Los Angeles is a city filled with history, both glorious things and horrific ones. Many things have happened in this city that changed it forever. The people who live here are a little different as well. There is a sense of mystery and spookiness that seems to be part of this city’s identity. No matter what you see on your way around Los Angeles, keep an eye out for ghosts!
Whether you’re just a lover of spooky things, or an aspiring ghost hunter, you may be wondering if LA has any haunted places to check out. This article will help you find the most haunted places in LA, so you can see the ghosts for yourself!
What are the Best Haunted Places in Los Angeles?
If you’re curious whether Los Angeles has a plethora of prime spots for ghost spotting, you’re in luck! As a city rich in history, Los Angeles has a number of ghostly locations that are perfect for paranormal investigation. Some are straight up cemeteries, while others are inconspicuous and unusual, where you would never expect these places to have paranormal activity. Some of our listed spots below will shock you!
So, have you ever wondered which places in Los Angeles are haunted? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In this article we’re going to share with you a list of some of the most haunted locations in LA.
The Queen Mary
The Queen Mary is a ship that is known for its many ghosts. In fact, it’s one of the most haunted places in Los Angeles. The Queen Mary website has tons of information about the horrors that have taken place on this ship, as well as what its operators believe are the definite hauntings.
Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif., is sure to haunt you. Many visitors to the hotel claim to hear voices and hear chains rattling when they visit.
It has a past that can lead to some very creepy stories. The ship started her career as a luxury cruise ship, sailing from Southampton, England, in 1937, and has hosted everything from politicians to famous A-List celebrities. However, soon her glory days were past, and the Queen Mary was commissioned during WWII as a ferry ship that took soldiers into battle areas. During WWII, she carried hundreds of troops. Queen Mary was a warship for some years, before finally being sold to a tour company and retirement grounds in Long Beach, California. Since she’s seen many soldiers fall throughout her life, it’s undeniable that some restless spirits may linger still in her hallways.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a famous cemetery in Los Angeles, California. It’s one of the most haunted places in LA because it was the final resting place for many notables such as Rudolph Valentino, Jean Harlow and Thelma Todd. There are also many celebrities buried there who are said to be haunting the grounds today.
If you visit Hollywood Forever Cemetery you will be able to see many different statues, as well as the graves of these famous people. For example, many visitors claim that they’ve seen Valentino appearing behind them when no one else is around. It’s also said that Mr. Valentino himself can sometimes be seen out of the corner of his eye, but no one has actually been able to catch a glimpse of him in all their visits there.
If you ever get the feeling that someone’s watching you, just look up and see if there are any faces peering down at you. It’s a creepy feeling, but it’s also a bit of fun!
Cecil Hotel
Hotel Stay on Main was the site of murders in the 1920s and 1930s, suicides from top floors in the 1960s, and briefly became the residence of known serial murderers such as Richard Ramirez, or more famously known as the Night Stalker. Elisa Lam’s naked body was discovered in a rooftop water tank a few years after her murder and led to many other strange stories about the hotel. No one really knows how she got up to that roof, and people wreaked havoc about the case during the discovery process. Lam was seen in an elevator acting strangely through CCTV footage.
It inspired a whole season of the American Horror Story, on top of a true crime docuseries focusing on solving the mystery of Elisa Lam. Still, it apparently was not enough to cause the hotel to be shuttered. It was eventually renamed the Stay at Main Hotel, and it was slated to become a mix of rental units and hotel rooms.
The Silent Movie Theater
The Silent Movie Theater is a theater in Hollywood, California where many people claim to see strange activity. There have been times when the doors of the theater open and close by themselves at night. There are also times when men dressed in black jackets and hats can be seen walking around the theater.
The history of the Silent Movie Theatre is complicated, and it could be a subject for a Hollywood blockbuster. It was the home of Cinefamily, a film studio that is now known as Brain Dead Studios. John Hampton started the theater in 1942, showing his own collection of silent films. At that time, film studios were busy destroying old movies. Hampton put toxic chemicals in his bathtub to protect his film collection. But he was exposed to toxins that caused his death in 1990 from cancer. Lawrence Austin, who was being mentored by Hampton, took over the theater in 1990.
Austin was shot dead by a hired killer one night in 1997, while he was watching a movie in the theater lobby. James Van Sickle, Austin’s lover and renowned movie theater projectionist, claimed that Austin had given the theater to him in a will. It turned out to be a murder conspiracy by Van Sickler. Police didn’t buy it, however. Van Sickle is on life-sentence and the hired hitman is serving 20 years in prison.
Austin’s ghost is said to haunt the lobby of the Silent Movie Theater, and Hampton’s ghost can be heard wandering around the apartment building on the second floor.