For a lot of people in the market for a new home, learning about murders and spooky on-site occurrences is more than enough to send them running. But for those of us who get a thrill at the thought of encountering a ghostly figure, it would just peak our interest more. Of course, there’s no better time to hunt for haunted houses than Halloween. There are 10 in particular that TopTenRealEstateDeals found that we would be really interested in checking out, like Buffalo Bill’s house from Silence of the Lambs, and others that we couldn’t be payed to live in, like Dahmer’s boyhood home.
The Boulder House
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
$4.2M
At first glance, the Boulder House looks like a really cool Flintstones-style desert home and while that is true, it’s also super creepy. The original homeowners built it in the ‘70s within natural boulders, which consist of around 60 percent of the structure, and though they built the house themselves, they weren’t the first humans to live in those rocks. The boulders date back 1.6 billion years and while the house was being built, evidence of previous inhabitants were found, like pottery shards and rock carvings that date back 1,000 years. Another strange thing about this property is that on the spring and fall equinoxes, a six-inch-wide beam of light that passes through glass between two boulders moves across the floor and up a wall to a 36-inch petroglyph. When the sun hits it just right, it casts diamond-like projections all over the home. Now that’s some serious otherworldly eeriness right there.
The Dakota
New York City, New York
$14.5M for 10-room corner unit
The Dakota building in New York has seen a lot of action and some of it has been truly awful with very real tragedies. John Lennon moved into a unit in 1973 and lived there with Yoko Ono until he was murdered outside of one of the entries. Ono actually still lives there and has claimed to see Lennon’s ghost playing the piano before telling her, “Don’t be afraid, I am still with you.” The exterior of the building was also used for Rosemary’s Baby, as the setting for possibly the worst pregnancy story ever told. Many NYC locals consider it to be the scariest building in town and there are tons of spooky stories surrounding its English Victorian rooms. Built in 1884, tales include arms being forced into lights to be burned, ghost kids loose in the halls and metal bars being thrown at people in the basement. Lennon actually claimed to have seen ghosts so often that he even named one “the crying lady.”
JP Morgan Camp
Mohegan Lake, New York
$2.95M
Financial whiz JP Morgan was a pretty big deal in the late 1800s and early 1900s, creating General Electric and U.S. Steel. The physically imposing man used to be quite threatening to people, and children were apparently afraid of his purple nose (which was due to chronic rosacea). Hauntings aren’t unusual in his family, since his deceased daughter has apparently been seen roaming the hallways of his former Long Island mansion in a long black dress. The late Joan Rivers also claimed that his niece used to haunt her New York home and appear to her every morning at 3 a.m. The best bet someone has of spotting JP himself is probably at his vacation compound on Mohegan Lake. The rustic camp-like spot is totally secluded and surrounded by trees, just like what you would see in a horror film where everyone is massacred.
The Gustav Mayer House
Staten Island, New York
$2.3M
Built in 1855 by a New York commander, the Gustav Mayer House was bought by Mayer in 1889 and stayed in the family through the late 1980s. The eerie home has a strange history, full of reclusive behavior and high fashion photo shoots. Apparently, Mayer’s daughters refused to leave the house and used to lower baskets from the windows to collect deliveries from the grocer and postal workers. They were the last of his family to live there and afterwards, the Mayer House was noticed by photographers who fell in love with its decaying appearance. Elle, Vogue and W have all had shoots here, and the Olsen twins were photographed once from behind a crumbling wall upstairs. If you buy this one, you should leave it as is to up your chances of renting it out to stars and television studios. Maybe don’t sleep here though, because it looks terrifying.
Sowden House
Los Angeles, California
$4.7M
The Sowden House is absolutely stunning. Built in the 1920s by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, the 5,600-square-foot home was inspired by South American architecture and boasts a warm, open presence. There’s just one small thing though. Its previous owner was the Los Angeles-based doctor, George Hodel, who just may have been the Black Dahlia murderer in 1947. A lot of people (including his son) were, and still are, convinced that Hodel killed, mutilated and dismembered Elizabeth Short. The Sowden House’s connection to Hodel has to be why the asking price is so low, because $4.7M is a steal for such a visual gem.
Buffalo Bill’s House
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
$300k
Now, this is one that I would definitely live in—just think of all the epic dance parties I could throw! Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs is one of the most disturbing characters in cinema by far and if you don’t quite remember why, it’s probably because you blocked the memory out. The 1910 Princess Anne house is actually very visually appealing, but we recommend that straight male buyers steer clear. Unless of course you don’t mind women freaking out when they discover any sort of lotion in your bathroom.
Neverland Ranch
Santa Barbara County, California
$100M
Is there anything spookier than an abandoned carnival? Yes, and it’s the Neverland Ranch. Famously the home of the late Michael Jackson, the huge property that once held a grand Ferris wheel and tons of exotic animals, is now called Sycamore Valley Ranch and is apparently haunted by the singer himself. People who have visited say they have felt a strange presence while in the 12,000-square-foot home and we wouldn’t be surprised considering how much Jackson loved Neverland.
The Scarface Mansion
Montecito, California
$35M
This one isn’t necessarily scary, but it is cool. It was in this Miami-esque estate that Tony Montana killed over 20 assassins in Scarface’s epic climax. Though a lot of the movie was shot in Miami where it was set, the local tourist board was worried that the violent Oliver Stone flick would have a negative impact on tourism by reminding everyone of the drug-filled wasteland the city was in the late ‘70s. In case you don’t know how bad it was, the morgue couldn’t handle the amount of murders and actually had to rent freezer trucks to store excess bodies in. Stone chose this Montecito home as Montana’s mansion, making it a pretty big piece of cinematic history that you can now live in.
Colorado Ghost Town
Uptop, Colorado
$1M
Why buy one freaky house when you can buy an entire ghost town? Colorado was rife with bandits and outlaws during the Wild West, where the likes of Butch Cassidy used to hide out in the Rocky Mountains. Uptop would have been a prime spot for criminals to stow away, since its position at a higher altitude enables one to keep an eye on approaching law enforcement. This particular town was created in the 1870s when railways turned it into a coal mining town. But by the late 1990s, everyone completely cleared out and left it abandoned. We don’t know if it’s technically haunted, but come on. It probably is. It’s a ghost town.
Jeffrey Dahmer’s Childhood Home
Bath, Ohio
$295k
This one will be the toughest to sell (it’s actually been on and off the market for years), because no one wants to live in Jeffrey Dahmer’s boyhood home. It would be one thing if he had moved out before he started killing people, but he didn’t. Dahmer killed his first victim here when he was just 18, burying some of the dismembered remains under the porch and scattered the rest throughout the surrounding woods. Apparently, realtors may have a tough time but they stay positive by telling prospective buyers that the home didn’t actually kill anyone. Yeah, sounds great. Still not buying.
