Most cemeteries in the USA are far too cheerful places…usually, they are nicely landscaped, with trees and flowers. Going to them is something I don’t usually do (I don’t care for the associations), but it is certainly not unpleasant.
What I’m asking is, are there any really scarey-looking gothic cemeteries? The places that look like the ones in the James Whale “Frankenstein” movies? I mean, creepy dead trees, tombstones tilting at all angles, crumlbing crypts with bones, etc…and only to be visited on cloudy, dark days, with ground fog!
Anybody know if these places exist anymore?:eek:
Living in Virginia, I’ve seen plenty of them. There are a lot of cemeteries around that are small and no longer in use or well maintained, with creepy tilted and moss-covered headstones. It’s been a while since I last saw one, but I’ll try to get pictures the next time I do.
Years ago, when I about 14, I was exploring some woods near my new house and came across an old cemetery by surprise. It was very small - about 10-15 headstones - and had obviously been abandoned for a long time. Talk about creepy. I never did find out the story behind that one. It’s just outside Richmond (Short Pump area) and, if I remember correctly, not too far off a major road.
I went to school in Charlottesville, Virginia which also has a pretty creepy cemetery off of Alderman Road.
I think Hollywood cemetery in Richmond VA fits the bill. Not hugely Gothic but it has that old, old feeling and some cool angel of death type monuments if I remember correctly. And some dead presidents. And the cool dog sculpture.
Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC is a good one.
I’ve been to a few cemeteries in New Orleans that can be creepy. They bury everyone above ground in crypts, and many of them are in disrepair. You walk around and see ones that are cracked open… you can look inside… if you dare!
Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, MD is old and interesting. While it is generally maintained pretty well, it can evoke some creepy feelings.
The Necropolis in Glasgow can be creepy when the light is right. Cool name too. Another good imagehere
Try Highgate Cemetery in London. It has two parts, eastern (where Karl Marx is buried) and western. Much of the western part is spectacularly overgrown, check out the image results on Google.
Bayside Acacia Cemetery in Queens, NY, is an amazing place. Sections of it are full-growth forest grown around rows of gravestones.
:eek:
There are a lot of cemeteries in the South with big live oaks and Spanish moss and the like. Atmospheric. And a lot of little churchyard ones which can be very interesting - I was at a church early for a funeral in Conway, SC, and found some crazy-ass graves. One was way far away from all the others and had a man’s name with a death date in I think the 20’s and “He Died Among Strangers”. We were wondering if they buried him in unconsecrated ground or something.
I was going to post about an awesome cemetary I visited in Scotland, and I’m pretty sure this was it. Thanks for the reminder!
Pilgrims’ Rest Cemetary, Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Grim old Pioneer tombstones, above grim old Pioneers.
Walked through it as a boy.