- Insane asylums are meant to be a place
of treatment for the mentally ill.
However, not everything that occurs
in these facilities are beneficial to the patients.
In fact, some have such dark pasts
with the things that have occurred there
that the spirits of those very same patients
haunt those buildings to this day.
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Here are 10 haunted insane asylums
with extremely dark pasts.
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Number 10 is the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.
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Just outside of the city of Gwangju in South Korea
is the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital,
believed to be one of the biggest paranormal hotspots
in the country.
Closed in 1996 under unclear circumstances,
Gonjiam is still filled with much
of the hospital beds, furniture, and paper work
that filled its rooms when it was still in use.
Almost as if everyone left in a hurry.
Rumors for its closure involved a string of deaths,
many of them patients.
Deaths that could not be explained to their families
because they were actually a mystery
or because potentially foul play
was involved by the doctors.
The owner of this facility fled
to the United States just before the hospital shut down,
and was never heard from again.
However, if you visit Gonjiam late at night,
it's said that you can still hear its ghostly patients.
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Number nine is Denbigh Asylum.
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Completed in 1848, Denbigh Asylum has the honor
of being the first institution
for the mentally ill in Wales.
It was built to house 200 people,
but a flood of patients forced an expansion in 1899,
allowing for 1,500 patients to access treatment.
Though Denbigh Asylum was an important first step
towards recovery for the mentally ill,
it destroyed the lives of some of its patients
with prefrontal lobotomies,
removing bits of their brain.
Since the asylum's closure in 1995,
it has become a favorite spot for many ghost hunters
who have captured various paranormal activity
on audio recordings.
Witnesses have even described hearing
the sounds of laughter as well as screaming
coming from the buildings,
as well as loud bangs and footsteps.
One group in particular reported
that they felt that they were being watched,
and then threatened with the sounds of slamming doors.
Despite being abandoned for over 20 years,
it would appear that there are still some
residents remaining. (thunder and lightning)
Number eight is Severalls Mental Hospital.
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Severalls Mental Hospital officially opened
in May of 1913 in Mile End, England,
and was a pioneering institution
in the field of medical practices.
The doctors at Severalls were encouraged
to experiment and try whatever they wished
on the patients,
which led to a lot of unneeded lobotomies
and electroconvulsive treatments
which are now outlawed.
These treatments were used more frequently in the 1950s
on women who were admitted for symptoms of depression
or if they had illegitimate children.
Its doors closed forever in 1997,
but it may not be completely empty.
According to two gardeners,
a pair of shadowy figures were seen
working on the estate during a rainstorm.
When the gardeners approached
to confront the unknown workers,
they dematerialized right in front of them.
This is just one disturbing report among many
coming from this abandoned hospital.
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Number seven is Danvers State Hospital.
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Known for its inspirational qualities
in the horror genre,
the haunted Danvers State Hospital
in Danvers, Massachusetts was the birthplace
of the prefrontal lobotomy.
It was these lobotomies which turned patients
into what's being described as living zombies.
Opened in 1878,
Danvers was built and staffed to house 600 patients,
but as time went on,
overcrowding became a serious issue
and by 1939, the hospital housed around 2,360 patients
which was a deadly problem.
Due to staff shortages,
patients were checked on very infrequently
and any who died from neglect,
were sometimes left undiscovered for several days.
That is until a doctor finally came by.
Anyone brave enough to enter today
might just hear mysterious footsteps,
see shadowy apparitions,
lights flickering on and off,
or even doors opening and closing on their own.
Have a visit at your own peril (thunder and lightning)
Number six is the Overbrook Asylum.
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Overbrook Asylum was originally built in 1896
as a new hospital in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.
During the mid-1920s, it became an insane asylum
and ran until its closure in 2007.
But what's truly disturbing is that
around 10,000 patients met their own death at Overbrook.
The facility couldn't keep up with the high demand
for mental institutions in New Jersey.
With problems of patient overpopulation
and understaffing which led to neglected patients.
Horrifyingly, patients were lobotomized
just to keep them harmless and docile.
Simply because Overbrook did not have the resources
to look after them.
Since its closure, urban explorers and ghost hunters
that managed to sneak past security
have witnessed the phantom of a nurse
that still makes her rounds in the abandoned hallways.
Other visitors have heard impossible sounds
of squeaky hospital bed wheels
echoing throughout the hallways.
Not exactly a place you'd like to visit on vacation.
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Number five is the Pennhurst Asylum.
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Formerly known as the Pennsylvania State Institution
for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic,
Pennhurst has a long track record
of subjecting its patients to torture and malpractice.
The asylum, located in Spring City, Pennsylvania,
officially closed its doors on December 9, 1987
after nearly 80 years of housing patients.
Ex-patients have told stories of being chained to walls,
children being kept in cages,
and even some being forced to fight other patients.
Now closed, Pennhurst attracts curious explorers
who report lots of paranormal activity
from the deceased former inmates.
There are reports of visitors being shoved around
and items being known to fly across rooms.
Audio recordings from ghost hunters
have captured eerie voices saying, "I'll kill you"
and, "Go away,"
along with distant shrieks and crying.
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Number four is Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane.
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Located in Ovid, New York,
the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane
was built in 1869 and operated until it closed in 1995.
Most of the patients at Willard were committed,
and either forgotten or left by their families
to live out the rest of their lives at this facility.
When they died they would be buried in secret
across the road in unmarked graves
to avoid frightening current patients.
The earliest patients came from horrible prisons
and poor houses where they were shackled and beaten.
Their conditions in life became extremely severe
as a product of their torture,
and in death they continue to lash out at those around them.
Paranormal sightings at Willard have commonly involved
a particular red-headed woman with long hair
who walks throughout the hallways
and will sometimes let out a harsh scream
during the late hours of the night.
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Number three is the Taunton State Hospital.
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Closed in 1975 and left abandoned
until a fire mysteriously destroyed most of it,
Taunton State Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts
has an extremely dark history.
Built in 1854, Taunton has seen some
of America's most dangerously insane criminals,
including the serial killer nurse Jane Toppan,
who administered slow deaths to 31 of her patients.
Many residents and visitors reported feeling uneasy
when passing the basement door.
Patients recalled having seen specific doctors and nurses
escort people down to the basement,
never to be seen again.
After Taunton's closure, the basement was known as
the epicenter for the most intense paranormal visions.
Those who entered experienced anxiety attacks,
while others have witnessed shadows
creeping along the walls.
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Number two is Poveglia Island Asylum.
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Built on an island off of the coast of Venice in 1922,
Poveglia Island Asylum contained Italy's
mentally insane patients,
but the island itself harbored a dark
and gruesome history that also drove people to madness.
In the 18th century, Poveglia was used
as a quarantine island for those infected
with the black plague
who would wait to die far from the rest of Italy.
It is said that over 100,000 people have died there
and that 50% of the topsoil consists of human ash.
When the asylum was established
its medical staff were known
for performing botched lobotomies
and sick experiments on the patients.
The head doctor himself was driven insane.
Purportedly by the ghosts of plague victims
and leapt off the hospital bell tower to his death.
To this day, locals can still hear
ringing from the tower.
Even though the bell is gone.
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And number one is
Norwich State Hospital for the Mentally Insane.
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Between the town of Preston
and the city of Norwich in Connecticut,
are the remains of the Norwich State Hospital
for the Mentally Insane.
Since its opening in October of 1904,
it has been prone to tragedies and controversies.
Several people have taken their own lives at Norwich
and widespread abuse both physically
and sexually was commonplace for many patients.
Since the facility closed in 1996,
its been known to scare its visitors with loud screams,
children's voices, wheelchairs,
and gurneys that move by themselves,
as well as footsteps and groans.
The malicious spirits tied to the asylum
have also made themselves known
by producing clouds of mist,
lights with no clear source,
and shadowy silhouettes.
However, the boldest of them show glimpses of their faces
in the reflections of shattered window panes,
terrifying witnesses. (thunder and lightning)
So that was 10 haunted insane asylums
with extremely dark pasts,
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