That Forest Is Haunted Trivia Quiz

Answer: Canada

The township of Blackville is located in New Brunswick along the Dungarvon and Bartholomew Rivers. Sometime in the late 19th century, so the tale goes, a young Irishman worked as a cook for a local logging company. One night, Ryan (or no name in some versions) was alone with the camp foreman. The foreman killed the boy for his meager possessions and tells the returning lumberjacks that the boy took suddenly sick and died. The loggers help the boss bury the young cook deep in the forest.

As the murderer and the lumberjacks head back to their camp, they are assailed by a loud mournful "whoop" as the ghost of the slain cook cries for justice. Unable to sleep and filled with dread, the loggers abandon the camp and never return. Despite exorcisms performed by local priests, there remain reports that if you venture into the deep forest at night you can still hear the "Dungarvon Whooper" calling for justice.

Answer: Kent

The Deering Woods outside of the village of Pluckley in Kent are affectionately called the "Screaming Woods". The woods have earned Pluckley a place in the "Guinness Book of Records" as the "Most Haunted Village in England". As many as twelve separate ghosts are said to roam the town and its trees, many screaming incoherently of the injustices done to them shattering the solitude of the otherwise peaceful groves. My personal favorite of the screaming ghost stories is the tale of the highwayman Robert DuBois, who was killed by a spear thrown through a large English oak tree (such as the one in the picture) that he had hid behind to await a stage to rob.

When any forest gains notoriety as being "haunted", you can expect the media and "paranormalists" will not to far behind. So is the case with Deering Woods. The television show "Ghost Hunters International" spent some time in the woods in 2009. The ghost hunters admit to hearing screaming and footsteps, but were unable to explain or confirm any paranormal activity.

Answer: Northern Ireland

Ballyboley is a small village in County Antrim in the eastern part of Northern Ireland, not far from the coastal town of Larne. The forest outside the village is replete with trenches and circular stone altars that many believe were used for blood sacrifices by ancient Druids. According to some Celtic folktales, the site was used by the Druids to open a portal to an unknown "Otherworld".

Other legends about the forest claim that you can see humans dressed in brown rags and trees running blood in the forest, and that the forest is to blame for a series of mysterious disappearances that occurred in the 15th-17th centuries. Over the years, residents and visitors alike have claimed to hear the moaning and screaming from these men and women who ventured into the woods never to return.

Answer: Germany

Der Schwarzwald in German, or The Black Forest in English, is the legendary pine and fir tree forest located in southern Germany. The forest was named for the density of the pine trees found inside the forest. Legend has that the trees were so dense they "made night of the day". Today, the Forest is a major tourist destination and is portrayed as a happy place of wondrous scenery, with delicious food and cuckoo clocks. Do not be fooled, the Schwarzwald hides a darker history amidst its sweet treats and colorful clothing.

Numerous local legends tell of a headless horseman and evil sorcerers haunting the villages that surround the Forest. The Grimm Brothers made the Forest famous as the setting for their version of folktales such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel". Additionally, a 1794 novel "The Necromancer" by Ludwig Flammenberg (Carl Friedrich Kahlbert) is a harrowing collection of bloody paranormal events centered around the Forest. So enjoy the famous Schwarzwald kirsch kuchen (Black Forest cake), but don't go into the woods alone.

Answer: India

Dow Hill in the village of Kurseong is 30 km. south of the famous tea plantations of Darjeeling. The area is filled with lush woods and schools of learning. The Kurseong area is known as a premier center of educational institutions for the Indian state of West Bengal. Dow Hill has also been called "the most haunted pace in India". Since the mid-19th century, Dow Hill has seen a series of murders and numerous suicides in the area's woods. On the roads of Dow Hill Road, forest workers claim to have seen a headless ghostly boy walking alone before disappearing into the trees. Once viewed, the apparition is claimed to haunt the dreams of the unfortunate loggers, against all logic.

Answer: Japan

In sight of Mt. Fuji lies the 14 sq. mi. (35 sq. km.) Aokigahara Forest. Aokigahara is a dense forest filled with ice caves and unique flora, but is most famous for the dead bodies that routinely are found in its trees. The forest is considered the most popular suicide location in Japan and second in the world behind San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Each year as many as 250 people attempt to commit suicide inside the forest with at least 500 confirmed deaths since 1950.

The local folklore is that during the Middle Ages poor families would bring unwanted family members to the forest to die, thus reducing their number of mouths to feed. The ghosts of these now vengeful spirits reach out to claim like-minded new victims from the numbers of depressed visitors. Police have tried to curb the death toll by placing signs in the forest asking those intent on self-harm to seek counseling rather than end their lives. Though the Japanese government stopped publishing annual death tolls the media still attends and reports on the annual search for bodies that began in 1970.

Answer: England

Epping Forest lies on the border between the county of Essex and Greater London. The ancient woodland has been farmed and harvested since before the Bronze Age. Remains from the battles fought between British tribes hundreds of years before the advent of the Romans are routinely excavated from the woods. The Iceni tribe's Queen Boudicca, who tried to defy the power of Rome, is reportedly one of the many haunted spirits that freely roam the forest. Famous English criminals such as the 18th century robber Dick Turpin and the 20th century gangsters the Kray Family used the forest to hideout and bury dead rivals.

For centuries strange lights, headless apparitions, eerie noises and a sense of dread have plagued the forest's visitors. My personal favorite story about Epping Forest centers around the cheerily named "Hangman Hill". Between the ghostly screams and strange lights you are warned not to leave your automobile in "drive" mode while parked on the hill. For you see, your car will be pulled UP HILL towards the top, seemingly defying gravity. Scientists will try and tell you that it is an optical illusion; but, paranormalists will tell you the truth. Hangman Hill is using the magnetic field of the forest to pull you to its peak. So if you and your significant other are searching for a quiet wood to "park", perhaps you should find some other place besides Epping Forest.

Answer: Massachusetts

In 1659, the Fall River-Freetown Forest was sold by the Chief of the Native American Wampanoag Tribe to the English against the wishes of many of his own kinsman. The angry natives were concerned that their ancient burial grounds would be trampled and their ancestors spirits disturbed. Because of this, many believe the Wampanoag placed a curse of evil on the forest. Over the centuries, so many strange events from ritual murder to alien abductions have marred the grounds. Numerous animals have been found mutilated, and the woods are said to the home of strange beasts such as Bigfoot, mammoth serpents and the troll-like Pukwudgies. Rather than venture into this dark triangle of mystery, you might read instead, "Dark Woods: Cults, Crime, and Paranormal in the Freetown State Forest", a fascinating book about the forest published in 2007 by "noted" American paranormalist Christopher Balzano.

Answer: Romania

Transylvania, the name alone fuels thoughts of demons and ghosts and, of course, the undead. Transylvania was made famous in the 19th century when Bram Stoker used the remote area as the setting for his vampire horror novel "Dracula". However, the model for Dracula, Vlad Tepes, while born in the Transylvanian village of Sighisoara, was actually the prince of the southern Romanian province of Wallachia.

The Dracula legend is about the only paranormal specter not associated with the Hoia-Baciu Forest. The woods are thought to be haunted by the tormented ghosts of hundreds of Romanian peasants who were murdered in the forest. Visions of these tormented spirits are reported by terrified travelers. Strange lights, misshapen trees and UFO sightings are just some of the events that happen in the Hoia-Baciu. If you travel to the Hoia-Baciu, be prepared to feel an overwhelming sense of dread and leave with an unexplained rash as reported by numerous tourists.

Answer: Mexico City

Just south of Central Mexico City, along the meandering waters of the Xochimilco Canal, is a small island that houses a sad tribute to a young girl who drowned there years ago. The island is the home to hundreds of dolls and no people. The dolls' severed limbs, decapitated heads, and blank eyes adorn the island's trees. The dolls are creepy in the daylight, but in the dark, when the spirit of the drowned girl is said to look out from the dolls eyes they can be terrifying.

How did these dolls get on the island? That at least can be explained. Don Julian Santana Barrera was a 20th century recluse who made the island his home. Don Julian claims to have found the drowned girl; and, shortly thereafter he saw a floating doll near the canal. Don Julian believed the doll belonged to the girl. As a way to honor the girl, Don Julian picked up the doll and hung it from a tree. Over the years, Don Julian collected and hung more dolls, giving as the legend goes, more power to the girl's untamed spirit. By Don Julian's death in 2001, hundreds of dolls hung amidst the islands trees, and no one has dared to disturb the resting place of the spirit contained therein.