The longest running ghost-focused paranormal reality TV show with 26 seasons, Ghost Adventureshas been on the air since 2008 and has been one of the best paranormal reality tv shows to date. Starring Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, Billy Tolley and formerly Nick Groff; the show followed the group of three to four men as they toured tothe most haunted locations and places in the world, gathered evidence and tried to prove to the public whether these places were really haunted or not. During regular episodes and current specials, to new incarnations like Ghost Adventures: Home Visitsthe crew has captivated its audience with its evidence of the supernatural and more.
From listless episodes like the “La Purisma Mission”, to more terrifying episodes like the “Preston Castle” adventures, to being completely attacked by the paranormal at the “Pennhurst State School”, the four have encountered some truly terrifying ghosts and experiences in the show’s 230+ episodes. Here are the scariest episodes, ranked.
Updated: October 2022: To keep this article fresh and relevant by adding more haunted Ghost Adventure episodes and terrifying information. This article has been updated by Olly Dyche.
7/7 Cecil Hotel
This two-hour special sees the Ghost Adventures team investigates the infamous, haunted Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. If you’ve heard of this hotel or seen the recent Netflix documentaries, you already have an idea of how haunted and mysterious this hotel is. The team ran into their usual paranormal occurrences, such as unexplained scratches, until Bagans investigated the room where serial killer Jack Unterweger was staying in 1991, all alone. This led to the water tap inexplicably turning on by itself. Without the hotel’s dark and mysterious history, this Ghost Adventures special is still very creepy and one of the scariest episodes of the show.
6/7 Preston Castle
The show’s season opener took the original Ghost Adventures crew to Preston Castle in Lone, California. Originally a reform school for troubled youth, Preston Castle had its fair share of crime and trouble, including the murder of beloved housekeeper, Anna Corbin, by two of the youths. It also brought so much ghostly evidence to the show. A camera captured a shadowy figure walking down the hallway after hearing a loud scream. One of the clearer EVPs (Electric Vocal Phenomena) hears a ghost say to the crew, “Get out of here.” But perhaps the scariest part of the episode is when Zak is seemingly possessed by the ghost of Anna Corbin. Talking to what looks like himself, extreme emotions of sadness and more; Zak believes he has experienced partial possession. With so much evidence from one place, it’s hard to deny the fear caused by Preston Castle.
5/7 demon house
A full-fledged documentary, rather than a single episode, demon house has cemented itself as one of the freakiest locations ever visited by the Ghost Adventures crew, and one of the scariest entries in the series. In 2014, host Zak Bagans bought a house in Gary, Indiana, most famous for the heart-pounding case of the Ammon chases (a family was terrorized by demons, unexplained masses of flies, etc., with over a thousand pages of official documents detailing the disaster. is described). Faced with a loud, horrific growl in the middle of the night; shadows running through the house, and one sitting on the door frame; and even a quick possession, the documentary added even more evidence to the house’s list of paranormal activities. Bagans finally had the house demolished in 2016.
4/7 Pennhurst State
The history of Pennhurst State is one of tragedy. The residents were all horribly mistreated, meaning one can understand why the paranormal entities that haunt the school and hospital would be restless and why they weren’t fans of the Ghost Adventures team investigating them. Every old abandoned hospital is creepy, but the team wasn’t ready for what was to come. This episode sees a lot of inexplicable moving objects; a rock is thrown at Zack, but most notably a coat hanger was also thrown at Zack after a voice was heard saying “hit”. Again, this cannot be explained, leaving the audience and the team speechless.
3/7 Hell Hole Prison
Its official name is Yuma Territorial Prison (nicknamed “hell hole” because of the intense heat), and possibly one of the most active places where the Ghost Adventures crew visited. With the frequent occurrence of inexplicable sounds, disembodied voices and voices that are heard really clearly through the EVP recorder; what makes this episode scary are all the appearances the crew caught on camera. Aaron Goodwin caught two, a floating orb constantly following him, and a tall shadow figure making its way into the courtyard. But the most infamous is when cameras capture a group of appearances on the band stage, as if they were playing instruments and performing for our protagonists. While friendly, it’s still terrifying to watch.
2/7 El Rancho Hotel
After hearing the news that workers were shutting down en masse due to an increase in paranormal activity, Ghost Adventures crew members went to the El Rancho Hotel to investigate. The ghosts and ghouls didn’t even wait until nighttime to make their appearance, because before the lights went out, the cameras captured a shadowy head poking its head outside a door frame to watch the crew. Along with reports of a demonic ritual taking place at the hotel, feelings of unease and possibly semi-possession hit the crew, even causing one of them to nearly cry. It’s easy to see why the workers quit, given all the evidence in this episode.
1/7 Route 666
Another Halloween special, the “Route 666In this episode, the crew travels to not one, but two haunted locations: the infamous DeSoto Hotel (one of their many visits to the location) and the heart-pounding Goatman’s Bridge. First up at the DeSoto Hotel (known for its history of demonic rituals), the crew encounters all sorts of inexplicable occurrences, such as hard knocks and audible footsteps, three visible apparitions standing together, and one of the X cameras rising from the wall. is jerked. However, it is at Goatman’s Bridge where it is really terrifying. Ashley appears to be possessed by some sort of demonic entity calling for it, then is audibly attacked by an unseen force, leaving a mark on her head. The bridge hits the entire crew with damage as Zak feels like he was strangled and Aaron is thrown nearly six meters by something. In addition to catching a pair of free-floating red eyes at the entrance to the forest, Goatman’s Bridge became one of the most active locations used by the Ghost Adventures crew, and perhaps the scariest.
Ghost Adventures is available to watch on Discovery+ and the Travel Channel.