5 Ancient Burial Grounds That Are Almost As Scary As The One In ‘Pet Sematary’

In Pet Sematary, Louis and Rachel Creed move into a new home in Maine with their two young children. The cemetary near their property, which is built on an ancient burial ground, slowly starts to take hold of the family. Disrupting the hallowed ground causes a chain reaction that endangers the entire town.

Until it’s time to get spooked by the film on April 5th, you can scare yourself with real-life ghost stories. Here are a few ancient burial grounds that are almost as scary as the one in Pet Sematary:

1. Mount Hope Cemetery, Maine: There are 350,000 bodies buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. Although visitors gush about the beauty of the site during the daytime, it turns into a completely different place at night. Locals have reported seeing ghostly figures roaming the premises and hearing the voices of small children calling out through the darkness.

Mount Hope is considered one of the nation’s oldest garden cemeteries and makes an appearance in the 1989 film adaptation of Pet Sematary. Stephen King makes a cameo as a minister presiding over a funeral in the film.

2. Resurrection Cemetery, Chicago: In Chicago, a woman named Mary was struck by a car after attending a dance at the O’Henry Ballroom in the 1930s. Locals claim she now haunts the road in Illinois, searching for someone to take her home. This ghost of a woman has been dubbed Resurrection Mary because she refuses to stay dead. Of course, as you will learn from Jud in Pet Sematary, sometimes dead is better.

3. St. Louis Cemetery, New Orleans: The ghost of Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen, has been seen wandering around the tombs where she was put to rest. Visitors report being scratched, pinched, and shoved to the ground by her spirit. Even though she isn’t known for being friendly to guests, there is a popular ritual where visitors will mark her grave with three Xes and ask her for a favor. If their wish is granted, they must return to her with a gift.

4. El Campo Santo Cemetery, San Diego: El Campo Santo was built back in 1849, but several graves were paved over when a modern road was built decades later. Visitors believe this disturbed the spirits, causing them to grow angry. Since the repaving, people have reported trouble starting their car near the cemetary. They have reported their alarms going off for no reason. They have reported an icy chill coming over them as they near the cemetery entrance.

5. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago: This ancient burial ground, which was built sometime before the 1800s, used to house 35,000 bodies until it was replaced by a park. Grave markers were relocated, but hundreds of skeletons remain buried underneath the zoo to this day. Visitors have reported seeing orbs, sensing cold spots, and catching ghosts throughout the park. There are even guided tours where EMF meters are handed out — and the devices always beep like mad.

Holly Riordan