Scariest places in the world

There are some places you might want to stay indoors with the curtains shut. And this is especially true in Pluckley, England's most haunted village. This place is more haunted than Hogwarts, with 12 "official" ghosts in residence, including a highwayman and a Red Lady.  

Also known as Battleship Island, this creepy, abandoned place popped up as a James Bond baddie's lair in Skyfall. As well as a mine, it served as a brutal prisoner of war camp.It was abandoned so rapidly in 1974, it has an almost Marie Celeste-like quality, with the workers just upping sticks. It's also believed to be haunted. You can take a guided boat tour from nearby Nagasaki - don't worry, it's a return trip. If you don't want to visit in person, this website was created using Google Street View (the music's a little creepy, mind you).

As anyone who's watched a horror film knows, nothing good comes from buying an abandoned home in the middle of nowhere. However in this case, the owners of the Monte Cristo Homestead (just under three hours drive from Canberra) managed to transform a Victorian house into a popular tourist attraction. The Ryan family have lived there since 1963, and have been haunted by the previous owners, a stable boy and a pregnant maid among other spooky visitors. If you fancy joining them, you can stay the night, or just take one of the Saturday ghost tours.  

The Casteel de Goede Hoop (1666) is the oldest building in South Africa. As a fort and prison, it's got hundreds of years of history and haunting behind it. The former Governor, Pieter van Noodt, is supposedly cursed to roam the castle walls, and a big, black dog is said to greet visitors before disappearing into thin air.  

We love somewhere scary where you can stay the night. And there's plenty of things that could go bump in the night at the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana. Chief among the ghosts is the Legend of Chloe - the ghost of a slave who appeared in 1992 on a photograph taken for fire insurance purposes (imagine being a fly on the wall during that claim meeting). They've also got another ghostly girl apparition at a window in the house - both captured on camera.  

Anywhere that's near a place called the Valley of No Return (Val Sans Retour) should be considered with care. Throw in a little magic - Merlin was apparently imprisoned here in a stone - and you've got the makings of a truly frightening forest. The Forest of Brocéliande is known as King Arthur's Forest, and Morgan Le Fay (the King's half sister) used the area to capture unfaithful youths.  

While the rest of the world reveres the legend of Dracula and all things vampiric, in his homeland, it's not so much the case. He's almost treated like an embarrassing uncle at a wedding. However Vlad the Impaler's homeland (the man the Count was based on) is fairytale-like so well worth visiting, bloodsucking aside.  

Halloween was said to have been invented in Ireland, so it's fitting we include somewhere in the Emerald Isle. Montpelier Hill near Dublin is where you'll find the supposedly haunted ruin of a hunting lodge. Built in 1725 by parliamentarian William Connolly, it was originally built as a site for the Dublin branch of the Hell Fire club. Take a torch and take a night-time guided tour of the hilltop and lodge - just don't look behind you. They've also got some Hell Fire Caves in England - High Wycombe to be precise. They are believed to have been built in the 18th century as the original home of the Hell Fire Club for carousing aristocrats, authors and artists.