We all know the old saying “home sweet home,” but for many families around the world, going home to a haunted house is anything but sweet. Your home is suppose to be a place to relax, sleep, and enjoy time with family, but none of those things can happen when you share your home with several spirits who just won’t rest.

Some hauntings can include anything from disembodied voices, to shadow figures, knocking sounds, and loud footsteps. But for some people, their experiences are much more sinister and can include being physically touched or thrown down the stairs.

While sometimes it’s unknown as to why spirits haunt a specific location, other times it’s suggested that a deeply tragic event can cause the presence of restless and/or angry ghosts. There are countless reports from around the world of homes that are tormented by spirits and this list will detail the top 10 most haunted houses in the world.

10. Beau-Séjour Palace

Beau-Séjour Palace, a 19th-century manor house in Lisbon, is known as one of the most haunted locations in Portugal. Apparently it is haunted by the ghost of a previous owner, Baron of Glória, who lived there in the nineteenth century. He has been seen in the gardens as well as in the corridors of the mansion.

Employees and visitors have reported many strange things at the palace, such as unexplained disappearance and movement of objects, windows that quickly open and close even when there isn’t any wind, and the sound of non-existent bells ringing on the property.

Although the palace is now being used by a municipal agency dedicated to the study of Lisbon’s heritage, some workers still claim that occasionally their books and boxes get moved unexplainably.

9. Raynham Hall

Located in Norfolk, England, Raynham Hall resides on 7,000 acres and is famously known for the spirit of the “Brown Lady” haunting the place. This spirit is believed to be Lady Dorothy, who resided there in the 1700s. The reason why they nicknamed her the Brown Lady is because several people who have seen her say she is wearing a brown dress.

One of the most famous and convincing photographs ever taken of a spirit was captured there in the 1930s by two photographers, and appears to show the ghostly figure of a woman standing on the stairs. The photographers worked for the magazine Country Life and were on assignment at the mansion when the picture was taken.

Rumors have surfaced that Dorothy was treated very badly by her husband and was even locked away inside the house, which would explain her restless spirit roaming the home.

8. The Old Vicarage

The small village of Borgvattnet is the location of the Old Vicarage, which has a reputation of being one of the most haunted houses in Sweden. It was built in 1876, but the first ghost ever reported was by a chaplain in 1927. Apparently he was on his way up to the attic to get his laundry, when he noticed his clothes being unexplainably torn down from the line.

Many other reports have surfaced over the years, such as an apparition of a woman dressed in grey, hearing unexplained sounds, and objects being moved. One time a guest witnessed three old women staring at her in the middle of the night. And another chaplain who stayed at the residence claimed to have been regularly thrown out of his chair by a ghost.

7. Whaley House

The Whaley House is located in San Diego, California, and receives over 125,000 visitors annually who are fascinated with this historic location. Thomas Whaley purchased this property in 1855 which was said to have been the site of Yankee Jim Robinson’s hanging in 1852.

Many strange things have occurred at the location over the years. People have heard the pounding of a gavel used in courtrooms, music and laughter from inside the walls, a figure looking out from the upstairs window, tiny footsteps and laughter from children, along with what sounds like cries from a child. A young girl was even spotted playing in the dining room.

The Whaleys’ daughter Violet committed suicide and people often feel her presence on the second floor of the home. Even Thomas and his wife Anna have been seen standing at the top of the stairs keeping watch over their beloved home.

6. Winchester Mystery House

Sarah Winchester was the heir of the Winchester rifle fortune. She bought a simple eight-room cottage on several acres of land in San Jose, California, but it soon became unrecognizable as she had numerous carpenters build additions onto her house continuously for 36 consecutive years until her death in 1922. She did this because she believed she was being haunted by the ghosts of people who were killed by the Winchester rifle.

This huge house has staircases which lead to nowhere, confusing maze-like hallways, and doors that open up to a solid wall behind them. People have heard disembodied voices and footsteps, especially on the third floor. In the basement, there is a man often seen wearing white overalls and pushing a wheelbarrow to the coal chute. Strange images and orbs have also been caught on video and in pictures.

5. Monte Cristo

Known to many as Australia’s most haunted house, Monte Cristo is a Victorian mansion that was built in 1876 by Christopher William Crawley. Much tragedy had struck this home, with a young child who was dropped down the stairs, a stable boy who burned to death, a maid who fell from the balcony, and the son of a caretaker, who was chained up for 40 years and found curled up next to his mother’s deceased body. Even one of the caretakers was murdered on the property.

People who live in the house have felt the presence of the original owners, Christopher and Elizabeth Crawley. They have also felt a hand on their shoulder, their name being called, the feeling that someone was watching them, as well as hearing footsteps on the balcony. There have also been figures captured in several pictures.

4. Borley Rectory

Located in Essex, the Borley Rectory is referred to as the most haunted house in England. It was first built in 1862 on land that once held an old monastery. After a newspaper reported an apparition of a nun in 1929, psychic investigator Harry Price was asked to go to the mansion to investigate the paranormal claims. The nun was said to roam the garden with her head bend down in sadness. Other eerie reports were of strange lights, footsteps, whispers, and sounds of a phantom carriage outside, along with visions of a headless man, a girl dressed in white, and the home’s original builder Henry Bull.

There was a fire that destroyed the house in 1939, and it was completely demolished in 1944. Even though the building is no longer there, there are still claims of paranormal activity, such as stones being thrown at visitors.

3. Amityville Horror House

Located in New York, the Amityville Horror House was the inspiration of the movie The Amityville Horror. It was the site of a mass murder in 1974, where a 23-year-old man killed his entire family (both parents and four siblings) while they were sleeping. Several months later, the Lutz family moved into the home, where they encountered terrifying events that still haunt them to this day.

The Lutz family smelled perfume and encountered cold spots around the house. They would wake up every night at 3:15 a.m., which is said to be the time at which the murders took place. What’s even more disturbing is that objects flew across the room, their crucifix was turned upside down, green slime oozed from the walls, and they saw glowing eyes from a demonic entity. It’s no surprise that this location is listed as one of the most haunted houses in America.

2. Myrtles Plantation

Known as one of America’s most haunted homes, Myrtles Plantation is located in St. Francisville, Louisiana. It was built in 1796 by General Dave Bradford, who was also known as “Whiskey Dave” of the Whiskey Rebellion.

It is said that there are at least 12 spirits living at the plantation. Many people have encountered apparitions which appear to be pre-Civil War slaves. One ghost especially is that of a girl named Chloe, who was thought to be a slave. There was even a picture taken of what appears to be Chloe standing between two of the buildings on the property. Another famous picture was taken at the plantation, which appears to show a girl dressed in antebellum clothing looking out the window directly into the camera. Nobody knows who she is, so she has been nicknamed the “Ghost Girl.”

1. Ancient Ram Inn

The Ancient Ram Inn is known to be the most haunted bed and breakfast in all of England, with up to 20 ghosts occupying the building. The residence was first built in the year 1145 and is located in Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire. And legend has it that it was built on pagan burial ground where children were once sacrificed. Other disturbing events that allegedly occurred there were the burning of a witch, and an innkeeper’s daughter being hanged in the attic.

It’s now a bed and breakfast where guests have packed up and left in the middle of the night, claiming to have witnessed terrifying things. Some of these occurrences include furniture flying around the room, objects spinning and moving, being pushed down onto their bed, and seeing visions of a little girl in the hallways. They have also seen a high priestess sitting in a bedroom, and have heard the sounds of children crying and screaming.