Halloween Feature

Gloriously Gruesome Confections for Halloween–and the Rest of the Year

By Anne Ewbank · October 15, 2024
Halloween Feature

5 Macabre and Mysterious Stories About Candy

By Samantha Chong · October 11, 2024
Halloween Feature

Foxfire Brings Magical Light to the Dark Forest

By Leigh Ann Henion · September 25, 2024

Haunted Halloween Harvest

Atlas Obscura Scares Up the Best of the Season

October is our favorite month to celebrate the macabre, the mysterious, and the monstrous. Join us on a wild ride through a landscape of unsolved hauntings, terrifying legends, and hidden places almost too creepy to be real. It's going to be ghoulish good fun.

Tales of Terror: The mother of all witches, creepy cryptids, the many faces of death, and more.

The black-eyed children, first described in Texas in the mid-90s, have since been seen around the world.

death

Death as a Child: The Modern Legend of the Black-Eyed Children

First described in Texas in the mid-90s, what are these disturbing figures—and what do they want?

Vanishing hitchhiker legends are just the latest version of a folktale that may go back millennia—and continues to spread and evolve.

ghosts

The Vanishing Hitchhiker Legend Is an Ancient Tale That Keeps Evolving

The classic creepy story—a driver offers a lift to a stranger who is not of this world—has deep roots and a long reach.

dinosaurs

Was ‘Dracula’ the Biggest Flying Creature Ever?

In prehistoric Transylvania, a giant darkened the skies.

An Extra-Creepy Atlas: Create your own Road Trip of the Damned with these unsettling Places you can visit IRL (in this life or the next).

Alishan, Taiwan

Pagoda of the Tree Spirit

A monument to placate the spirits of an ancient forest.

Mask of the Bat God

Mexico City, Mexico

Mask of the Bat God

This ancient jade mask depicting the Zapotec bat god was found in the ruins of the pyramids of Monte Alban.

Odesa, Ukraine

Odesa Catacombs

The largest catacomb system in the world.

You Are Fearless. You Have Scrolled Deep Into the Atlas Obscura Crypt.

Venture even deeper into the shadows for more spine-tingling Stories, positively paranormal Places, and other spooky surprises.

Scroll down at your own risk

witchcraft

Were the Salem Witch Trials Ruff on Dogs?

The 17th-century event claimed at least 25 human lives. Whether any dogs were killed is unclear—but accusations against them had a familiar theme.

In the original Dracula novel, the count is able to bite Lucy only after her necklace of garlic flowers is removed.

witchcraft

Banishing Evil With Edible Plants

All-natural monster repellent for spooky season might lurk in your kitchen.

The Cù Sith, an otherworldly hound of Scottish folklore, and its Irish counterpart the Cù Sidhe are sometimes described as green, the color associated with magic—and misfortune.

animals

Death as a Dog: The Cù Sith of Scotland

The spectral, terrifying dog of Scottish folklore has inspired many a nightmare for centuries—and likely for millennia.

The fate of the ancient native inhabitants of Cahokia in southwest Illinois remains a mystery.

Itinerary

Atlas Obscura’s Guide to the 10 Most Mystifying Places in Illinois

Creepy clowns, mysterious mounds, and a jail for two

This year, longtime Massachusetts corn maze Mike's Maze has a circus theme.

mazes

Inside the Weird World of Corn Mazes

The a-maize-ing history of getting lost among the stalks.

A glorious night sky seen through Owachomo Bridge in Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument, which was named the world's first International Dark Sky Park in 2007.

vikings

Archaeologists Explore Life After Dark in the Ancient Night

Studying our ancestors' nocturnal lives reveals the value of reclaiming darkness.

Load More Content

Still hungry for more mischief and mayhem?

Satisfy your appetite for all things Halloween, from tasty treats to unsolved mysteries, with these classics from years past.