Spooky places in Thailand as told by locals
Thailand is a country that is obsessed with spirits and the supernatural. So it is no surprise that it is rich in urban legends and local rumours. A few of the more famous ones have even been made into movies that have become international blockbusters. But some of those stories began as real, but strange, happenings.
Here are 7 spooky places in Thailand where strange happenings not only occurred, but were also documented.
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1. “100-bodies curve” in Ratchadaphisek – deadly bend that claimed >100 lives
Ratchadaphisek Road is a major road in Bangkok running through the heart of the city’s shopping districts, and along its glitzy cinemas.
But one stretch of that road, a long curve in front of the Criminal Court of Thailand, is infamous for numerous accidents. Dubbed the “โค้ง100ศพ” – translated as “100-bodies curve” – many rumours and urban legends surround this widely used road that’s otherwise ordinary.
Locals fear it so much that there’s a makeshift shrine formed from various offerings alongside the infamous curve.
The tributes are meant to placate any vengeful spirits that may haunt the area. This belief was so strong that despite the government tearing down the shrine, new batches of offerings would be made again. As for the death toll associated with this locale, accidents typically occur late into the night during the witching hour.
Locals share creepy tales of seeing spirits just before incidents occur. There are also plenty of stories where people claim a spirit followed them home after they disrupted the makeshift shrine.
In a country that has a reputation for having some of the most dangerous streets in the world, we think this particular stretch has definitely earned its infamy for good reason.
2. Haunted house in Thawi Watthana – creepy backstory reminiscent of Final Destination
Back in 2017, one deserted house in Thawi Watthana became the talk of the town when one man came forward and shared a harrowing tale. When he was a teenager, he had ventured into the decrepit mansion in an abandoned neighbourhood with a couple of friends.
The group of seven has now dwindled down to but two, in a fashion that is reminiscent of the Final Destination movies. Not long after they exited the house, two of them died in a traffic collision. Next, one of them crashed into a tree. Finally, two more passed away in a mysterious house fire.
As a result of the rumours, a local news crew went to investigate his harrowing account along with a local official.
What they found was a scene straight out of a horror flick. An abandoned neighbourhood with flooded streets, a factory, and an entire area completely overrun by overgrown plants.
The crew then spoke to locals who shared that two kids had also drowned in the area.
But in a bizarre twist, the crew couldn’t find the house described by the man. When they questioned the locals, they were told that only two houses remained in the depths of the neighbourhood: one where the owner had died and the local’s own house.
No such house described by the teenagers exists or has ever existed. In any case, the authorities have since closed down the area to prevent more teenagers from wandering in.
3. Ang Thong Temple’s cursed shrine – an antique bed that sickens its users
Next on our list is an interesting one. This antique bed is currently enshrined in a local temple in Ang Thong. Measuring 3-metres long and 1.5 metres wide, the wooden bed is painted gold. At first glance, it seems unassuming and would fit into most traditional Thai houses. But there is a reason it is placed behind protective glass within a temple.
Despite being around for a long time, no one is quite sure where this bed came from and who owned it. The bed was simply a resting spot for those visiting the temple. But locals started noticing that those who sat or slept on the bed would get very ill. Eventually even daredevils tried their hands on the morbid ‘challenge’ and ended up becoming bedridden too – in an entirely different bed though.
The fear was so real for locals that they decided to move it to the wooded area behind the temple. After a couple of years, however, the temple restored and returned the bed to its original spot where it now sits.
4. Bang Pakong Bridge – a “suicide bridge” that beckons at drivers to jump
Bang Pakong Bridge is Thailand’s very own Golden Gate Bridge. The reason is not because it’s picturesque, but much like its more famous counterpart, the bridge is known as a popular suicide spot.
According to urban legends, the bridge beckons to those who say they weren’t meaning to jump from it. Such was the case for a 25-year-old woman in late March 2018.
She was allegedly driving home when she saw a woman sitting on the railing of the bridge. Fearing that the woman would leap to her death, she quickly pulled over and rushed towards her.
Unfortunately, she was a tad too late as the woman had already leapt off. The driver was about to do the same, in order to save the woman, but a local came in time to stop her from jumping as well.
These stories are very common for this hallowed bridge. Many locals report that they’ll often spot a woman in red who will gesture at passersby to join her in leaping off the bridge. It got to the point where locals would go the long way around just to avoid using the bridge.
Here’s one last fact that may cement the locale’s infamous backstory, a policeman once commented in an interview that since 1992, there have been no fewer than 60 separate cases of suicides on the bridge.
5. Submafai Forest in Korat – forest returns an old lady with lottery numbers
In rural Thailand, many local villagers will still venture into the forest to gather food and live off the land. This Korat woman who ventured into the Submafai forest in Thap Lan National Park to collect some mushrooms for food on 11th September 2017, was no exception.
However, when she never returned, her family notified the authorities and a search was conducted. Her relatives became concerned because the woman was 71 years old and quite fragile. They feared for her health, especially because it was raining.
After a day, officials miraculously located the senior in the forest.
What was surprising was that she was found completely dry despite the rain and without a scratch. Her good condition was unexpected as she had been wandering the forest barefooted for 2 days. When asked how this could be, the old woman offered a strange answer.
She claims she was taken in by a woman wearing traditional Thai clothing. She was offered fruits in the woman’s house and a bed to sleep in. The old woman missed her son so she left but not before the forest woman offered her lottery numbers.
In a chilling twist, the old woman said that she had heard the rescue team calling for her the night prior, but the lady of the forest forbade her from making a sound.
6. Sathorn Unique Tower – string of misfortunes befall an unfinished condo
Sathorn Unique Tower needs no introduction. You’ve probably heard of the abandoned high-rise building that sits in the heart of downtown Bangkok. Despite being well on its way to completion and in a terrific spot for business, the building complex was never fully finished due to a series of unfortunate events. But locals suspect that there’s something else behind the misfortune.
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Originally planned as a luxury condominium, the project came to a halt in 1993 when its head architect was accused of plotting the murder of a Supreme Court judge. Without its lead designer, the owners – now inextricably linked to the scandal – were unable to secure financial backing for the project. This in turn caused the indefinite suspension of construction for the building.
If that wasn’t enough, the Tom Yum Goong crisis in 1997 permanently crippled the project. Many of the building’s contemporaries found life once again and now stand completed – including the iconic State Tower designed by the same architect. Despite that, Sathorn Unique Tower remains desolate and abandoned as a black sheep on the Bangkok skyline.
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Many attribute this string of misfortunes to supernatural causes. Whether that be because it was built on an old cemetery or that it is casting a shadow on the local Yan Nawa temple.
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This belief was reinforced when a Swedish man was found hanging on the 43rd floor of the abandoned tower, in 2014. Local authorities concluded that the man had committed suicide.
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After that, rumours spread like wildfire. Thanks to the stalled construction, scandals and suicide, the creepy complex continued to attract urban explorers who were keen to uncover the building’s secrets. As a result, the construction site is now more heavily guarded from trespassers than ever before.
7. Bang Na’s “5 corpses building” – refurbished office complex with a deadly history
The recently completed Thai Zhong Tower in Bang Na used to be known by a much more sinister name. Currently, it is an office building that targets Chinese industries with a presence around the Bang Na area.
But before it was an office building, it was known as the “ตึกร้าง 5 ศพ)” – loosely translated as the “5 corpses building”.
In April 2012, a man snuck into the then-incomplete and abandoned building, witnessing a shocking sight. A foreign man in his 30s had hanged himself on the sign’s railing. The police determined that the man had been dead for 2 to 3 days.
A cryptic message was written on the wall, along with a drawing of a set of praying hands. The note read, “Try to remember what was good, sorry is not enough”. Authorities believe this to be the man’s final message. They also found a photo of a young lady, which implied that this suicide was the result of a bad break-up.
Just around 4 months later, in August 2012, yet another body was found – this time on the 30th floor. The corpse was found by an electrician who was looking to take his girlfriend to see the view from the high-rise building.
This time, the lifeless body was found in the control room. The dead man, believed to be aged between 35 to 40, had his wrists and ankles tied by various electrical wires. Police officials believe that the man was part of a gang of thieves looking to strip the building of electrical equipment to sell, before his gang mates turned on him.
Finally, prior to those two discoveries, three others are believed to have fallen to their deaths from this building, bringing the total body count to 5 corpses.
Tread lightly at these spooky places in Thailand
Despite their seemingly harmless and unassuming façades, the ghastly histories of these places are known to most locals. Just earlier this year, a TikTok post explaining the dark past of the newly completed office tower in Bang Na went viral after netizens began speculating about the 5 bodies that had been found there.
Many Thais still hold reverence, fear, and respect for those stories and see them as warnings to not disturb the spirits or disrupt tradition. As a rule of thumb, those who disrespect these customs may experience bad luck, with some cases bearing fatally grave consequences.
So tread lightly, if not for your own sake, then for the sake of respecting these long-held beliefs and traditions.
Cover images adapted from (Clockwise from Top Left): Yakuzakorat, @theshock_13, Thairath, JPBKK
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