There is no shortage of rumors of haunted places and urban legends in LA. While the ghosts of the Queen Mary and the poltergeist at the Pantages Theatre are widely acknowledged, the hauntings and urban legends of the following LA locations will send shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned ghost hunters.
Cecil Hotel
640 S. Main St, Los Angeles
The Cecil Hotel is best known for housing the “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez and more recently, a fiasco involving the discovery of 21-year-old Elisa Lam drowned in a water tank. There’s an abundance of strange and disturbing news from this 1920s-era hotel, earning it a reputation as one of most haunted spots in LA.
Shortly after Lam’s body was found, the security footage was reviewed to find that she had not been in her right mind. She had pushed all the buttons in the elevator, apparently trying to escape something or someone, but the elevator doors would not close. She waved her arms around like she was possessed and somehow made her way into the water tank without sounding any of the hotel’s alarms. One would suspect intoxication to be at fault, but the coroner’s report showed that her body contained no traces of drugs or alcohol.
Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena
If the Pasadena Playhouse feels eerie during the next run of Macbeth, it won’t be because of the stage direction—the theater is rumored to be haunted by its founder Gilmore Brown. According to one of the house managers, Brown plays pranks on the staff and guests, such as moving objects, locking and unlocking doors and turning the lights on and off.
Magic Castle
7001 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles
After receiving an invitation from a member, either by personal acquaintance or by subscribing to an LA magician’s newsletter, guests can begin their paranormal investigation of the Magic Castle. Tours are offered throughout the evening by the Castle Knights who share their knowledge about the haunted women’s restroom, the spirits in the close-up rooms downstairs that are responsible for the stubborn lights at closing time, and the rumored ghost of famed magician Dai Vernon in the Room of Prestidigitation.
Queen Mary
1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach
Widely considered one of the world’s most haunted places, the Queen Mary was originally constructed as the fastest luxury ocean liner on earth and was used to transport celebrities, royalty and dignitaries across the Atlantic. During World War II, the Queen Mary was painted in a dark camouflage to become a troopship, earning her the nickname “Grey Ghost.”
As fitting as the moniker may have been in the 1940s, it suits her even more now that over 49 spirits haunt her halls. From the deceased seaman whose knocks can be heard in engine room 13 to the girl who met her untimely death while sliding down a banister that roams the pool area looking for her mother, the Queen Mary is not a place for the easily spooked. For anyone brave enough to take a closer look, the ship offers ghost tours.
Greystone Mansion
905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills
Home to the one of the most recognizable staircases in movies and television, this Victorian-era estate was once home to the Doheny family, the first family to strike oil in Los Angeles. After Edward Lawrence Doheny passed away, the Greystone Mansion was left to his son Ned who moved in with his wife Lucy and two children. Just five months after their arrival, Ned Doheny was killed in a murder-suicide by his secretary and friend Hugh Plunkett. Because of its gruesome past, numerous dark films have used the Greystone Mansion as their backdrop, including Eraserhead, Dead Ringer and The Loved Ones.
Hollywood Pantages
6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles
When Howard Hughes purchased the Pantages Theatre in 1949, he forged a bond that would last into the afterlife. More than three decades after Hughes left the physical world, his ghost still frequents his old executive office and his footsteps can be heard throughout the theater.
But the Pantages’ previous owner isn’t the only one who calls this Art Deco theater home. In 1932, a woman died in the mezzanine during the show. Since her death, a female voice can be heard singing at various times throughout the day, leading to speculations that the woman that passed away was an aspiring singer. Her singing is even picked up by the stage microphones during live performances and broadcast to the audience as a way for her to realize her dreams from beyond the grave.
Haunted Table 29 at Griffith Park
As the legend goes, Griffith Park was cursed when its original owner Don Antonio Feliz (after whom the boulevard is named) gave the park to Don Antonio Coronel instead of to his niece Dona Petranilla. Disgruntled by her uncle’s decision, she put a curse on the land and Coronel. Soon thereafter, the cattle on the land died, fires destroyed the crops and Coronel passed away. It was later sold to Griffith J. Griffith who could not handle the bad luck and gave the park away to the city.
Since the 1800s, Griffith Park has been known for its haunting presence. One of the lesser known stories is about Haunted Table 29 near the trail to the Hollywood sign. According to various accounts, a young couple was crushed by a falling tree in 1976 while hanging out at the picnic table. Their spirits still haunt the area and prevent anyone from removing the tree.
Barney’s Beanery
8447 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
At the original 1920s location of Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood, diners can enjoy their spooks with a bowl of chili. Many accounts by managers and staff tell of a man in a white shirt wandering on the rooftop (and going undetected by the motion sensors), hearing sounds and feeling spirits in the keg cooler and even seeing the knives spin on their magnetic holders. Serving as the favorite haunt of rock stars throughout the years, it’s no surprise that one or two of these legends may have decided to stick around.
Heritage Square Museum
3800 Homer St, Los Angeles
Put a handful of historic homes in one place and a ghost or two is bound to appear. Of the transports residing at the Heritage Square Museum, the most haunted is the colorful, ornate Victorian named Hale House. On occasion, usually around Halloween, the museum invites a crew of paranormal investigators to the premises and the fearless public has the opportunity to tag along. According to a previous volunteer at the museum, the house’s ghosts speak to visitors and sometimes there’s the scent of Old Spice wafting through the air.
Gravity Hill Altadena
As far as urban folklore goes, the stories surrounding the gravity hill phenomenon in Alta Delta yield mixed results. Some say a school bus full of children crashed on the side of the road and others say it was a young woman sneaking out past her curfew. No matter the story, the results are always the same: cars that stop at the bottom of the hill roll uphill, against the force of gravity. Rumors promise that dousing the front of the car in baby powder will reveal the hand prints of the spirits that pushed up the hill, seemingly protecting other drivers from suffering their same fate.
