Happy Halloween! Sometimes, the scariest things are not ghosts, goblins or ghouls. Sometimes, the scariest things are in real life, right in front of us. Wanna be scared, but not a huge fan of horror movies? Get into the Halloween spirit with the spookiest articles on Wikipedia.
In February of 1959, nine hikers went on a skiing expedition in the Kholat Syakhl mountains (see translation: dead mountains) and were found weeks later. Some were naked, some had major external injuries, some had serious radiation poisoning, and one was missing his tongue. Many theories have arisen, but all have been disproved. What could have happened to them?
2. The Sodder Family Disappearance
On Christmas Eve of 1945, the Sodder family children disappeared from their homes, never to be seen again. Suspiciously, the fire department didn’t show up for hours and the family’s car didn’t start. Additionally, no bones were ever found in the rubble.
In March of 1922, the Gruber family, including their allegedly illegitimate 2-year-old son and their new maid, was brutally slaughtered on their farm in Hinterkaifeck, Germany. One by one, the family was lured into their barn and impaled on a mattock (kind of like a pickaxe). No suspects were ever found, and the case has remained cold ever since.
In 1981, Sue Sharp, her son, daughter, and son’s friend were brutally murdered in their family cabin in Keddie, California. The perpetrators entered wearing masks and terrorized the family throughout the night. Recently, new advances have been made to the case, when the daughter’s disembodied head was found around 60 miles from the cabin. The movie, “The Strangers” (which I cannot recommend highly enough), is based on their murders.
In 1912, the entire six-person Moore family and two close friends were brutally murdered in their home. The scariest part? The murderer, who was never found, had been waiting in their house for an unknown period of time, just waiting for the family to return home so that he could murder them.
6. Elisa Lam
The death of Elisa Lam has confounded conspiracy theorists since her body was discovered on February 2013. A solo trip led Elisa Lam to the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, an infamous hotel that has housed multiple serial killers (American Horror Story: Hotel is loosely based on the Cecil). After an alarming elevator video in which she talks to someone who’s not there, she ~somehow~ got onto the (restricted) roof, she ~somehow~ climbed into a water tank that weighed multiple tons. Her body was only discovered after the water in the hotel turned brown. No suspects were ever discovered.
7. Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes killed and ate a voluntary victim that he met on the internet. Need I say more?
8. Unit 731
During World War II, the Japanese army conducted biological and chemical research on over 3,000 men, women, and children. These are widely believed to be the worst war crimes ever committed.
Okay, so this isn’t as creepy as all the other unsolved mysteries on this list, but it’s still super cool. Basically, this is an ancient text in an indecipherable language. The greatest cryptographers have attempted to translate it, but have all failed.
10. The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich
How did he disappear? Hint: it may have to do with UFO’s. Every time I hear the phrase “It’s not an aircraft,” I get chills.
11. Cicada 3301
The CIA allegedly posted this on the internet to recruit “highly intelligent individuals.” It is the most difficult puzzle known on the internet, but you can follow the clues that others have discovered. Apparently we’re supposed to get the first clue from the above photograph… I just don’t know how.