Video 10 Creepiest Murder Houses Overview

We all know the classic horror setup: a family moves into a house where a brutal murder once occurred, and soon they begin to sense something oddly supernatural about the walls. Even if you’re skeptical about ghosts, there’s an undeniable creep factor in calling a home where people were savagely slain your residence. You don’t need to rent a scary movie to experience a murder house; you could actually rent one right now. In fact, you might end up living there today. This week, we’re slipping out after sunset to give you a spine‑tingling tour of the very rooms where those dreadful killings happened, all in our video 10 creepiest murder houses you could live in.

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Whether you’re a paranormal enthusiast, a brave house‑hunter, or just love a good goosebumps story, these murder‑scene dwellings offer a front‑row seat to history’s darkest chapters. From creaking floorboards that echo past screams to cold spots that linger long after the sun sets, each property promises a pulse‑quickening experience you won’t find in any ordinary home tour, and they’re all featured in our video 10 creepiest collection.

Many people swear that a building can soak up the lingering vibes of its former residents. Whether you openly admit to this spooky superstition or keep it under your hat, the idea of tearing down a home where darkness once lived still captures the imagination. In this roundup we dive into the saga of 10 evil houses that were ripped from the map, each with its own grisly backstory and a final, often fiery, goodbye.

Uncovering the Story Behind 10 Evil Houses

10 H.H. Holmes’ Murder Castle

H.H. Holmes earned his infamous reputation as Chicago’s first serial killer, allegedly dispatching anywhere between twenty and over a hundred victims—most of them women—inside his labyrinthine “murder castle.” The grim structure boasted hidden chambers, trap doors, and a cellar pit where bodies were dumped. There, quicklime and acid accelerated decomposition, turning flesh to bone, and Holmes reportedly sold the resulting skeletons for a quick buck. Other corpses met a fiery fate in a basement kiln.

After Holmes was convicted of murder and insurance fraud, he met his end by execution on May 7, 1896. A fire later damaged the castle, but only the top two floors required rebuilding; the industrial‑looking edifice lingered until the late 1930s. Eventually, the building was demolished, making way for a post office. Today, the only trace left is an underground escape tunnel that still surfaces via an exit hatch.

9 Summerwind

Constructed in 1916 on Wisconsin’s West Bay Lake, Summerwind served as a tranquil summer retreat for Robert P. Lamont and his family, who fled the pressures of Washington, DC. Legend has it that Lamont once believed an intruder haunted the house and fired his gun at a phantom. Following Lamont’s death, the property changed hands several times.

In the 1970s a six‑child family purchased the house, only to abandon it after six months. The occupants reported apparitions, disembodied voices, and doors and windows that opened and shut on their own. The psychological strain drove the husband to a full breakdown and the wife toward a suicide attempt, culminating in a divorce and a hasty departure.

Investors bought the mansion in 1986 with plans to convert it into a business, but a bolt of lightning struck the structure, reducing it to ash. No concrete evidence ever surfaced to confirm the hauntings or alleged murders claimed by previous residents.

8 Soham Murder House

In 2005, Ian Huntley received a 40‑year prison sentence for the 2002 killings of ten‑year‑old Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Huntley had lured the girls to his home, sexually abused them, and murdered them. The house, which doubled as his caretaker’s residence for Soham Village College, was sealed off from the public after the crimes were uncovered.

In the spring of 2004, a digger razed the building under police supervision. Officers watched in silence as the press observed the demolition, and to prevent souvenir hunting, every fragment was pulverized into dust and cleared from the site.

7 Demon House

Gary, Indiana’s so‑called “demon house” never hosted a serial killer, yet former residents swore it was a hotspot for demonic activity, leading to possessions and physical harm. The notoriety caught the eye of Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans, who bought the property in 2014 and announced plans for a documentary, claiming it was the most malevolent house he’d ever encountered.

Law‑enforcement officials also voiced concerns about a sinister presence. In early 2016, Zak oversaw the demolition of the house, erasing the alleged evil from the neighborhood.

6 The Devil’s Lair

On December 14, 2012, mass murderer Adam Lanza shot his mother dead inside their Newtown, Connecticut home before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he claimed 20 children and six adults. The bank that held the property transferred the house to the town shortly after the tragedy. The residence stood as a stark reminder of the horror for years.

Outraged residents grew tired of driving past the grim reminder, prompting the town to demolish the structure in spring 2015. Everything inside was removed and incinerated to stop any macabre memorabilia trade. The foundation was crushed, leaving an open lot in its place.

5 Killer Clown’s House

John Wayne Gacy, the infamous “killer clown,” murdered 33 young men inside his Chicago home. In the spring of 1979, investigators dismantled the residence while searching for hidden bodies. The lot remained an unsightly, haunting void until 1988, when developers broke ground on a new home.

Some locals claimed the vacant space was haunted, while others welcomed the transformation. Replacing the grim lot with a fresh residence helped the neighborhood regain a sense of normalcy.

4 House Of Murders

In 1994, Robin and Margaret Bain were found shot dead in their Dunedin, New Zealand home, with three of their four children also slain. Their surviving son, 22‑year‑old David Bain, quickly fell under suspicion for the gruesome murders.

Controversy still swirls over David’s guilt, but the house itself received a literal death sentence. Less than a month after the tragedy, firefighters set the dwelling ablaze, reducing it to ashes.

3 Cleveland’s House Of Horrors

Anthony Sowell, a registered sex offender, was required to check in regularly with law enforcement. In 2009, after a victim disclosed that Sowell had raped her in his home, police obtained a warrant and entered the property. Inside, they uncovered the rotting remains of 11 victims.

Neighbors had previously reported a foul odor, attributing it to natural gas. After Sowell’s conviction and death sentence, the city of Cleveland demolished his house in 2011, erasing the physical reminder of his atrocities.

2 Christchurch Murder House

In Christchurch, New Zealand, the community rallied in 2010 to demolish the home where Jason Somerville murdered two women and concealed their bodies. Four prior arson attempts had already targeted the “murder house,” reflecting the public’s fury.

The demolition finally took place, and plans were set in motion to convert the cleared lot into a public space, offering a hopeful new chapter for the neighborhood.

1 Birkwood Castle

Many argue that abandoned mental hospitals are the epitome of terror, and Birkwood Castle in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, fits that bill. Once a bustling psychiatric facility, the site earned a reputation as the UK’s most haunted location, with reports that the spirits of former patients still roamed the corridors.

Developers purchased the property with grand plans to convert the castle and surrounding structures into a luxury hotel and residences. However, alleged spectral unrest allegedly caused the walls to crumble in 2015, an event witnessed by nearby residents as a loud explosion, stalling the redevelopment.

Elizabeth, a dedicated researcher of the paranormal, spends her days surrounded by dusty tomes in what she calls her “personal nirvana.” Since 1997, she’s chronicled strange phenomena worldwide, adding a scholarly voice to the castle’s eerie legend.

When the Turpin saga broke in early 2018, the term “horror house” surged back into the headlines, describing any residence where unspeakable atrocities unfolded. Kidnappings, sexual assaults, decomposing corpses—these real‑world horrors echo the most gruesome scenes from horror cinema.

Some argue that these tragedies stem from societal failures—neighbors, social workers, and law‑enforcement missed the warning signs or chose to look away. Was it truly that no one knew, or that everyone pretended not to see? Are we dealing solely with criminal acts, or also with a broken mental‑health safety net?

Each new discovery of a horror house reignites those unsettling questions. Below are ten chilling dwellings that defy explanation.

Why These 10 Horror Houses Shock the World

10 The Turpin House: US

In Perris, California, the Turpin family imprisoned 13 of their own children within a dim, fetid home. The youngsters were shackled, starved, and routinely beaten. In January 2018, one brave girl slipped through a window and revealed the nightmare, after two years of secret planning.

These children endured weeks, even months, of confinement, were allowed a single annual shower, and received no entertainment beyond writing in journals. Their psychological torment was equally severe: the parents would purchase food—pies even—leave it on the counter, yet forbid the kids to eat it. The children never experienced medication or dental care.

A disturbing Facebook profile showed a glossy, “Shining”‑style family portrait and a staged Elvis wedding. Ages ranged from two to 29, and the kids were so emaciated they appeared much younger. They received no formal schooling; the father administered a legal homeschooling program. Pure horror.

9 The Small House That Smelled Of Corpses: Japan

In late 2017, Tokyo police uncovered nine bodies in a suburban flat. The victims were mutilated, beheaded, and stacked in cardboard boxes. The 27‑year‑old suspect attempted to mask the stench by covering the corpses with cat litter. Neighbors complained of a foul odor, assuming it emanated from the sewer system.

The investigation linked the deaths to a missing 23‑year‑old woman who had contacted the suspect online, seeking a suicide pact. Security footage from nearby train stations captured their final meeting.

Japan still enforces the death penalty. If convicted, the murderer would face hanging, as the country does not employ the guillotine.

8 Gizzeria’s Kidnapper: Italy

Aloisio Francesco Rosario Giordano, a 52‑year‑old from Gizzeria, held a 29‑year‑old Romanian woman captive for a decade, fathering two children with her. The woman was forced to live in a cramped closet within a rodent‑infested basement, devoid of water, electricity, or bathroom facilities.

Giordano had previously been sentenced in 1995 for similar offenses. Initially hired as a caregiver for his ailing wife, he locked the Romanian woman in the basement after his wife’s death. She endured relentless beatings, torture, and rape, while Giordano rudimentarily treated her most severe wounds.

The two children were compelled to witness the abuse of their mother, and at times were forced to participate under threat of further violence.

7 Anthony Sowell And The Rotten Corpses: US

The most obvious challenge for a home‑bound killer is the odor. Cleveland residents repeatedly complained about a foul smell on a back‑street, unaware of the grisly truth. In 2009, law enforcement finally forced entry into Anthony Sowell’s residence.

Sowell, a veteran, had previously been convicted of rape in 1989 and released in 2005. He seemed to have learned from his past, choosing to strangle each new victim after raping them. He buried bodies in his garden or dismembered them. One victim’s head was discovered inside the house.

Just a week before the gruesome discovery, neighbors saw a naked woman tumble from Sowell’s second‑floor balcony into the garden, yet police took no action. Ultimately, investigators uncovered six rotting female corpses inside the home and five more buried outside.

6 The Fournirets’ Manor: France

Michel Fourniret and his accomplice Monique Olivier forged a deadly partnership while Michel was incarcerated. Upon his release, the duo carried out rapes and murders, with Monique soothing young victims as Michel committed the killings. They operated out of a manor they purchased near the French‑Belgian border.

During his prison term, Michel befriended a member of the “Gang of the Postiches.” He promised a cut of the gang’s earnings in exchange for contacting the inmate’s wife and retrieving money. Instead of sharing, Fourniret murdered the wife and seized the cash. Several corpses were later discovered in the manor’s garden.

5 Great Deal: US

In 2017, a couple purchased a Houston house that had reportedly sat vacant for two years after former resident Mary Cerruti vanished and stopped paying her mortgage in 2015. She had rarely been seen outside the property since a nearby real‑estate development began.

During an investigation, dead cats were discovered inside the home, but no further evidence emerged, and the case was closed. When the new owners began renovations, they uncovered Cerruti’s skeleton hidden within the walls, showing signs of animal disturbance.

The mystery deepened: did she die after being stuffed into the wall, or did she inadvertently become trapped there? In March 2018, authorities suggested she most likely fell through a broken attic floorboard, becoming lodged in the wall. Neighbors remain skeptical, questioning how a body could slip through a crack only a dollar‑bill wide.

4 London’s Guru: UK

In 2013, 75‑year‑old Maoist guru Aravindan Balakrishnan and his wife were arrested after two cult followers reported rape. The investigation revealed that Balakrishnan had sexually abused all members of his women‑only collective, which he had founded four decades earlier.

Police discovered the couple had confined their own daughter in a cellar for thirty years. Balakrishnan claimed he was “exorcising” her perceived fascist tendencies, beating her with slippers or a McDonald’s balloon stick he kept for that purpose.

The girl never saw extended family, made friends, or attended school or a doctor’s office. Isolated, she conversed with bathroom taps and attempted to befriend the rats and mice that shared her cellar.

3 Josef Fritzl: Austria

A modest family home in Amstetten, Austria, became the setting for Josef Fritzl’s horrific captivity of his daughter Elisabeth beginning in 1984. He kept her chained, repeatedly raping her. Elisabeth gave birth to seven children; one infant died shortly after birth and was cremated in the wood stove, while three were brought upstairs to live with Josef and his wife.

The eldest daughter, Kristen, developed renal problems, prompting a hospital visit that sparked suspicion. When Elisabeth appeared at the hospital, authorities intervened, sequestering and questioning her. In 2008, she bravely testified on tape, detailing the 24 years of imprisonment.

Fritzl forced Elisabeth to watch pornographic videos with him and then reenact them. The cellar door was booby‑trapped to kill her if she attempted escape. Her testimony required 11 hours, broken into short segments to spare jurors further trauma.

2 The Natascha Kampusch Case: Austria

At age ten, Natascha Kampusch was abducted by Wolfgang Priklopil, who repeatedly raped her. She endured isolation in an underground cellar until she escaped on August 23, 2006, at age eighteen, and was found near Vienna.

After her liberation, Priklopil committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. Kampusch’s vivid testimony illuminated the conditions of her confinement and the complex guilt experienced by long‑term kidnapping victims. Her case exemplifies Stockholm syndrome, where victims develop emotional bonds with captors.

When “Wolfi” died, Kampusch wept and embraced his body at the mortuary. In 2008, she purchased the cellar house where she had been held and occasionally visits it to ensure it remains orderly. Despite his death, she maintains a lingering connection to the horror house.

1 The Garrido House: US

In 1991, Philip and Nancy Garrido kidnapped 11‑year‑old Jaycee Dugard as she walked to her school bus stop. They confined her in a locked garden shed, subjecting her to regular rape by Philip. Jaycee later gave birth to two daughters, sharing the cramped shed with them.

In 2009, Philip Garrido, seemingly unhinged, attempted to start a church and sought funding. During a frantic meeting at a local college’s philanthropy office, a staff member contacted his parole officer.

When the parole officer arrived a few days later, Garrido brought his wife, Jaycee, and the two daughters. Jaycee was separated from Philip and eventually disclosed the eighteen years of abuse to police.

The Garridos were arrested on the spot. In 2011, Philip received a sentence of 431 years to life, while Nancy was sentenced to 36 years to life for kidnapping and related crimes.

There are some houses that if the walls could speak, they would likely scream in horror. When a home becomes part of a serious murder investigation, it’s often not long before the murder memorabilia hunters come forward, ready to grab a piece of true crime history. Then, once bodies have been discovered on the site, the ghost hunters and creepy tours will follow shortly after. This is a deep dive into the world of 10 houses horror – the most unsettling residences that were ultimately torn down.

10 houses horror Overview

10 Fred And Rose West’s House

Fred and Rose West will go down in history as one of the worst serial killer duos. They lived at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester City, England, and what took place behind closed doors was so disturbing that the home has since been flattened. The sinister couple murdered at least 10 young women together between 1971 and 1987. (Fred killed more beforehand.) The victims were then dismembered and buried in either the cellar or the garden. The two even threatened their children that they, too, would “end up under the patio.”

Behind bars, Fred became depressed when Rose refused to reply to any of his letters, and he took his own life in prison. Initially, Rose denied any knowledge of the murders, but her web of lies soon fell apart, and she was sentenced to life for her involvement.

Two decades after the crimes, Gloucester City Council purchased the “House of Horrors,” as it had come to be called, knocked it down, and turned the former site into a public walkway. Still, nobody will forget in a hurry what happened at 25 Cromwell Street.

9 Jeffrey Dahmer’s Apartment

When police officers arrived at the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer at the 900 block of North 25th Street Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they had no idea they were about to uncover one of the grisliest crime scenes of all time. Dahmer gained his nickname “the Milwaukee Cannibal” after he lured 17 men and boys back to his apartment from 1978 to 1991 with the intention to kill them. Police discovered seven skulls, a human head, and two human hearts in the refrigerator, as well as an entire torso in the freezer, among other remains.

After the crazed cannibal was arrested, his neighbors wished to depart the building as quickly as possible. One explained, “It’s been a living hell. It’s like we’re on a museum tour or a zoo tour. People drive by day and night. I haven’t been eating. I haven’t been sleeping. All I know is I want to get the hell out of here.” The building was demolished in 1992, and the former site of the grisly murders has remained vacant ever since.

8 Ariel Castro’s House

Ariel Castro kidnapped three female victims on separate occasions between 2002 and 2004 when they were aged 14, 16, and 20 years old. He then held them captive at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. The young girls, who grew into women during their decade of hell, were kept in darkness, surrounded by boarded windows and with only a small hole providing any circulation. Castro repeatedly abused them and even fathered a daughter with one of his victims. She gave birth in a small inflatable swimming pool.

In 2013, one of the brave victims was able to escape when Castro failed to secure the “big inside door,” and she screamed a cry of help that alerted the neighbors. Castro was arrested that same evening, but he only lived out one month of his life sentence before he hanged himself with a bedsheet in prison. It took just one hour and 20 minutes for his former home to be demolished as spectators cheered from the street.

7 The Petit Family Home

The Petit Family home invasion is so disturbing that it became one of the most widely publicized crimes in the state of Connecticut’s history. In 2007, Dr. William Petit, his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their young daughters 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela suffered a brutal, random attack at their family home in Cheshire. Perpetrator Steven Hayes and his accomplice Joshua Komisarjevsky broke into the home, first striking William Petit with a baseball bat and then binding the other family members and forcing Jennifer to go with them to the bank and withdraw cash.

She was able to alert the bank teller of the situation, but the Petit family were failed by the responding police officers. As the mother and daughters were brutalized and murdered inside, the police still did not enter, instead focusing on setting up a perimeter around the home. William Petit was able to escape as the perpetrators torched the house. The remainder of the family home was torn down, and the lot is now a memorial garden for the family.

6 The Bloody Benders’ House

More than 140 years ago, one family committed such evil that they became known as the Bloody Benders. The Labette County, Kansas, family consisted of four people—John Bender, his wife Elvira, and their children John Jr. and Kate. (Some sources claim that Kate was actually John Jr.’s common-law wife.) From 1869 to 1872, the family would invite travelers into their home with the sole intention of smashing their skulls, cutting their throats, and stealing all their possessions. When members of the community noticed the rise in missing persons traveling through the area, they called a meeting.

A few days after that meeting, the Benders’ family home was abandoned, and locals discovered a terrible odor coming from inside. After a proper investigation, the bodies of their 11 victims were uncovered. However, other missing persons cases could tie the bloodthirsty family to as many as 21 murders. The since-demolished house is nowadays nothing more than a gravel road two hours southeast of Wichita. Ghost hunters will travel there just to soak up any sensation of its sinister history.

5 John Christie’s House

In London, 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill is not the same house as it once was. In 1978, the place was rebuilt so that the grisly memories of the previous building could be long forgotten. In the 1940s and early 1950s, serial killer John Christie hid the bodies of his victims around the house, including burying them in the garden, hiding them under the floorboards, or stuffing the corpses inside a wall in the kitchen. In 1953, he was arrested, and it was discovered that young women who had turned to him for help with unwanted pregnancies were murdered. It is believed more than eight vulnerable victims lost their lives to the sinister Christie.

Despite the rebuild, this might be a case where past evils haven’t moved on quite so quickly. The current owner confessed, “I think the place is cursed. I’ve had bad luck since I’ve been here. I’ve been here 40 years. My health’s gone. Everything’s gone.”

4 Ted Bundy’s House

Ted Bundy confessed to the murders of 30 young women and girls in seven states between 1974 and 1978. However, the real victim count is believed to be much higher, as he buried the corpses in several secluded areas. One location that became a killing spot for him was Emigration Canyon, Utah. The serial killer’s former rooming house has since been destroyed, leaving only a scatter of bricks. However, the sinister cellar is still intact, which encourages ghost hunters and other true crime fans who are chasing a creepy experience.

Bundy moved to Utah when he was accepted at the University of Utah Law School in August 1974. It’s believed he kidnapped and murdered eight victims aged between 16 and 18 during his time in the state. The surrounding area of Bundy’s cellar would have been the last place some of these women saw before their lives were stolen from them.

3 Anthony Sowell’s House

Two years after Anthony “the Cleveland Strangler” Sowell murdered 11 women between 2007 and 2009, his former home on Imperial Avenue in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland was demolished. The property was where the bodies of the victims were found in various states of decomposition. The hunt for more bodies left the home in crippling disrepair, and the city decided it was in the interest of public safety to tear it down for good. More than 50 people—including relatives of the victims—gathered outside the property to watch the demise of the death house.

The victims’ family members received the following hand‑delivered letter from the city: “In order to prevent actions that would be disrespectful to the memory of your loved one, your family and our community; the demolition will be performed in such a way that no piece of the property will remain.”

2 Myra Hindley And Ian Brady’s House

Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are considered by many as the real faces of evil. In the early to mid‑1960s, they killed five children aged between ten and 17. The bodies of three of the victims were discovered in graves on Saddleworth Moor, but the chilling couple never revealed where they placed the bodies of the other victims. Hindley died behind bars in 2002 and Brady in 2017, and they never allowed the relatives of the victims any peace—withholding information about the murders until the very end.

It’s no surprise that the home the Moors murderers shared on Wardle Brook Avenue in Hattersley, Cheshire, England—the same place where investigators found the body of their final victim—stayed empty for so many years after the couple was arrested. Nobody wanted to live in a property where two of the biggest monsters in Britain once slept peacefully at night. The property was pulled down in 1987, and the site has remained empty ever since.

1 Dr. H.H. Holmes’s Murder Castle

In 1885, Dr. H.H. Holmes moved to the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago and built his now‑infamous murder castle. The labyrinth‑like structure featured many different rooms—all with equally sinister ways to die. The rooms were soundproofed, and the many secret passages would leave his unsuspecting guests feeling disorientated. There were even trapdoors that would drop his victims into the basement where he could finish the job. Holmes murdered for financial gain; often selling the skeletons of his victims to medical research facilities.

The actual victim count has been guessed to be as high as 200, but Holmes only confessed to 27 murders. He was hanged at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia in 1896. In 1938, the murder castle was finally torn down, and a post office now stands in its place. Chicago tour guides still take groups to the former site of the murders, but the true horror that took place here can only really be imagined.

Cheish Merryweather is a true crime fan and an oddities fanatic. She can either be found at house parties telling everyone Charles Manson was only 5’2″ or at home reading true crime magazines.
Twitter: @thecheish

The phrase “10 people who” sneak into someone else’s house conjures scenes straight out of a thriller, but these bizarre cases really happened. From attic apartments to subterranean hideaways, each tale shows why a quick glance at your locks might save you from an unwanted roommate.

10 Tatsuko Horikawa

In 2008 a 57‑year‑old Japanese homeowner finally uncovered a covert co‑tenant after noticing food mysteriously vanishing from his refrigerator. Assuming a burglar, he installed a security camera that streamed live footage straight to his phone. One day the feed captured a woman opening his fridge, prompting an urgent call to police.

The officers arrived, found every door and window locked and intact—no sign of forced entry. Still, they entered, expecting to catch a thief in the act. After a thorough search yielded nothing, they inspected the shelf just above a closet. There, perched like a startled pigeon, was 58‑year‑old Tatsuko Horikawa.

Investigations revealed Horikawa had been a serial squatter, slipping into multiple homes in the neighborhood before settling in this man’s house. She managed to stay hidden for a full year before the camera exposed her secret residency.

10 people who discovered an attic intruder

9 Unnamed Man

In 2012, Tracy of South Carolina believed her home was occupied only by her and her five children—until an ex‑boyfriend, whom she’d broken up with twelve years earlier, turned up in the attic. The night before the discovery, Tracy heard odd noises overhead. She and two sons investigated but found nothing.

The rattling persisted through the night, accompanied by plaster and nails raining down onto her bed. The next day, Tracy’s nephew climbed into the attic, searching deeper until he stumbled upon her former flame asleep among the rafters. He fled the scene, grinning, while Tracy learned he could peer into her bedroom through an air vent.

How he entered remained a mystery. He had previously helped install new doors in the house and had just completed a 90‑day sentence for stealing Tracy’s vehicle. In the attic he left behind an unsettling collection: personal photos, toys, cassette tapes, and several cups of feces and urine.

8 Anthony Jones

In 2017, a woman renting an apartment in Arlington, Virginia, heard footsteps overhead one night. She asked the landlord, who denied any presence in the attic. The landlord promptly summoned police, who began a systematic search of the space.

When officers ordered anyone inside to emerge, 60‑year‑old Anthony Jones stepped forward, surrendering without resistance. The attic held his clothing, bedding, and a few personal items, but no clear timeline of his stay. Police suspected he slipped in through an unlocked door, taking advantage of the building’s neglect.

The incident left the tenant shaken, highlighting how easily an unguarded access point can become a clandestine bedroom.

7 Unidentified Person

When Amber Dawn moved into a new apartment in Enumclaw, Washington, in 1997, she heard footsteps emanating from the attic. The trap door above her ceiling looked as though something—or someone—had been tugged from inside, yet her landlady dismissed the sounds as a squirrel.

Over the following months, oddities multiplied: belongings vanished, items were rearranged, and her nine‑week‑old puppy mysteriously surfaced in a bathroom sink during a flood, despite being unable to climb there. Dawn initially blamed her brother, who also possessed a key.

Six months after moving in, while soaking in a bathtub, she glanced up to see the attic trap door ajar. Grabbing a hammer and her dog, she fled the house, calling her sister‑in‑law for help. Police later searched the attic, finding no person but discovering food, a book, and a sleeping bag left behind.

6 Unidentified Woman

In 2016, Seattle resident Davis Wahlman heard strange noises emanating from his attic. Upon investigation, he noticed a light still glowing in a room he’d turned off, only to find the door locked from the inside. Knocking, a woman answered, asking, “Is this Jimmy?”

Wahlman clarified he wasn’t Jimmy and demanded an explanation. The woman, who refused to answer his questions, claimed she’d been living there for three days because someone named Jimmy had permitted her stay. She vanished before police arrived, leaving behind her belongings in the attic.

That same night, Wahlman observed other bizarre events: lights he’d switched off re‑illuminated, his bathroom flyscreen vanished, and a fire‑escape ladder was deployed. He promptly re‑keyed every door in his home, determined never to be caught off‑guard again.

5 Jeremy

In 2013, a group of Ohio State University students discovered a secret roommate lurking in their basement. Prior to the reveal, they’d noticed cupboards and microwaves left ajar and heard unexplained noises emanating from below.

Initially attributing the disturbances to a ghost, the students were stunned when maintenance staff forced open the basement doors, revealing a fellow student identified only as Jeremy. He was allowed to gather his belongings before being escorted out.

The origin of Jeremy’s covert tenancy remained unclear. The students speculated he’d moved in before they arrived, exploiting the landlord’s failure to change the locks. One roommate recalled a prior encounter with Jeremy, mistakenly assuming he was merely a visitor.

4 Jose Rafael Leyva‑Caraveo And Veronica Fernandez‑Beleta

From 2012 to early 2013, Troy and Dayna Donovan of Littleton, Colorado, found their family home occupied by squatters Jose Rafael Leyva‑Caraveo and Veronica Fernandez‑Beleta. The Donovans had temporarily relocated to Indiana for work, leaving the house locked but unattended.

Jose and Veronica claimed ownership through an affidavit of adverse possession, asserting they’d paid $5,000 for the property—despite Colorado law requiring a minimum of 18 years (or seven under specific conditions) of continuous possession before a claim could be valid. Their occupancy lasted only a few months.

Police deemed the case civil rather than criminal, refusing to intervene as there was no evidence of forced entry. The squatters even secured a restraining order preventing the Donovans from approaching the house. Eventually, a court ordered the squatters to vacate within 48 hours. Complications arose when Veronica filed for bankruptcy, a status that shields occupants from immediate eviction under Colorado law. The Donovans were forced to stay with relatives while legal battles continued, culminating in felony charges against the squatters and their eventual removal.

3 Unidentified Person

In 2013, 73‑year‑old Velma Kellen of Yelm, Washington, noticed an unusual chill in the front portion of her home. Assuming a furnace malfunction, she purchased a replacement, yet the cold persisted.

A repair technician discovered the true culprit: a hidden individual living beneath her house, having rerouted heating ducts to channel warmth away from her living spaces. Although Kellen never saw the intruder, she’d observed other oddities—an inexplicably open gate and a pervasive odor she described as “worse than cigarettes.” The technician found a discarded beer can but no drugs.

The mystery remained unresolved, leaving Kellen to wonder how long the covert tenant had been residing under her floorboards.

2 Tyggra Shepherd

In 2018, South Carolina resident Katherine Lang returned from vacation to discover strangers occupying her newly purchased home. While inspecting the property’s plumbing, she spotted a dog and cat outside, an odd sight for a house she’d never yet lived in.

Upon entering, Lang found two women inside. One, Tyggra Shepherd, had moved in after responding to a fraudulent Facebook advertisement. She’d paid $1,150 to scammers posing as the property’s owners, who instructed her to use a back door, claiming the person with the keys was detained by police. In reality, Lang herself had never taken residence; she was still living in her previous home while attempting to sell it.

The deception highlighted the dangers of online scams and the lengths fraudsters will go to secure unwitting victims.

1 Zeng

In 2014, a Chinese homeowner known only as “Wang” uncovered a secret attic dweller named Zeng in his Kunshan residence. Zeng had locked himself inside, forcing Wang to call police, who discovered a hole in the kitchen ceiling that led directly to the attic.

Before the revelation, Wang noticed food and money disappearing. Police determined Zeng had stolen roughly 2,000 yuan and prepared meals in the attic while Wang was away. Zeng admitted to entering the attic from outside and confessed to alternating his hideout between Wang’s home and a neighbor’s.

The case serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly secure homes can harbor hidden occupants.

Gingerbread houses pop up everywhere once the holidays roll around, but not every spiced‑sugar cottage is a modest, cookie‑cutter abode. Some daring bakers have turned entire teams of confectioners into architects, constructing towering, multi‑ton structures that would make even the most seasoned engineer gasp. These 10 elaborate gingerbread marvels showcase the sweat, sugar, and sheer joy that go into turning dough into dazzling, edible landmarks.

Why 10 Elaborate Gingerbread Creations Capture Our Sweet Hearts

10 US Capitol Building

Back in 2013, the United States Capitol found a new home at the entrance of the Pentagon’s Army Executive Dining Facility, recreated entirely out of licorice garlands, candy trims, and sugar icicles that mimicked a fresh snowfall. Measuring a generous 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) in length and 0.9 meters (3 feet) in width, the edible edifice tipped the scales at over 23 kilograms (50 pounds). Its finishing touches featured a grassy lawn crafted from green‑dyed crushed cornflakes blended with melted marshmallows, upside‑down ice‑cream‑cone trees, tiny candle‑like lights in every window, and miniature wreaths of green icing accented with red icing bows. Candy canes stood in for grand columns, while a hand‑carved Statue of Freedom by Sergent Kyoungmin Park perched atop the dome.

The mastermind behind the project, Specialist Samantha Poe, grew up in a family of engineers and brought that precision to the kitchen, having previously honed her culinary chops in five‑star restaurants. She relished the mathematical challenges of scaling the Capitol’s proportions correctly. Sergeant Rose Picard, a pastry chef, assisted in the hands‑on assembly. The soldiers devoted six intense days to the build, juggling the creation alongside their regular duties, and the result impressed senior generals who stopped by to shake their hands.

9 Waddesdon Manor

In 2016, the London‑based cookie boutique Biscuiteers assembled a massive team that poured an astonishing 500 hours into a cutaway ginger‑bread replica of Waddesdon Manor, the French‑Renaissance chateau nestled in Buckinghamshire. The miniature mansion opened its doors to reveal a series of opulent rooms, each rendered with painstaking detail that would make any interior designer swoon.

The pink‑hued guest bedroom boasted a chest, a vanity, and a canopy bed, while the paneled walls were adorned with carved molding and baseboards. Decorative touches included paintings, parrot statues, lamps, a mirror, curtains, and an elaborate rug that completed the luxurious feel.

Moving on to the billiard room, the team installed a proper billiards table, a plush red love seat with matching pillows, triangular windows framed with green panes, embossed walls, and a rich red carpet. The dining room showcased a grand table set for ten, an elegant rug, planked flooring, sideboards, and decorative accents such as paintings, flower baskets, a clock, and other refined elements.

8 Town Hall Village

When Melbourne’s Town Hall opened its doors to a ginger‑bread wonderland in December 2014, pastry chefs Deniz Karaca and Anna Polyviou rallied a 12‑person core team plus a legion of volunteers, collectively investing 2,000 hours into the tiny village. The backdrop alone demanded a staggering 800 miniature Christmas trees, each meticulously placed to set the festive scene.

The miniature borough featured beloved local icons: the Melbourne Town Hall itself, the Melbourne Cricket Hall, Luna Park, and Flemington Racecourse. In addition, the duo crafted a ginger‑bread brick house decked out with lollipops, M&Ms, chocolate freckles, and licorice accents. Visitors were invited to drop a gold coin into a donation box, with all proceeds flowing to Make‑A‑Wish Australia.

7 Life‑Size House

Every year, Scott Tennant, the executive pastry chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s Chateau LaFayette, pushes the boundaries of edible architecture. In 2016, he, his ten‑strong staff, and the resort’s carpentry crew collaborated to fashion a walk‑through ginger‑bread house large enough for adults to step inside. Visitors often tried to pluck bite‑sized samples, prompting Tennant to note that “a fingerprint in the piping, or candies missing” became a regular occurrence.

The construction began with the resort’s carpenters erecting a sturdy wooden base. Once that foundation was set, Tennant’s team worked overnight, clocking in 600 extra hours to finish the sugary masterpiece. He even shared a pro tip: using a hand saw to carve notches into cookies before slicing them, creating decorative discs that lined the edges of interior walls.

6 Two‑Story House

In 2016, the Fairmont Hotel’s lobby in San Francisco became the stage for a towering 7‑meter (22‑foot) two‑story ginger‑bread house, built atop a wooden frame. The elaborate structure incorporated a staggering 7,750 ginger‑bread pieces, along with hundreds of kilograms of icing and candy. Executive pastry chef Kimberly Tighe and her team reconstruct the house each holiday season, reusing the same materials year after year and composting any uneaten edible bits.

Children regularly sample the exterior, prompting the chefs to keep a stash of repair supplies—peppermint canes, ginger‑bread men, jelly slices, Christmas‑tree marshmallows, and gumdrops—ready for the twice‑daily, four‑hour touch‑up sessions. Highlights of the house include a balcony, an electric train that weaves in and out, cookie trim, a clock, ginger‑bread bricks, and icing mortar that holds everything together.

5 San Francisco Ferry Building

Angela Salvatore, the pastry virtuoso behind San Francisco’s Waterbar restaurant, has a knack for turning iconic landmarks into candy‑coated spectacles. In 2016, she outdid herself with a 1.8‑meter‑long (6‑foot) by 0.8‑meter‑tall (2.5‑foot) ginger‑bread replica of the San Francisco Ferry Building. The ambitious team invested 130 hours to bring the massive model to life.

The rooftop featured cookie reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh across a gumpaste‑decorated flag, while Rudolph paused just inches from the central tower. Below, a bustling farmer’s market displayed fruit‑shaped Runts, soap‑shaped Pez, and an array of flowers, eggs, and ice‑cream‑styled candy. A cheerful snowman and a towering Christmas tree piled high with gifts added the perfect festive touch, drawing more patrons to Waterbar.

4 Hotel Corque House

Later that same year, the lobby of Solvang’s Hotel Corque became home to another gigantic ginger‑bread house, this one crafted by veteran baker Bent Olsen and his assistant Louis Rojas. Olsen, who has been perfecting edible architecture since 1984, enjoys varying the house’s colors and designs each season, keeping the display fresh for returning guests.

The 2016 version weighed a hefty 113 kilograms (250 pounds) of edible ingredients. After assembling the structure, Olsen and Rojas transported it to the hotel lobby, where they added the final decorative flourishes. The house remained on display throughout the holidays, with Olsen returning weekly to replace any icing icicles that eager children broke off for a tasty sample.

3 Wrigley Field

In 2016, a ginger‑bread version of Chicago’s legendary Wrigley Field took shape, measuring a compact 1.2 meters by 1.2 meters (4 feet by 4 feet) and tipping the scales at over 180 kilograms (400 pounds). The project taxed Gerald Madero’s dual expertise in mathematics and carpentry, demanding 70 intense hours to complete.

Before his culinary career, Madero worked as a carpenter, a background that proved invaluable when shaping the stadium’s iconic diamond‑shaped walls and curves. The edible stadium featured a full playing field, a towering scoreboard, and rows of seating festooned with peppermints and candy canes. Even Santa made an appearance, waving from a sleight‑sized sleigh perched atop the structure.

2 World’s Biggest Village

In 2014, chef Jon Lovitch confessed that his kitchen and dining room resembled a chaotic scene after a wild culinary experiment, describing it as looking like “Betty Crocker after a mushroom trip.” Determined to claim a world record, Lovitch set out to construct the planet’s largest ginger‑bread village, drawing inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nick.” The sprawling 45‑square‑meter (480 sq ft) town, named GingerBread Lane, weighed a massive 2.5 tons and was installed on a circular platform at the New York Hall of Science.

The village, illuminated by a skylight that bathed the miniature streets in natural light, comprised an astonishing 1,102 individual buildings. Independent inspectors verified the creation and reported their findings to Guinness World Records, confirming the achievement as Lovitch’s third record‑breaking triumph.

1 School

Katie Wood, a devoted art teacher from Kansas, gifted her workplace a heartfelt tribute in 2016: a ginger‑bread replica of Topeka High School, where she spends her days inspiring students. Describing the school as “a kind of magical place at times,” Wood wanted to capture the spirit of her second family—students and colleagues alike—in edible form.

The ginger‑bread high school measures 102 cm (40 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall, and 51 cm (20 in) wide. Constructed from graham crackers, Tootsie Rolls, M&Ms, icing, and a host of other sweet components, the model even features inverted ice‑cream cones and upright miniature Hershey’s chocolate bars forming part of the clock‑tower’s rooftop.

Adding a literary twist, the article notes that author Gary Pullman, who lives south of Area 51, published the urban‑fantasy novel A Whole World Full of Hurt with The Wild Rose Press in 2016. Pullman also teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and maintains several blogs exploring horror fiction theory and practice.

For years it’s been pretty standard to use wood or bricks, maybe some siding and shingles, if you want to build a house. That’s far from all you can use, though. Turns out there can be quite a lot more diversity in making houses than you’d at first believe.

10.  Coffee

Every day Americans take in about 400 million cups of coffee. That’s a heck of a buzz. But rarely do any of us think about what making coffee entails. Yes, we’re more aware of free trade coffee and responsibly getting rid of Keurig pods and so on, but what about the actual process of refining coffee from a plant in the ground to a hot cup in your hand? 

One step people don’t appreciate is the removal of the coffee husk. Every coffee bean is in a paper-like husk that needs to be discarded. It’s small and insignificant on its own, but when you need enough beans to make 400 million cups per day, that’s a lot of paper husks. Where does all that stuff go? Now it can go into a house.

Combining the husks with plastic, a company in Colombia is using the coffee waste to make panels for prefab housing. You can get one for as little as $4,500.

The point of the husk houses is to make a durable but lightweight material for homes and schools. The panels can be set up in rural and hard to reach areas, places where transporting large quantities of brick or lumber would be difficult and cost-prohibitive. 

The husks are stronger and drier than many other materials, and you can literally transport it on the back of a donkey if you need to.

9. Embalming Fluid Bottles

Anyone who owns a funeral home has to look at life a little differently than everyone else. Making a living out of death maybe makes you appreciate things in a different way. That seemed to be the case with David Brown. 

When Brown retired from the funeral business back in 1952, he was left with a massive quantity of empty embalming fluid bottles. Enough to do something remarkable. And, with the help of some friends in the business who donated their old bottles, he ended up with over half a million of them.

Brown set about making a house out of the bottles, using the square glasses vessels exactly the same way you’d use bricks. They are stacked and layered, held together with mortar, and the end result is a full sized and beautiful home reminiscent of a small castle.

The house is a tourist attraction in Canada and can be visited during business hours, if you’re so inclined. Word is that when you go inside, there is a distinct odor, however.

8. Mushrooms

Is there anything mushrooms can’t do? They can feed you, kill you, and even turn some lower life forms into fungal zombies. And now they’re primed to be places you live. Looks like the Smurfs knew what was up after all.

In order to make a mushroom brick you don’t chop up mushrooms like you might do to make something out of wood fiber. Instead, corn husks are mixed with mycelium, the filament-like vegetative part of the mushroom. The mix is put into a brick shaped mold and in five days it has grown into a solid, lightweight brick. No carbon footprint and no waste material.

The bricks don’t have to be grown from corn husks, they can grow from the waste husk of any crop really, like rice. That means the method can adapt easily to any place in the world. 

The bricks are resistant to fire, mold, and water. They are also stronger than concrete, pound for pound, but much lighter. Material costs are much lower as well, meaning making a mushroom house in the future could make things considerably cheaper.

7. 3D Printed Mud

When 3D printing first arrived, it promised to usher in a new way of designing and creating almost anything imaginable. And while the process has been slow to roll out in a way that is practical to most people in the real world, that promise was not exaggerated. 3D printing really is changing the way we produce everything, even houses. Take, for instance, houses printed with mud.

The idea of 3D printing a house out of traditional materials has its own merits – we’ll look at that later – but for people who live in countries where resources are scarce and the infrastructure to build homes from concrete is not readily available, a new method has been developed.

An Italian company has created a 3D print capable of producing a house using mud and natural fiber as the construction material. In many parts of the world, this mixture is common for building homes, but it is also a labor-intensive job that is usually done by hand.

The 3D printing method makes building from mud more efficient. Greater surface area allows the mud to dry faster, and also the printer is able to lay out the material in a way to increase the strength and durability.

6. Seaweed

If you live on an island or near a beach, sometimes the natural resources available for home building can be limited. Traditionally the homes of island people were often made from things like palm. But thanks to the efforts of a Mexican inventor named Omar Vázquez Sánchez, there may be a superior alternative for people near the sea, or anywhere, really. Sanchez has developed a way to make bricks from seaweed.

Similar in concept to making bricks out of other plant-based materials, the bricks are about 60% seaweed, and the rest is natural clay or adobe. The end product is very similar to a traditional adobe brick, and just as good at regulating heat, but half the price. And it also provides a secondary benefit by helping clean up beaches, which in many areas are becoming overrun with sargassum seaweed.

Sanchez made the bricks by hand, and by foot, stomping the seaweed into pulp with bare feet before mixing up the bricks concoction. When finished, the bricks are strong, waterproof, and devoid of any seaweed stink, which is something most of us wouldn’t think about.

5. Newspaper

They say you can only fold a piece of paper in half 7 or 8 times, depending on the size of it. While it may be weak and easy to damage when it’s thin, when it folds enough it becomes damn near impenetrable. And maybe that’s part of the inspiration for the Rockport Paper House. That there’s more to paper than meets the eye.

The house was built in 1922 and is still standing today. The frame, walls, and roof are made of wood, but the walls are another matter. About 100,000 newspapers were layered together with homemade glue and then varnished to make the walls, doors, and even furniture in the house. You can even read the papers if you want.

The house, which is a museum these days, even features a functional clock made of paper and a fireplace. The fireplace is also technically functional, though it seems unlikely anyone has ever used it.

4. Cardboard

As a kid, nothing was cooler than your parents buying something like a new fridge and then giving you the giant cardboard box to play with afterwards. It may not have been a full sized house, but it made a cool fort. These days cardboard construction has evolved. Cardboard houses are real and pretty amazing.

The Dutch design company Fiction Factory came up with a creative and industrious way of using cardboard to produce houses that are functional and attractive, despite the cheap material. Basing the construction around a prefab frame, massive rolls of corrugated cardboard are glued together and wrapped around the frame like wrapping paper. Twenty-four layers come together to produce a strong and well-insulated structure.

The final product has to be treated to make it waterproof, and then a layer of wood panelling is secured for added protection and also just to make the whole thing look like a house. 

The whole house can be produced in a day, and it can be designed to custom specifications. Since they’re modular, you can add bits and pieces to meet your needs. 

3. Industrial Waste

As much as houses are always being built, it’s worth remembering that they are often being torn down as well, along with many other structures that end up in industrial landfills. So what happens to all that old concrete and brick that was once a useful building but is now just trash? It gets a second chance.

Dutch architects have started recycling industrial waste making new bricks out of the rubble of old buildings, which is something so obvious it seems curious no one had really thought of it before.

Old materials including things like ceramic and glass were all forged together to make new bricks so that the end product wouldn’t look like a mosaic of long dead buildings. For their first project, 15-tonnes of waste was turned into the facade of a new house in Rotterdam that matched the style and aesthetic of local architecture. 

2. 3D Printed Concrete

While 3D printed mud homes have been making a difference in less industrialized parts of the world, in America and other Western countries 3D printed concrete homes are becoming a threat to traditional housing construction with its fast and cheap alternative to the old school method of house building.

Printed houses can cost as little as $10,000 and the end product is all but indistinguishable from a traditional house. That said, the first 3D printed house offered for sale in the United States was listed on Zillow. The home featured 1,400 square feet of living space including 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a 2-car garage. Just because it’s a cheap construction method doesn’t always mean the savings will pass on to buyers, though, as this particular house was listed at $299,999. But for an identical house produced traditionally, it would have cost much more.

Using an elaborate 3D printing rig, a machine called the Autonomous Robotic Construction System, or ARC, is able to lay a foundation, interior and exterior walls, and even include space for pipes and vents according to a schematic. The entire process to lay a house from start to finish takes 6 to 8 hours.

The printer puts down layer after precise layer of concrete. The final product is incredibly strong and durable, but also as much as 50% cheaper than a traditional construction job. Unfortunately, local building codes are not very lenient when it comes to how homes can be built, and the 3D printing method is not permitted or permitted with tight conditions in many places. 

1. Lego

There has probably never been a single kid in the world who had access to Lego that didn’t build at least a basic replica of a house. Even if it was just a box with a door, it’s nearly impossible to resist trying it out. For some people, this compulsion got a little too intense. That led to a life-size, fully livable Lego house.

James May, from the show Top Gear, assembled a team in 2009 to construct a life-size house out of Lego. WIth over 3 million bricks, the home had all the expected amenities, including a working toilet and a shower. 

One thousand volunteers helped assemble the 20-foot tall structure at a vineyard in Surrey. Unfortunately, after it was done, the vineyard wanted the land back to use it for anything other than housing a Lego house. So the work of finding a homeowner began.

Weirdly enough, the house caused a bit of controversy because it was intended to go to Legoland, but May says the Legoland people backed out of the deal because moving it would be too expensive. Legoland, for their part, said they were shut out of the construction. And the vineyard gave a deadline for someone, anyone, to take it lest it be hacked apart with a chainsaw.

Legoland is the only company allowed to display Lego in Britain. That meant no charity or other attraction could display the house publicly. Likewise, they couldn’t even disassemble it and give the bricks away to kids because the bricks were donated and legally they can only be given to a charitable cause. Rather than have it chainsawed, the pieces were taken apart and given to charity, so at least some good came from it.

You can’t deny it. There is something quite chilling about moving into a place that many others have passed through before. Who knows what you might find? If you’re lucky, maybe it’ll be some expensive artwork, secret passages, or strange remnants of past lives. But if luck isn’t on your side… well, stick around to find out.

This list covers ten “what the hell” cases of people who have made very bizarre and sometimes disturbing discoveries within their own four walls.

10 From Russia to New York

After George Davis passed away, his family sorted through his belongings only to find a mysterious box in the attic. It held a small Fabergé figurine which experts later identified as a gift from none other but the Russian Czar Nicolas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra. The hardstone portrait figure was of Nikolai Nikolaievich Pustynnikov, a loyal personal Cossack bodyguard to the empress. The valuable item had little sapphires in the eyes, a little gold trim and gold braid, and elaborately inlaid and enameled double-headed imperial eagles.

They valued the 100-year-old figure at $800,000 but clearly underestimated the public’s interest. At the auction, a jeweler from London bought it for a whopping $5.2 million!

Surely, George Davis’s family didn’t see such an inheritance coming.^[1]

9 The Roman Bath

Many Americans dream of a trip to Europe, but when Mark and Jenny Ronsman moved into their new house, they didn’t know that Italy would be only one floorboard away.

Once they removed the reliable Wisconsin wood in their office, they were amazed to discover a fully intact Roman-style bath. The striking blue mosaic really was the last thing they had expected, but they were more than excited. They spent hours removing the leveling material, whitening the grout, and sanitizing the tub.

Mark Ronsman said online: “I was truly shocked and overjoyed that something so beautiful was in our house!” And we agree. Even Caesar would have been jealous of that discovery. ^[2]

8 Soldier in Love

Oh, how romantic it would be to find decades-old love letters!

When Phil Mathies decided to give his bathroom an upgrade in 2014, he involuntarily became the side character of a real-life rom-com. The contractor he hired ended up finding dozens of love letters that dated back all the way to 1918. The bizarre part? They were hidden inside the attic wall!

The letters told the story of a WWI soldier named Clement and his beloved Mary. When Phil Mathies tracked down Clement’s relatives, they were thrilled to receive the letters. As Phil learned, Clement and Mary did end up together and had their own family. It was true love.

But how the letters ended up in the walls of this Indiana home will forever remain a mystery.^[3]

7 Pure Cash

What would you do if you found seven grand inside an abandoned house? Be sneaky and keep it? Not on Dave’s watch!

Dave, an urban photographer, really only wanted to take some pictures of antiques for his blog. But what he found behind an old mattress probably made his heart jump. Stuffed inside a yellow Home Hardware bag was almost $7,000 in cash, tightly rolled up in bundles. The notes were held together by elastic bands, which marked dates from the mid-1960s to the 1970s.

Dave decided to track down the granddaughter of the previous owners to hand back the money. Naturally, she was thrilled and told the photographer that her grandparents likely earned the money with the fruit stand they owned. They must have collected it over decades.^[4]

6 Two for One

This case gave us major horror movie vibes.

Affordable living space is rare in New York City, so just imagine how Samantha Hartsoe must have felt when she found out that she had access to more rooms than expected.

It all started with cold air coming from behind her mirror. Once she investigated the draft, she found the entrance to an entire vacant unit! On her TikTok, Samantha Hartsoe documented her trip beyond the wall, and several million people joined her, waiting for what was behind the next corner. Why does this apartment not have its own door? And why is it connected to Smanatha’s flat through only a small hole?

Let’s just hope there aren’t any unexpected neighbors.^[5]

5 A Gamer’s Paradise

We all enjoy board games, but some people take their love for Chess, Backgammon, and others to a whole other level.

In 2021, a Reddit user shared his in-laws’ discovery when they decided to remove the carpet in their new home. What did they find underneath? Another Roman bath? Hah, no. Somebody had drawn an entire Monopoly board onto the floor!

It had all the streets, a jail, and even a community chest! Weird, right? Actually, no. According to other Reddit users, XXL board games weren’t that unusual back in the day. They were a popular way to decorate playrooms and could be found in many basements.

Well, the next game night at this user’s in-laws’ place will be one to remember.^[6]

4 A Mysterious Painting

Okay, bare with us because this case is way more interesting than watching paint dry.

In 1970, a private collector purchased a Van Gogh painting but was left beyond disappointed when the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam told him that it was a fake due to the lack of a signature. But years later, with the help of modern technology, that statement was refuted. The collector was holding a real Van Gogh in his hands. It was the first full-size painting to be discovered in 85 years!

In letters to his brother Theo, Vincent Van Gogh wrote about the painting and how he was unsatisfied with the result. According to the artist, Sunset at Montmajour was not what he had hoped to create; therefore, he didn’t sign it.

And this poor artwork had been hidden in a Norwegian attic for over a century because, more than once, people thought it to be a counterfeit. Sorry, Vincent.^[7]

3 Oh, Honey

So far, the people on this list have gotten quite lucky, but not all surprises are pleasant.

When Justin and Andrea Isabell found something dark dripping down the walls, they first thought of water damage as their area had just witnessed a tropical storm. But it wasn’t water. Instead, real honey was running down the walls in their Pennsylvania home.

Yes, you read that right. Honey.

Justin and Andrea Isabell then went on to check their attic, only to find a massive bee colony that housed 20,000 to 30,000 bees! Imagine all that aggressive buzzing. It’s a surprise they never heard anything downstairs. Despite their sons’ wishes, they decided to not keep the bees. First, the swarm fled to a neighbor’s tree before a beekeeper rehomed their colony.

No more free honey for the Isabells.^[8]

2 A House within a House

The typical horror movie. You move into an old, abandoned property and climb the stairs up to the attic, only to discover a creepy dollhouse that has been left behind for some reason.

Just that this time, it was not made for dolls. Instead, the owner found a full-sized house. In the attic. Yes, we know how crazy that sounds.

The Redditor shared pictures of his findings that showed intact windows, light fixtures, and a bathroom. There even were some abandoned belongings lying around. Creepy! The Redditor theorizes that the abode used to be part of a two-story building until the owners—for whatever reason—decided to build an attic around the top floor.

Was that really necessary? Attics are already scary enough as is!^[9]

1 The Tragic Story of a Child

We decided to end this list with a very disturbing and heart-breaking case that ended up inspiring its own horror movie.

Laurie and Jeff Dumas’s new house had more left-behind demons than they had gambled for. In the attic, they stumbled upon a room that was separated from the rest of the building. The deadbolts on the door really tried their best to keep the couple out, and once Laurie and Jeff Dumas made it inside, they found that the floor was entirely made of metal.

As Laurie Dumas started looking for an explanation at the local library, she was told that she owned a disappointments room. This was a room in which parents used to lock their disabled children to keep them out of sight.

The former owner had been a judge who imprisoned his daughter, Ruth so that her disability couldn’t tarnish his reputation.

Laurie and Jeff Dumas shared this horrifying and disturbing discovery on an HGTV episode of If Walls Could Talk. In 2016, Director D. J. Caruso retold the story with his movie The Disappointments Room.^[10]