The 13 Scariest Places in Los Angeles
Updated on October 9, 2018
Los Angeles, the City of Angels... and devils, demons and ghosts. A city this large is bound to have its skeletons, and our job is to throw open the closet doors and acknowledge them. Below is a list of 13 terrifying locations. Some are fictional and some are very, very real. Like it or not, these scary places will always be a part of our history. Proceed with caution.
American Horror Story House
“Welcome to… murder house.” A historic landmark, the Rosenheim mansion was built in 1902 and took five years to complete. It was a private home until the Sisters of Social Service, a Catholic organization, owned the house for over 50 years. When AHS was looking for creepy houses, the castle-like exterior made it a perfect choice for the horrifying first season of the hit FX show.
1120 Westchester Place Los Angeles, CA 90019//} ?>
Bela Lugosi's Apartment
Universal Studio’s legendary Dracula, Bela Lugosi died in 1956 in this modest apartment near Western Avenue. Lugosi would walk daily to his favorite cigar shop at 6423 Hollywood Blvd. When the hearse with Lugosi’s body drove from the funeral home (where the W Hotel is now), the driver inexplicably lost control of the vehicle and couldn’t regain it until he passed the cigar shop, convincing many that it was Lugosi’s final farewell to Hollywood.
5620 Harold Way Los Angeles, CA 90027//} ?>
Beverly Hills Bermuda Triangle
The immediate properties around this strange triangle of land in Beverly Hills have taken on a mysterious aura. In 1946, a plane piloted by Howard Hughes slammed into a row of houses and came to rest at 808 N. Whittier. Bugsy Siegel was murdered at 801 N. Linden in 1947, and Jan Berry of Jan & Dean was nearly killed in a real life Dead Man’s Curve accident in 1966. In November 2010, Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was shot in her car at the corner of Sunset and Whittier. Chasen hit the gas and careened into a street light at 815 N. Whittier, adding to the legacy of one of the most sinister intersections in Los Angeles.
N. Linden Dr. and N. Whittier Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210//} ?>
Boris Karloff's Rose Garden
Frankenstein’s monster thespian, Boris Karloff was a gentleman who had a passion for gardening. He was especially proud of his rose garden. Legend has it that several of Karloff’s friends willed their cremains to him, so they could permanently reside in his rose bed.
2320 Bowmont Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210//} ?>
"The Entity" House
The repeated abuse and violent assault of resident Doris Bither in this house by poltergeists in the early 1970’s became the subject of the horrifying 1981 film, The Entity. Her sons witnessed these horrors. When the family fled, the force followed them.
11547 Braddock Drive Culver City, CA 90230//} ?>
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Founded in 1899, Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the permanent home of hundreds of Hollywood’s legendary players, from Cecil B. DeMille to Dee Dee Ramone, it’s also said to be one of the most popular haunted places in Los Angeles. The weeping woman heard near the lake is said to be the spirit of young Virginia Rappe, whose death will always be linked to the infamous Fatty Arbuckle scandal from the silent era. Half of the cemetery was sold off by 1920 to create what is now Paramount Studios, which is built on former cemetery property. Studio staff often see people in “period” clothing walking towards the wall of the cemetery and disappearing into the brick. Hollywood Forever was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 1999.
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90038//} ?>
Hollywood Pacific Theatre
Located on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Pacific Theatre originally opened in 1928 as the Warner Bros. Theatre (aka Warner Hollywood Theatre). Sam Warner reportedly cursed the theatre when it wasn’t completed in time for the premiere of The Jazz Singer, the first talkie. Warner died from a cerebral hemorrhage the day before the film’s New York premiere. Warner’s ghostly figure has been glimpsed in the theatre’s lobby and offices. Now closed, the theatre was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1993.
6433 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028//} ?>
Hollywood Wax Museum
Looking for real haunted places in L.A.? Since 1965, hundreds of thousands of people have traveled the Hollywood Wax Museum’s halls, coming face-to-face with the famous effigies. The Last Supper display seems to attract the most paranormal attention, including a simple woman who is seen silently praying at the bench in front. A teen that died young was very fond of the Chamber of Horrors, and returns often. Experts say the museum is just as busy with the dead as it is with the living.
6767 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028//} ?>
Linda Vista Hospital
A hospital had been at this site since 1904 – this current structure was built in 1937 for railroad employees. By the late 1980s the use of the hospital declined, as did the neighborhood. The hospital closed in 1991. After the closure, it was investigated by almost every paranormal television program and group. Many spirits, including patients and staff alike, were seen roaming the hospital corridors. Its sinister appearance made it the perfect backdrop for the Day of the Dead and Insidious films. Linda Vista Hospital was recently converted to Hollenbeck Terrace, an affordable apartment complex for seniors.
610-30 S. St. Louis St. Los Angeles, CA 90023//} ?>
The Old Zoo - Griffith Park
By day this is a delightful throwback to one of the first zoos in L.A. Lions, bears and monkeys were all residents of these cave-like facades and cages, which is now a picnic area. By night the feeling is much more sinister. The spirits of the unhappy creatures that once inhabited these tiny dwellings can often be felt and heard.
4730 Crystal Springs Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90027//} ?>
Silent Movie Theatre
In 1942, the Silent Movie Theatre opened its doors to celebrate the bygone era of film by showing silent films as they were originally intended. It was owned for many years by Lawrence Austen (think the Phantasm guy), who sold and ripped the tickets himself. In January 1997, Austen was shot dead in the theatre lobby during a showing of the film Sunrise. A candy-counter girl was also left for dead, but she survived and was able to ID the killer. The plot was hatched by Austen’s projectionist boyfriend, who planned to inherit the building and its supposed hidden millions. In January 2018, it was announced that ownership of the Silent Movie Theatre would transition from Cinefamily to Fairfax Cinema.
611 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036//} ?>
Sanders House aka "Thriller" House
This quiet Victorian house in Angelino Heights is the dilapidated shack that was savagely attacked by zombies in the 1983 music video, Michael Jackson's Thriller. Bonus: The house from Charmed is located two doors down, at 1329 Carroll Ave.
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Wonderland Murders House
Porn legend John Holmes was implicated in the 1981 lead pipe Wonderland Ave. murders of four known drug-dealing thieves in this house. Revenge for robbing and embarrassing drug kingpin Eddie Nash inspired the brutal homicides, made infamous by the Val Kilmer film, Wonderland.
8763 Wonderland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046//} ?>
Ready for more? Then step this way for 13 more of the scariest places in L.A., from murder houses and serial killer lairs, to creepy cemeteries and haunted forests.