Earlier this month, we asked readers to help us celebrate Halloween by sharing photos of places they encountered that gave them the chills. At Atlas Obscura, we have always been fascinated by the histories and science that infuse mysterious locations—and some that aren’t so mysterious at first glance, like a haunted grocery store. So we wanted to know: What places haunt you?

We were delighted and terrified by the influx of mournful cemeteries, derelict buildings, and shadowy landscapes! A variety of creepy sculptures had us looking at art in a whole new (nightmarish) way, making us not want to turn our backs to them—just in case.

Check out and beware these spooky images (click to see them up close) selected by our team—the first place winner is above. We hope these photographs will get your heart racing for Halloween (or any time of year, honestly).

Congratulations to our winners, who scored some Atlas Obscura gear, and a trip to Romania that includes Dracula’s Castle! Thanks to everyone who shared their photographs with us this October!

Second Place

Kathy Richards's photograph of a Medusa statue at the Underground Cistern in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Türkiye.
Kathy Richards’s photograph of a Medusa statue at the Underground Cistern in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Türkiye.

Third Place

John Krowka's photograph of a giant bust of President Chester A. Arthur at President's Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.
John Krowka’s photograph of a giant bust of President Chester A. Arthur at President’s Park in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Honorable Mentions

Cortney Webb's photograph of the mountains of the Portuguese island of Madeira in Porto Moniz.
Cortney Webb’s photograph of the mountains of the Portuguese island of Madeira in Porto Moniz.
Emma Eckert's photograph of Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Emma Eckert’s photograph of Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Daria Hutchinson's photograph of a rustic cabin in a redwood forest at Mendocino Woodlands Camp in Mendocino, California.
Daria Hutchinson’s photograph of a rustic cabin in a redwood forest at Mendocino Woodlands Camp in Mendocino, California.
Sonja Quintero's photograph of a graveyard statue at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.
Sonja Quintero’s photograph of a graveyard statue at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.
Brian Gifford's photograph of the Crypte de Basilique Saint-Eutrope de Saintes in Saintes, France.
Brian Gifford’s photograph of the Crypte de Basilique Saint-Eutrope de Saintes in Saintes, France.
Chris Collins's photograph of a wheelchair at the abandoned Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York.
Chris Collins’s photograph of a wheelchair at the abandoned Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York.