Les Catacombs
Probably the most notoriously spooky location in all of Paris if not the world, Les Catacombs are a network of tunnels running beneath the city for over 200 miles, much of them stacked high with the skulls and bones of the dead from the days of the French Revolution. Only a small portion of Les Catacombs are open to the public, which probably only fuels the legends of supernatural phenomena surrounding the subterranean cityscape.
The Ghost of Philibert Apsairt in the Catacombs
One of the most notorious ghost stories to come from the Catacombs is that of Philibert Apsairt, who accidentally got lost in the underground tunnels when heading down to a wine cellar, lighting his way with a single candle. His body wasn’t found until eleven years later; his remains were buried on the spot of his demise, and it is said his spirit returns to wander the catacombs every year.
The ‘found footage’ from the Catacombs
Horror fans may be familiar with the 2014 movie As Above, So Below, which sees a group of young documentary filmmakers get lost and encounter strange, scary phenomena in the Paris Catacombs. It is said that this film was inspired by real-life events, as in the 1990s a group of Catacombs explorers stumbled upon the camcorder of another lost explorer, which left disturbing footage behind.
Henri Désiré Landru, the bluebeard of Gambais
You might not believe in ghosts or demons, but there’s no questioning the existence of Henri Désiré Landru, one of the original French serial killers. Born in Paris in 1869, Landru used his womanising charm to persuade a succession of women to sign over their financial assets to him, before killing them. He managed this routine 11 times before his capture, then died by the guillotine in 1922.
The Red Man of Tuileries Garden
It has long been reported that the Tuileries Garden has seen period sightings of a mysterious male figure covered in blood. The legend goes that this is the ghost of Jean the Skinner, who was hired by 16th century Queen Catherine de’ Medici to kill her enemies before she had him bumped off too. Marie Antoinette saw the ghost shortly before her own execution, and Napoleon apparently had in-depth conversations with him.
Marcel Petiot, AKA Dr Satan
Another of the most infamous serial killers ever produced by Paris, Marcel Petiot was responsible for at least 27 murders, although some estimates suggest the figure is considerably higher. Operating under the Nazi occupation during World War II, Petiot pretended to offer escape to Jewish refugees, then butchered those he lured into his home. Found guilty, he was executed by decapitation in 1946.
Cimetière de Montmartre
Paris boasts more than one Gothic graveyard filled with the famous dead and all manner of ornate headstones and crypts. Cimetière de Montmartre houses such noteworthy names as filmmaker François Truffaut, ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, composer Hector Berlioz and artist Edgar Degas.
Le Musée des Vampires
The Louvre isn’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re in search of a different kind of cultural enrichment in Paris, why not try a visit to Le Musée des Vampires? Located near Porte des Lilas, this spooky little attraction is loaded with all manner of paraphernalia relating to the undead and their role in our culture. Be warned though, it’s based in a single room so don’t expect to be busy all day.
The Demon Barber of Rue Chanoinesse
You might have assumed that London’s notorious Sweeney Todd was the only barber in the habit of murdering his own customers and then using their dead bodies for meat. However, this happened in Paris around 500 years earlier, as the Demon Barber of Rue Chanoinesse slashed the throats of the men he shaved, but rather than giving their corpses to the neighbouring pie shop he sold them on to a nearby butcher. So much for haute cuisine!
Le Manoir de Paris
If you’ve ever visited the London Dungeon, you might have some idea what to expect from Le Manoir de Paris. Rather than simply telling stories of the darker chapters from Parisian history, Le Manoir brings these stories to life in vivid detail with actors in makeup and costume guaranteed to give your nerves a serious jolt.
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
Graveyards are spooky places to visit most of the time, but there’s a particular sinister quality to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris. A sprawling cemetery surrounded by trees and filled with ornate tombs, the location is famous for housing some noteworthy dead people, most famously singer-songwriter Jim Morrison of 60s rock legends The Doors and esteemed Irish writer Oscar Wilde.
Gérard de Nerval
Another of the more famous ghosts to haunt Paris is that of Gérard de Nerval, the Romantic poet and notorious eccentric who died by suicide in 1855 in rue de la Vieille-Lanterne. A theatre now stands on that same location where the poet took his own life, and there have since been sightings of his ghost in that very theatre, apparently popping up on or near the stage in hopes of putting off the actors.
The Phantom of the Opera
Gaston Leroux’s classic novel The Phantom of the Opera (and its many subsequent stage and screen adaptations) may be a work of fiction, but Leroux is said to have drawn on very real stories surrounding Paris’ grand opera house Opéra Garnier. The theatre has long been rumoured to be haunted, and there has been a real accident involving a falling chandelier.
Musée Fragonard
Paris isn’t only filled with skeletons in the tunnels beneath the city. The Musée Fragonard d’Alfort is a museum of ‘anatomical oddities’ jam-packed with all manner of animal skeletons and preserved cadavers, among them such peculiar anomalies as a two-headed calf, a ten-legged sheep and Siamese twin lambs.
The Gypsy of Rue de Bièvre
Paris’ Rue de Bièvre has its own ghost story dating back to the Second World War. It is said that a public house on the road was occasionally frequented by a gypsy intent on reading the landlord’s fortune. The landlord would always throw the gypsy out, but then his relatives started dying under strange and inexplicable circumstances, and his wife ran off with the gypsy and disappeared. Fearing he’d been cursed, he closed down the bar which still stands dormant to this day.
Musée des Egouts
It’s not technically the Catacombs, but another Paris attraction that takes you below ground into an eerie tunnel that’ll wreak havoc on anyone with even a hint of claustrophobia. The Musée des Egouts is a museum of the city’s historic sewer system. On top of being creepy, it might also be a bit stinky, for the obvious reasons.
The Weeping Woman of Pont Marie bridge
As well as being a place of beauty, Pont Marie bridge is said to be home to the ghost of a woman from the wartime era. Said to have been a member of the Resistance, the woman in question is said to have frozen to death at the bridge waiting for her husband. Reportedly her spectre has often been sighted there, weeping.
Thierry Paulin, The Old Ladies Killer
Another of the most shocking Paris serial killer stories comes from a comparatively more recent period. Also known as the Monster of Montmarte as well as The Old Ladies Killer, Thierry Paulin was an ex-soldier and sometime drag performer with HIV who murdered between 18 and 21 elderly women in the 1980s. Though arrested, he developed AIDS and died before being able to stand trial.
Isauré de Montsouris
Another Parisian ghost story surrounds the Palais du Bardo observatory in Parc Montsouris. The legend says that a bandit named Isauré de Montsouris lived on the location centuries before the observatory was constructed. He was subsequently put to death by beheading, and his headless ghost is still said to wander the area.
Cimetière du Montparnasse
You didn’t think we were done with Parisian graveyards, did you? Cimetière du Montparnasse is another of the city’s gardens of remembrance housing a great many notable names. The famous figures buried there include the Statue of Liberty’s sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi, poet Charles Baudelaire and philosopher Jean-Paul Satre.
The Devil’s Hands at Notre Dame
Paris’ Notre Dame may be one of the most famous Christian cathedrals in all the world, but some claim the Devil’s influence can be felt there. The legend goes that a young craftsman named Biscornet was tasked with crafting the ornate doors to the cathedral but found it such a formidable task that he made a deal with the Devil to help him complete work. Demons can also be found in the architecture.
Was there really a The Hunchback of Notre Dame?
Victor Hugo’s time-honoured Gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame is another of the best-loved tales based in Paris, and until fairly recently it was assumed to be pure fiction. However, in 2010 evidence came to light suggesting Hugo’s tragic figure Quasimodo was modelled on a real man, a hunchbacked sculptor named Trajan who worked on the cathedral.
Albert le Grand
A scholar and theologian of the 17th century, Albert le Grand was one of the great thinkers of his time, and his pursuit of knowledge sent him into the thorny realms of alchemy and occultism. It is said that his ghost can sometimes be seen (complete with spooky occult robes) on Rue Maître Albert, the Parisian street named in his honour.
Musée de L’Assistance Publique
Anyone who’s seen a few scary movies knows there are few places creepier than an old, antiquated hospital – so how about a museum dedicated to them? The Musée de L’Assistance Publique takes you through the history of medicine in Paris, dating back to olden times when the diseases were particularly unpleasant and the methods used to treat them were highly questionable.
Joseph Vacher
The fact that Joseph Vacher has been labelled ‘The French Ripper’ should give you a good sense of how loathsome this Parisian serial killer was. Between 1894 and 1897 he was responsible for at least eleven horrific murders, mutilating and sexually assaulting his victims. He eventually confessed and was put to death, but this actually proved controversial when it came to light that he was clinically insane and may have committed his crimes in a hallucinatory state.
Panthéon Crypt
The word ‘crypt’ alone tends to provoke feelings of dread, so venturing forth into one inevitably brings forth the chills, particularly as you can only get to it through a long, cold tunnel with low lighting. Once there, you’ll find the final resting place of such noteworthy figures as the writers Voltaire, Émile Zola, Victor Hugo and groundbreaking physicist Marie Curie.
The Man in the Black Coat at Jardin du Luxembourg
In 1925, medical student Jean Romier was sitting reading in Jardin du Luxembourg when he was approached by a man clad in a long black cloak who invited him to an evening of music and poetry at his home. Romier accepted the invitation and enjoyed his evening, but when returning to the same home soon thereafter he found it empty and was told the former tenant, a musician, had been dead for over twenty years. Others have claimed to have seen this ghost and had the same invitation since.
Ghosts of the Eiffel Tower
What could possibly be spooky about Paris’ single most iconic and romantic landmark? Surprising as it might be, the Eiffel Tower also has its share of ghost stories. One tale claims that an unwanted marriage proposal at the top of the tower in the 1920s ended with the woman falling (or being pushed) to her death. Visitors have since claimed to hear a disembodied voice giggling, then angrily roaring, then screaming in terror.
Michel Fourniret, the Ogre of the Ardennes
One of the more unpleasant French serial killer stories from more recent history is that of the ‘Ogre of the Ardennes’, Michel Fourniret. He was responsible for at least 12 murders in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2003, also raping many of his victims. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008, he died behind bars in Paris in 2021 aged 79.
Rue des Chantres on Île de la Cîté
Some say this unassuming little street in Paris is the single most haunted location in the entire city. The early 20th century saw a run-down hotel on Rue des Chantres turned into a hospital for diseased children, many of whom drowned when the street was flooded. Over the years, many visitors have claimed to hear the anguished screams of the long-dead youngsters echoing down the narrow street.
