Six spookiest places in Malaysia

Malaysia  is rich with supernatural lore, and a fair number of these ghoulies and ghosties seem to share a liking for certain sites. This Halloween, try to stay away from these scary local haunts.

1) Penang War Museum, Bukit Batu Maung 

Listed as one of Asia’s top 10 haunted sites by the National Geographic Channel, this spooky site has made its bones in the eyes of horrorphiles. Originally built to serve as a British defence fortress in the 1930s, it would serve as a prisoner of war camp after the Japanese invasion in 1941. The sleeping quarters of the officers in charge of the cannon firing bay were later used by the Japanese to execute said captives. Hundreds of grisly beheadings took place there, and to this day, the fort’s tortured past and eerie atmosphere still sends chills up the spines of visitors.  

 

2) Kellie’s Castle, Batu Gajah, Perak 

The ruined beauty is said to be haunted by those for whom it was built. Commissioned by Scottish planter William Kellie Smith either as a gift for his wife or a home for his heir, construction on the picturesque mansion began in 1915 only for bad luck to plague the process. Workers fell sick with the deadly Spanish flu, and many succumbed to their illness. Smith’s own fortune dwindled, and the place later sold to British company Harrisons and Crosfield. Some visitors have apparently seen apparitions of the Smith family, who never got to move into the house, and the site still fascinates ghost hunters and paranormal investigators from around the world.

3) Pudu Jail, Kuala Lumpur 

With it being built on the grounds of a Chinese cemetery, the iconic prison probably got off to a bad start. Opened in 1895, its early days were tainted by mass prisoner deaths due to outbreak of the cholera disease. Since then, the site has seen countless punishments of death-by-hanging, brutal canings and over a century of human suffering within its walls.

Until its demolition in 2010, many paranormal-hunters and visitors had an experience to share of a strange encounter or two: silent figures lurking in the narrow halls and disappearing around corners, screams from empty prison chambers, and ghosts glaring from the confines of cells that held them captive then and now. 

4) Karak Highway

This spooky stretch is infamous for its ghostly sightings and even has a horror movie to its name. Year after year, the superstitious say it “claims” many unfortunate lives through the grisly, fatal accidents that spill the blood of innocents on its tar road. 

Name any ghost and you might just spot it here: from the towering Hantu Tinggi that cannot escape notice - yet must be ignored by hapless motorists who drive through the archway created by its endless “legs” - to unwelcome guests in an empty backseat, there seems to be no shortage of horrors to haunt this highway.    

5) Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur 

For some scares closer to the heart of the city, this genteel enclave has an otherworldly aura come night fall. An abandoned bungalow here is the subject of much interest: some curious visitors saw nothing in daylight, but felt a deep fear regardless. Others have reported orb sightings and heard a woman, one who supposedly died by her own hand, humming in a certain area of the house. If the vibes felt during a solitary nighttime walk through the nearby Taman Tunku holds true, the house itself is sure to leave an impression on any who dare walk through its ruined halls. 

6) Rachado Bay, Negeri Sembilan / Malacca 

Also known as Tanjung Tuan, this coastal area once hosted a major naval standoff between the Dutch East India Company and Portuguese fleet in 1606. Now, its area includes a camp site, and if whispered stories once shared among its wide-eyed youth are anything to go by, the area is “keras” or rife with supernatural activity. 

 

Some claim to have heard the sounds of marching on the dormitory rooftops, or spotted weird phenomena during night patrols such as a severed head munching on leftover fried chicken in dustbins.

 

The public bathrooms are another hotbed of horrors: one camp-goer felt an extra set of eyes on her and another friend while brushing their teeth late at night, and looked up to see a mournful face watching from roof beam, while another who answered nature’s call said he once reached behind for the flush, only to tug on a length of hair. Thankfully, he never looked back.