Don’t let your guard down this New Year’s Eve!
Wishing farewell to the old year with the hope that it will be replaced by a newer and better one has been a tradition for more than 4,000 years. However, with these celebrations, the new year might make a mayhem entrance – as these creepy and scary stories will confirm! Here, we have unearthed some of the best real ghost stories guaranteed to make you think twice about going out for a traditional jubilant festivity.
The Festivities and Energies of New Year's Eve! Photo Credit: Denver.com
Keep your eyes, ears, and sixth sense open, for you may experience an eerie encounter in a haunted place around you! For many entities, use the energy of this international powerhouse event to make a splash into the new year!
You may even consider making plans for next year, and spend a night in some of the places that are publicly available to you! (Heck, why wait a full year? Go ahead ... we dare you!)
1. Lady in Red Phantom
The Celebration of The Drake Hotel's Grand Opening on New Year's Eve Photo Credit: Windy City Ghosts
On New Year's Eve of 1920, the Drake Hotel celebrated its opening night with much glamour and tinsel! It was both magnificent and tragic. It was magnificent because the Drake was to be one of Chicago’s most beautiful and celebrated hotels. It was tragic because, according to legend, it was the night the “Woman in Red” ended her life.
On this day, a man and his fiancee (who was clad in a brilliant red silk gown) attended the gala held in the Drake’s Gold Coast Room. The man stepped away and did not return, so his fiancee went looking for him. She found him, enthralled by another woman, in the Palm Court parlor. The devastated woman climbed to the roof and jumped to her death.
The Lady in Red's Apparition appears in several locations at The Drake Hotel Photo Credit: Merdeka.com
Since then, guests at the Drake have reported seeing her apparition in the Gold Coast Room, Palm Court, and on the top 10th floor as well as the roof. Condemned to replay her final night, her restless soul wanders attempting to find peace with the final tragic chapter of her life. In addition to spontaneous phantom appearances in her red garment, workers and guests also get a creepy and uncomfortable feeling in the ballroom.
Read more about THE (haunted) DRAKE HOTEL!
2. The Phantom Texter
One story found on Reddit told of a spooky story that occurred on one New Year's Eve. A fella started receiving text messages from an unknown number on New Year's Eve that said, "I'm outside."
Stalking Text Message from Unknown Entity Photo Credit: Don’t Turn Around
The messages began to escalate, and at one point the mystery texter claimed to be inside the house watching him and friends. The texts continued throughout the night with the texter describing the guy's car and sending creepy texts while they were driving home that indicated the texter was watching him. When others tried to call the number that he was receiving the texts from, they got a message saying it was not a working phone number.
While the messages eventually stopped, the fear never really went away. He later said, "I haven't dived too deep into this. One on hand, I felt that something really bad could happen if I kept probing it. Nothing has happened so far. But on the other hand, I don't have any closure and sometimes I get paranoid about getting another message."
3. The Phantoms of the Inn
The Inn on Main Street Bed & Breakfast Photo Credit: BedandBreakfast.com
The Inn on Main Street Bed and Breakfast, located in Weaverville, North Carolina, is indeed very spirited on New Year’s Eve! Although the innkeepers of this historic bed and breakfast will not admit it's haunted, there's no denying the tales told by guests or staff verifying the house's spectral activity. Phantoms lurk in its spaces, and mysteriously, they have a special preference for making an appearance on New Year’s Eve.
Strangely, on New Year's Eve, guests frequently hear pictures fall off the wall multiple times, never finding physical evidence of them actually falling. Is this a residual haunting or just too much celebratory champagne? In addition, many also hear the back door open and then close. Yet, again, no mortal is ever discovered entering the building.
The house was built 100 years ago by a doctor. The innkeepers know of at least one person has died in the house. A bloodstain remains under the tiles in a bathroom that was once part of his operating room and lab. The stain was never able to be removed, even with sanding, resorting to it being hidden with tile. Could any of these haunts have a relevance to the celebrations of a New Year?
Do not hesitate from staying at this inn. On the other hand, be fascinated for the opportunity! Innkeepers have been told all the energy here is good, claiming they've never lost a guest to the inn's 10 identified phantoms including men, women, children, Native Americans, and even a white dog. But again, they will never confirm their presence. Really?
4. Man in the Yellow Raincoat
The Haunted Agora Theatre and Ballroom, in Cleveland Ohio, has its own New Year’s creepy story.
The Haunted Agora Theatre Photo Credit: Quora.com
A holiday ghost hunt one December 31st was planned to seek the legends that haunt this historical venue. The entity they sought most was the ominous man in the yellow raincoat. During the investigation, one of the ghost hunteres felt a splash of cold water on the back of her legs. Upon reaching down to find the source, she found that her tights were dry and there was no one behind her who could have spilled liquid. Still, a strange wet sensation remained tingling continued where she felt “water” minutes after the encounter.
This, in fact, is a common experience, all attributed to the man in the yellow raincoat. The iconic apparition is not shy! He has been seen on the stage, on the catwalk, and in several of the viewing balconies. Apparently, he is interactive with spectators, often casting “disciplinary looks” when the audience is naughty.
Other experiences that many have encountered include doors opening on their own and the appearance of what looks like bloodstains in the basement.
The Agora Theatre and Ballroom has seen the performances of Elvis and The Beatles, and is also home to some spirits. Besides the man in the yellow raincoat, many apparitions have been seen. A psychic once did an investigation and said the spirit's name was John.
5. The Lady in White
Have you ever experienced a stranger suddenly turning up at a party you hosted? Apparently, this is just what occurred in this story: An unexpected guest materialized out of nowhere and joined the story teller’s New Year's Eve party. All of the doors and windows were locked, and no one admitted to letting the old woman, who was dressed in all white, inside the house.
The Strange Lady In White Crashing the Party Photo Credit: Deposit Photos
Being in the festive mood, the hostess did not ask her to leave. Apparently the “lady in white” reported she was lost and couldn't find the party she was actually heading to.
Upon leaving the party, "she dropped two scarfs on the doorstep." To this day, nobody knows how she got in. Many say this is a symbol of a prediction that may not be good. To add to this mystery, the writer adds that her cousin saw this same woman in his dreams a few nights later. No one ever saw her again.
6. The Bellboy for the Hotel of the (Dead) Stars
Besides accommodating the common traveler, the Monte Vista Hotel in Flagstaff hosts a number of other-worldly immortal guests and staff members. The legendary hotel opened on New Year’s Day of 1927, and during the 1940s and '50s was a popular spot for Hollywood guests while more than 100 westerns movies were filmed nearby. Some of the guests of the hotel included Bing Crosby, Jane Russell, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and many others.
The Haunted Hotel Monte Vista Photo Credit: Flickr
One of the ghosts here is that of a phantom bellboy who knocks on doors and then vanishes. This annoying phantom has been experienced by dozens of guests over the years. He's often joined by the ghost of a woman who has been seen outside of the Zane Grey suite. It turns out that two prostitutes had been murdered in that room.
Another phantom that hangs out at the Monte Vista Hotel is that of a man who endlessly paces in the Gary Cooper Room. He is often reported coughing and clearing his throat. Many guests have reported feeling unnerved by the distinct feeling that someone is watching them in the room.
The ghosts of Hotel Monte Vista Photo Credit: Flickr
The ghosts keep coming in this incredibly haunted hotel! There's a spectral entity that was a former bank robber, is said to haunt the saloon. Ellen Roberts, a hotel desk clerk, reported, “In 1970, three men robbed a nearby bank and to celebrate stopped in our lounge for a drink – even though one of the men had been shot during their escape. While having his drink, the wounded man died, and some believe he is the spirit that’s haunting this area of the building.”
The haunted bar of the Hotel Monte Vista Photo Credit: Flickr
While enjoying a drink in the cocktail lounge in this hotel, you may sense the spirit of the bank robber who died of his gunshot wounds in that section of the building. Or you may experience some strange things in Room 220, as did the maintenance man who returned to the room five minutes after leaving and locking it up only to find the TV on at full blast and the bed linens stripped.
Could these phantoms come to life during the celebration of the hotel’s origination on New Year’s Day almost one hundred years ago? Many feel it does!
7. Channeling Norman Bates
This one is pretty disturbing, although not related to a haunting … yet.
According to CNN, a Florida man who told police he was angry with his mother used an ax to decapitate her on New Year's Eve 2014. The creepiest part is the mug shot taken after the man was arrested. In the photo, he's smiling like one would for childhood school pictures. The man was apparently fed up with his mother nagging him about moving some boxes into the attic, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the CNN reporter.
The eerie and spooky smile of Norman Bates Photo Credit: Smithsonian Magazine
Could this have been the channeling of Norman’s Bates fictitious character?
8. The Spectral Party Crasher
Have you ever gotten the feeling that you're not alone even when you are? According to the website Wattpad, one woman had an unwelcome guest on New Year's Eve. She could hear it, but not see. The trouble began when things began disappearing. The woman and her boyfriend kept losing items they were using only to have them reappear a few minutes later.
Later in the evening, a strange man's voice joined the conversation, yelling "right!" in response to a comment one of the guests made. Eventually, every guest heard an invisible person coughing in the bathroom even though there was no one there.
A disembodied cough was heard by all in the bathroom Photo Credit: Shutupandtakemymoney.com
The strange activity stopped the next day, so perhaps this ghost just really likes to join in the New Year’s Eve festivities.
No matter where you are, keep your guard up and stay alert! Remember. phantoms like to celebrate, as well.
9. The Zombie That Came Rolling In!
Another person claimed that the not-quite-human creature they and a friend encountered one New Year's Eve was real. "That's when we saw it. Something that looked like a naked person but wasn't quite human waddled down the street toward us. It moved as though it was half-squatting, and because of this, its hands dragged along the ground as they hung limp at its sides," he claimed.
The entity of a zombie appeared before them. Photo Credit: Whatsnews2day.com
"I couldn't make out its face, and my friend, Max, told me later that he couldn't either. It was also making a throaty gurgling noise as if it was almost choking on something." The author and Max did the only sensible thing: They got the heck out of there.
THE BONUS: Did you know…
New Year's Eve originally began when the Babylonians started a tradition of welcoming each New Year with a massive religious festival called Akitu.
Babylonian's Atiku Celebration was the first New Year's Celebration Photo Credit: TheOdysseyonline.com
Atiku celebrated the mythical victory of the Babylonian sky god Marduk over the evil sea goddess Tiamat. New Year's Eve activities have certainly evolved since then, and today the holiday is best known as a time to reflect over the previous year while also setting intentions for the year ahead.
Keep it all in good light! Even though this holiday was introduced into history with the slaying of monsters (and other strange things), New Year's Eve is a night of massive celebrations when expectations are high, drinks are flowing, and everyone is out to have a good time, including phantoms around you!
Resources: Bustle.com
