As Halloween approaches, a growing number of thrill-seekers are trading scripted haunted-house scares for what they believe are genuine paranormal encounters. Across the United States, former psychiatric hospitals and funeral homes are opening their doors to ghost hunters, offering guided investigations, overnight vigils, and access to autopsy suites.
The appetite for such experiences is not limited to North America. A recent survey by Booking.com, which polled more than 28,000 travellers in 32 countries, found that 65% are interested in paranormal activities, and nearly half would consider a trip hoping to contact the 'other side'. The platform has even flagged 'Trip to the Beyond' as a travel trend for 2027, suggesting that the fascination with the afterlife is becoming a mainstream motivator for holiday planning.
In Europe, the interest is visible too, with historic cemeteries and castles increasingly hosting Halloween events. For instance, Groot-Bijgaarden Castle in Belgium has turned its grounds into a pumpkin wonderland, while several European cities rank high among global Halloween party destinations. Yet the most intense paranormal tourism experiences remain concentrated in the US, where venues like the Eloise Asylum in suburban Detroit and Mortuary Manor in Toledo, Ohio, offer a level of immersion that goes beyond mere decoration.
Trauma as a magnet for spirits
Justin Cox, founder of Michighost Paranormal, leads tours through the upper floors of the Eloise Asylum, a former poorhouse that evolved into one of America's largest public health facilities by the late 1920s. The building, now known as the Kay Beard Building, is the last remnant of a sprawling complex that was mostly demolished in the 1980s.
Visitors on Cox's tours report being touched, grabbed, and even whistled at. 'Everything that you can imagine has happened here, and we’ve heard it all,' he says. Cox attributes the alleged activity to the building's painful history: 'In the paranormal field, we believe that trauma leaves energy, which creates hauntings. This place had a lot of tragedy, a lot of trauma, so we believe it’s super haunted.'
Not everyone is comfortable with the commercialisation of such sites. Family members of former patients and local historians have argued that turning a place where vulnerable people suffered into a for-profit attraction is disrespectful. The debate echoes broader questions about how societies remember and commodify difficult histories.
Despite the controversy, the tours are popular. Guests can explore rooms where hydrotherapy was once administered, and some even climb into the old bathtub. For the truly brave, overnight stays are available. Lexi Carter, a makeup artist and scare actor at the attraction, says the upper floors feel 'alive'. She describes watching spirit boxes and EMF readers go off during investigations: 'Oh, my God. It blew me away. I was like, ‘No way. This is real. This is so cool.’'
A funeral home turned museum
Just eight kilometres south, the former Urbanski Funeral Home in Toledo has been reborn as Mortuary Manor. The 5,580-square-metre building, which hosted viewings and services from 1926 until last year, now operates as a museum and paranormal investigation site. Visitors can explore the embalming room, the autopsy suite, and a basement morgue where it has become customary to snap photos of oneself lying on the slab.
Operations manager Cory Leibenguth notes that the building offers modern comforts—indoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and Wi-Fi—which 'sets us apart from some of these other abandoned locations that don’t have any of that. And then there’s not a lot of funeral homes you can go investigate, either.' The venue even hosts horror movie screenings in the main sitting room, surrounded by caskets, and will celebrate its first wedding on Friday the 13th in November.
For those seeking an extended stay, a five-room suite is available for $200 (€179.51) per night. Leibenguth lives in an upstairs apartment, ensuring that guests are never far from a helping hand—or a spooky story.
The trend is not confined to the US. In Europe, historic sites are increasingly offering similar experiences, though often with a more cultural twist. For example, Europe's historic cemeteries are becoming Halloween destinations, blending history with the macabre. Meanwhile, European cities dominate global rankings of Halloween party spots, offering everything from costume balls to ghost tours.
As the line between entertainment and belief blurs, venues like Eloise and Mortuary Manor are capitalising on a desire for authenticity. 'In today’s world where everybody is so stressed out,' Cox says, 'Halloween is a time that everybody can just relax and just enjoy the time with their friends and their family, maybe get scared along the way.'
