Haunted History

Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. Nineteen were hanged, one was pressed to death, and several died in jail. The trials remain a cautionary tale about mass hysteria, false accusations, and the danger of unchecked authority.

An estimated 40,000-60,000 people were executed for witchcraft across Europe during this period. Contrary to popular belief, most were not burned — hanging was more common in England, while burning was prevalent in continental Europe. The majority of victims were women, though men were also accused.

The Bell family experienced years of torment from an entity that called itself 'Kate.' The spirit physically attacked family members, spoke aloud, and allegedly predicted future events. John Bell Sr. died during the haunting, and the entity claimed responsibility.

In the Hebrew Bible, King Saul — who had banned necromancy — secretly visited a medium at Endor to summon the spirit of the prophet Samuel. The spirit appeared and prophesied Saul's death in battle the next day. The prophecy came true.

Twelve people from the Pendle area were accused of murdering ten people through witchcraft. Ten were hanged. The case is notable for the detailed records kept by the court clerk, Thomas Potts, giving us unusual insight into 17th-century witch trial proceedings.

Called 'the most haunted house in England,' Borley Rectory experienced decades of paranormal activity: phantom footsteps, mysterious writings on walls, a spectral nun, and objects moving on their own. The building burned down in 1939 under mysterious circumstances.

While Salem gets all the attention, a lesser-known witch trial unfolded in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1692 — the same year as Salem, but far quieter in the historical record. Mercy Disborough, a poor widow living on Scot's Lane, was accused of bewitching a young man named Thomas Benit into fits and visions.

Teen Witch is a 1989 American teen comedy-fantasy film directed by Dorian Walker. It follows Louise Miller, a shy high school girl who discovers she is descended from one of the Salem witches and has magical powers. With the help of a seer named Madame Serena, Louise uses her powers to become the most popular girl in school — but learns that magic can't buy what really matters.

In 1487, a Dominican friar named Heinrich Kramer published a book. Within fifty years, it had killed more people than most armies. The Malleus Maleficarum — 'The Hammer of Witches' — is the most dangerous book in the history of Western civilization. It is a manual for identifying, interrogating, and executing witches. It was written by a man who had been expelled from Innsbruck for his obsessive persecution of a local woman he believed was a witch. The Bishop of Innsbruck called Kramer 'senile' and threw him out. Kramer went home and wrote the book that would justify the murder of tens of thousands.

She is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans, and people still bring her offerings. Brick dust. Rum. Cigars. Three X's scratched into her tomb. They bring requests. They bring desperation. Eighty years after her death, she is still receiving petitioners. Marie Laveau was a Creole woman who dominated the spiritual, social, and political life of New Orleans for decades. She was a hairdresser — a profession that gave her intimate access to the city's most powerful families. She was a practitioner of Louisiana Voodoo, a syncretic tradition blending West African Vodou with French Creole Catholicism. She was, by every account, genuinely terrifying.

In 1614, an anonymous pamphlet appeared in Kassel, Germany. It described a secret brotherhood founded by a man named Christian Rosenkreuz — a 15th-century sage who had traveled the Arab world learning esoteric wisdom, returned to Europe, and established a hidden order dedicated to transforming human knowledge. The pamphlet was called the Fama Fraternitatis. It invited learned men to join the brotherhood. Within a year, Europe was convulsed with debate about the Rosicrucians. Hundreds of scholars published responses — some begging to join, some denouncing it as heresy. No one heard back from the brotherhood. No one ever has.

On the night of March 31, 1848, two sisters in upstate New York claimed to make contact with a spirit. Kate Fox, twelve years old, snapped her fingers and said: 'Mr. Splitfoot, do as I do.' The knocks responded. Her sister Maggie called out letters of the alphabet and the knocks spelled out a message. By morning, their mother had gathered neighbors to witness. By the end of the year, the story had spread across the country. Within a decade, it had changed the world. The Fox sisters did not merely claim to speak with the dead. They started a religion. Spiritualism — the belief that the dead could communicate with the living through mediums — swept through America and Europe in the second half of the 19th century, claiming millions of adherents including scientists, politicians, and grieving parents who had lost children to war.