We only tend to think about haunted towns this time of year. As the air gets colder and the trees shed their agreed-upon green, the unexplainable occurrences that people have reported and the history that gives such whisperings and claims a glint of possibility grow louder. Quite possibly the scariest thing about haunted towns, is that their origins and mysterious outputs can't be easily explained or resolved. 

A possessed child? Get them an exorcist. A ghost? Help them find closure. A vampire? Push them into the sunlight. There’s a possible solution for many of the things that exist to scare us, as long as you can manage to stay alive to fully execute it (and it, you know, works). But there’s no cure for the haunted town. It doesn’t seem as though people want one either. With their frightening reputations comes a monetization strategy and swaths of tourists that prove hauntings are more than just rumors—they’re entertainment, they’re education, and sometimes they’re both. 

Here are some of the most infamous haunted towns in the United States, and the stories behind their chilling reputations.

Salem, Massachusetts

It’s hard to say Salem without thinking of the Salem witch hunt. It all began when two young girls, the daughter and niece of a Reverend, began experiencing unexplainable ailments. A doctor declared they were suffering from witchcraft, and the girls agreed. It wasn’t long before other residents decided that they too were suffering from witchcraft. Among those accused early on was a woman named Tituba. Some think she may have been coerced, but she would go on to admit to practicing witchcraft and she implicated two other women alongside her, Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne. These events ignited a hunt that spread throughout New England, incriminated over 150 people, and sent 20 innocent men and women to their deaths. All of the trials were based solely on reports from those making the accusations. Like when a few men claimed Bridget Bishop came to them in their dreams. She would be the first to be hung to death. This happened in 1692, more than 300 years ago, yet people still flock to the town to hear about the history through tours and museums.

Sleepy Hollow, NY 

This town is so well known for its horrific history, that Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci starred in a 1999 film based on its story. There are a number of tales tied to the town, but the most well known is that of the Headless Horseman. This is the one about the apparition that rides around searching for his missing head, while brutally decapitating people as he goes. Though the story was one of fiction (written by Washington Irving), it’s believed that it was inspired by a Revolutionary War character, the Headless Hessian, who attacked innocent locals in the Hudson Valley.

Much like Salem, Sleepy Hollow is a beautiful town that isn’t afraid to celebrate its scary side. This is especially true during Halloween season, with the town's abundance of hayrides and haunted houses.

Portland, Oregon

In more recent years, especially with the help of shows like IFC’s Portlandia, Portland has become known as a town that hipsters flock to. What isn’t as well known, is that in the early 19th century Portland actually served as an epicenter for human trafficking. During this time international maritime trade was bustling, and as legend has it, it wasn’t uncommon for a man to stop for a beer at his local saloon and end up on a ship the next day. These men would serve as slaves to their ships for years. This operation came to be known as 'shanghaiing,' since the ships the men were sold to were often on their way to East Asia.

It gets worse. It’s said that these men, along with women who were forced into prostitution, were moved through an underground catacomb below the streets, known as the 'shanghaiing tunnels.' Today you can visit these tunnels, but they aren’t nearly as far-reaching as the legends would have you think, which may be why the truth of the matter is so contested.

San Diego, California

When you think of San Diego, you usually don’t think spooky and scary. But this sunny town has an unsettling history of its own. Unlike other towns that tend to be known for one particular story or event, San Diego has a lot of them, several of which are tied to very real events. One of those is the death of Kate Morgan, a woman who was found dead on an exterior staircase leading to the beach at Hotel del Coronado. Though the death seemed to be a suicide from a gunshot wound to the head, it was found that the bullet in her head did not match her gun.

Hotel del Coronado is still there today, and they fully embrace the mysteries of the hotel’s history. Kate’s death is a milestone in the hotel’s timeline alongside the first breaking of ground for the structure, and a visit from President Franklin Roosevelt and Mrs. Roosevelt. The hotel’s most requested room is 3327, formerly room 302, where Kate stayed before her untimely death, and where many people believe her ghost still roams today.

If that wasn't enough to scare you away, you should check out AMC’s annual horror movie spectacular, FearFest, happening now through Halloween on-air, online, and on AMC+, a premium subscription bundle currently available to Comcast Xfinity, DISH, and Sling TV customers.

This year’s library of selections features 91 titles (see the full list here), including horror franchises such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Amityville Horror, Final Destination, Children of the Corn, Insidious, and many more. See the full on-air schedule here.

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