Some houses just look haunted. You know…the kind of houses that oblivious families are always moving into at the beginning horror movies. The place is obviously infested with spooks, but for some reason, this adorable couple thinks they can fix it and flip it for a tidy profit. In the interest of public safety, we’ve created a watchlist of Massachusetts houses that could be haunted. If you’re in the market for a new home, just make sure to avoid these places and check the “certified ghoul-free” box on your Zillow search.
1. Okay, this guy right here. You've got the overgrown yard, the peeling paint, the ominous sky.... Everything about this image is screaming: "THIS IS NOT THE SUMMER HOME YOU ARE LOOKING FOR." Super possibly haunted. 7/10.
2. This place is in Salem, which guarantees at least two disgruntled spirits per lot, so we're off to a solid start. The cemetery is so close to the house that the corpses should probably be paying rent. Creeping ivy all up in the house's business: good, good, definitely a plus. Some of it looks to be poking into a window or two. Excellent possibility of otherworldly tenancy. 9/10.
3. This house gets more haunted the higher up you go. Lots of points for the boarded up attic window. That’s a thoughtful touch. A few shingles missing here and there, some curly wooden accents hither and thither, playfully framing the second-story windows in the blood of the innocent….all cheeky additions to a somewhat pedestrian haunted house. 7/10, mostly for effort.
4. Looks like a haunted house that fell in a tub of Oxyclean. Lots of fancy roof stuff going on, so that’s nice. Spooks are all about that fancy roof stuff. What’s with that lawn though? It’s so… lush. 4/10.
5. Classic haunted house shape, including two teeny windows in the upper left that are clearly for the personal use of the attic spectre. Appropriately creepy barren tree in the front yard, but points off for the lush greenery on either side of the house. Could be haunted, but could be just be the house you hope to inherit from that one weird uncle. 5/10.
6. This is what I'm talking about. Textbook haunted house - broken windows, a definite plus. The house's evil aura has clearly withered all the surrounding plant life (that forsythia is aggressively flowering, but everyone knows forsythia feeds on human misery) and the paint has been spooked right off the siding. Minor points off for the clear blue sky, but point added for apparent isolation. Definitely a Class A haunted house. 10/10.
7. A complicated case. First off, let’s just take a moment to appreciate that this door is the most haunted thing I've ever spied. There's ectoplasm smeared all over it and I'm pretty sure that little windowpane has just been painted on by some Pintresty poltergeist. Furthermore, the roof does look like it’s shingled with burnt Bible pages. However, the critical observer will note that the house right next door is giving off major wholesome vibes and is painted a creamy shade of definitely-not-haunted. 6/10.
9. First of all, automatic points for having a giant witch's hat on top of a spooky tower. The photo looks grainy, possibly taken by a ghost. The house is in obvious disrepair and has a charming little round porch thing stuck to its side, which is a perfect spot for a pale, glowing woman in Victorian garb to stand and stare at kids riding by on hoverboards. Major points off for a well-maintained box henge. Ghosts hate crisp landscaping. 6/10.
10. This one has a super helpful sign, so I guess that's case closed. Unless they mean that the property hasn't been de-leaded and the deck isn't up to code. Still...that's a pretty spooky font. 10/10.
