unusual incidents and ghost sightings have been reported, including: Cars mysteriously breaking down near the entrance, a shadow figure which lurks around the outside, phantom passengers, and something which peers through the ceiling of the tunnel. According to a legend, if you open the car’s window and extend your hands outside, another hand with stringy, black hair will wrap your fingers.
9 | Twin Tunnels, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, United States
Locals say you can hear the ghostly cries of a baby. The twin tunnels are actually three tunnels under railroad tracks. One is for cars, one is now abandoned, and the third carries a small creek. The center tube contains an air shaft heading straight up to the railroad bed above. In the 19th century, a young, unwed mother is said to have hanged herself in the shaft. She was holding her baby, so as she died it dropped from her arms to the floor of the tunnel below!
10 | Submerged Babysitter Of Kuzuryu Dam, Ono, Fukui, Japan
A popular urban legend conveys that once a babysitter with two children was trapped in their home as the village was flooded by the dam water in Fukui. Those who venture near the dam at night are said to hear screams of children begging for their parents. Nearby the dam is a tunnel with a fearsome entity which appears after sunset. While many childlike spirits have been sighted, a girl with glassy eyes and a snapped neck is said to bring death to any who witness her.
11 | Gold Camp Road Tunnels, Colorado Springs, United States
Visitors driving through this series of tunnels report hearing the voices of children. In the first two tunnels, you’ll hear them laughing. Then, as you enter the third tunnel, they start screaming. Sometimes, the children leave ghostly handprints on cars.
The Gold Camp Tunnels were built for the rail trains heading west during the gold rush. Later they were converted for automobile traffic. Local legend says once the tunnel collapsed on a bus full of students ― in some tellings, they were orphans. They all died on the spot. However, one of the tunnels did in fact collapse, but there are no official reports of a busload of children being killed.
12 | Old Isegami Tunnel, Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Constructed in 1897, Old Isegami Tunnel is subject to a number of ghost stories and urban legends, many of which are claimed to be products of a psychic television program broadcasting sensational stories. However, visitors claim to feel a sense of unease when around the tunnel, and electronic devices tend to glitch when taken inside.
It is believed that looking through a camera lens will reveal two shadow figures waiting on the other side of the tunnel. They are said to be two children who have been haunting the old and new Isegami Tunnels for centuries. The old was destroyed in the Ise Bay Typhoon in 1859.
13 | Hoosac Tunnel, Western Massachusetts, United States
This tunnel, which cuts almost five miles straight through Hoosac Mountain in the Berkshires, earned the nickname “the bloody pit” when it was being dug between 1851 and 1875. At least 193 workers died from explosions, fires, and drownings. The crude tools they had to conquer the stone of the mountain were nitroglycerin, black powder, pickaxes, and brute strength. At least one of the deaths in the tunnel may have been a murder.
Even as it was being built, the tunnel earned a reputation for hauntings. Some workers refused to report for duty after hearing the moanings of their fallen comrades. Many reports made it into the papers of strange lights, ghostly appearances and, most often, groans of agony. The tunnel still carries trains today.
14 | Ochiai Bridge, Katsura River, Kyoto, Japan
Connected to Akabashi Tunnel, Ochiai Bridge is a desolate area outside of Kyoto city. The area is said to have witnessed several suicides and deaths related to natural disasters, as well as mysterious disappearances. Within Akabashi Tunnel, visitors have claimed to be watched by dark figures who disappear when approached. Sharing the forest, the haunted Kiyotaki Tunnel is situated in the area. There are beliefs the entire area is infested with a curse.
15 | Blue Ghost Tunnel, Ontario, Canada
Also known as the Merritton Tunnel, the Blue Ghost Tunnel got its named for the mysterious blue ghost who haunts this abandoned rail tunnel area. It might have lived out its un-death in peace if it weren’t for the nearby Screaming Tunnel. A ghost hunter investigating that tunnel stumbled upon this one and found its misty inhabitants. A nearby church graveyard was flooded as part of the tunnel construction. Only a third of the 917 bodies were relocated. More than 600 bodies were left to the rising waters, so there is no shortage of restless spirits who could have been looking for lodging in the area.
16 | Old Nagano Tunnel, Tsu, Mie, Japan
Three Nagano Tunnels were constructed between 1885 and 2008, identifiable by the period built: Meiji, Showa, and Heisei. Showa is believed to be the most dangerous due to the potential for collapse. Officials rushed to close the tunnel, creating rumours something further amiss was occurring from within – particularly the reasons behind the staggeringly high number of car accidents in and around the vicinity.
A red cloth marks the area where car accidents mostly occur, leading to urban legends of vehicles suddenly failing when nearing that spot. White hands are believed to appear from the walls to grab at cars connected to the Meiji Tunnel which was built by hand. Drivers had often sighted odd figures wandering the tunnel, but any collisions caused no sound or impact.
17 | Sensabaugh Tunnel, Church Hill, Tennessee, United States
If you turn your car off inside the tunnel, locals say, you may hear a baby’s cry. The white house near the end of the tunnel, once the home of Edward Sensabaugh, is still there. The bone-chilling legends for the haunting of this tunnel all begin at that house. In one version, Sensabaugh confronted a robber with a gun. The robber grabbed Sensabaugh’s baby, carrying it into the tunnel and drowning it.
In a second version, Sensabaugh himself went mad, killed his entire family and dumped them in the tunnel. A third and final version of the story may be the most plausible. Sensabaugh lived a long and healthy life but got sick of local kids hanging out in the tunnel, so he would scare them off by producing a ghostly shriek now and then. But that wouldn’t explain the cries that continue to echo today.
18 | Old Honsaka Tunnel, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
Despite the number of casualties of male workers during construction, the Old Honsaka Tunnel is believed to be infested with female spirits. During the Edo Period between 1603 and 1868, women were notoriously mistreated by officials when travelling between Shizuoka and Aichi in Japan. In order to prevent the harsh conditions of the main road, women would venture into the mountains to face greater perils of extreme weather and murderous bandits. Numerous female spirits have been reported in and around the tunnel, including an elderly woman who appears upside down from the ceiling of Old Honsaka Tunnel.
19 | The Pan Emirates Tunnel, U.A.E.
The tunnel which straightly goes to the airport road in the United Arab Emirates has many horror suspense too. It is considered to be one of the scariest tunnels across the world. People can feel someone is standing or walking with them when passing through the tunnel. Sometimes whispers can be heard from the darkness inside this tunnel.
20 | The Mushroom Tunnel Of Picton, Australia
It has been a long time since trains have used the Mushroom Tunnel of Picton, New South Wales, Australia. Cutting through the Redbank Range it was considered a feat of engineering at the time. During World War II the tunnel was used to store mustard gas spray tanks, and following that it was used for the growing of mushrooms. With a tragic history of murder, suicide and misadventure, today, instead of trains, the tunnel is host to a number of hauntings: black figures, a lady in white, a ghostly child and the residual sounds of trains passing through.
21 | Church Hill Tunnel, Richmond, Virginia, United States
The Church Hill Tunnel is now a tomb. But its claim to fame is not ghosts. It’s a vampire. Two men are buried inside the tunnel, along with an entire steam locomotive. The tunnel was built in 1875 but was already obsolete by 1902 when it was abandoned. In 1925, the city made an ill-fated attempt to reclaim the tunnel. It collapsed, killing two workers and burying the work train they had crawled under. One man did escape the collapse – and so did the Richmond Vampire.
According to the legend, the workers had awakened an ancient vampire who lived in the tunnel. As revenge, he brought it down on top of them. Rescuers reportedly discovered the creature with jagged teeth and covered with blood crouching over one of its victims. The creature fled, according to legend, and now resides in a mausoleum in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery.
Several attempts were made over the years to recover the two bodies in the tunnel, and bring out the old steam locomotive. But each attempt led to more collapses and sinkholes. So the unlucky workers remain where they are.
Bonus:
Tunnelton Tunnel, Tunnelton, Indiana, United States
This spooky tunnel was established in 1857 for the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. There are several creepy tales associated with this tunnel, one of which is about a construction worker who was accidentally decapitated during the tunnel’s construction.
Many visitors have claimed to see the ghost of this individual wandering the tunnel with a lantern in search of his head. As if that were not enough, another story says that a cemetery built atop the tunnel was disturbed during its construction. Evidentially, several of the bodies of those buried there fell through and now haunt anyone who visits the tunnel in Bedford, Indiana.
Haunted FaZe Rug Tunnel, San Diego, California, United States
The Miramar tunnel, or now widely known as the Haunted FaZe Rug Tunnel, is a sewage tunnel in San Diego that has recently earned enough infamy to get its name in the country’s top haunted list. Its name came after FaZe Rug, the first YouTuber to explore this tunnel and witness some bizarre phenomena.
The FaZe Rug tunnel is now absolutely riddled in graffiti. Not officially, but the sewage system is said to be twenty miles long. Though the tunnel doesn’t have much history to tell, people often visit this place in their paranormal adventure.
Visitors often claim to have heard the screams and terrifying voices, as well as the voice of a woman and a little girl calling her mother all around the tunnel. Therefore, these voices have led a few creepy stories, one of which tells about a girl who died in a terrible car accident near the tunnel.
Even one of the stories is related to the couple who were involved in a fatal crash in which the boyfriend was fine, but the girlfriend died on the spot. While many consider that this tunnel way itself into Mexico which was supposed to be the system used for transporting cocaine and drugs.
After reading about the scariest haunted tunnels in the world, read another similar article: 44 Most Haunted Hotels Around The World And The Spooky Stories Behind Them.
