Ghost Adventures is a polarizing series, but some of the best Ghost Adventures episodes feature a balance of what audiences love and hate. Viewers tend to either laugh at the sometimes theatrical character of ghost hunter and show creator Zak Bagans and the questionable validity of some of the paranormal evidence, or they appreciate the show and suspend their disbelief. As the seasons progressed, Ghost Adventures shed its more embarrassing habits and focused primarily on collecting evidence, leading to better ratings.
It’s left to viewers to decide the legitimacy of said evidence. This is a niche genre in company with other great paranormal TV shows like Sightings and Paranormal Witness. But for believers and casual viewers alike, Ghost Adventures is well-received and worth the watch. The best Ghost Adventures episodes have stuck with fans for years and are likely to haunt them for years to come. Though the favorite episodes may change over time, the scariest parts of Ghost Adventures show just how engaging the series can get.
40 Crescent Hotel
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Season 18 of Ghost Adventures had some pretty great episodes, and episode 7, "Crescent Hotel", is one of its best. This time around, the crew traveled to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to do some digging into the Crescent Hotel and discover what about it had been talk of the town for a long time, revolving mostly around its hauntings.
One of the biggest moments of this episode is that one of the curtains moved on its own, and while that might not seem like really anything, the way it is presented makes it incredibly scary, making it one of the most memorable moments. What particularly stands out about "Crescent Hotel" is the crew doing some fantastic debunking, something that doesn't necessarily happen as often as it should.
While none of the series' findings are guaranteed to be real, there are certain moments throughout "Crescent Hotel" that can leave someone second-guessing what actually is or not.
Of course, the hotel's most active and notorious ghost also has a name: Michael. The crew actually make with Michael during the episode. While none of the series' findings are guaranteed to be real, there are certain moments throughout "Crescent Hotel" that can leave someone second-guessing what actually is or not.
39 Manresa Castle
Port Townsend, Washington
"Manresa Castle" is a classic episode of Ghost Adventures and the third episode of season 11. The episode sees the crew heading to Port Townsend, Washington to investigate the claim of violent hauntings at Manresa Castle. The castle was originally a home in the late 1800s and now serves as a hotel that is still being run, despite the rumors that it is haunted, one of its many charms.
The episode feels like an all-around classic for Ghost Adventures, as the crew balances the comedic moments with the truly scary ones, making it a satisfying watch, especially as an entity ends up mimicking and tormenting Aaron. The best episodes of Ghost Adventures suck the viewer right into the atmosphere and often the dread that is being felt on camera, and "Manresa Castle" excels in that aspect.
In a lot of ways, "Manresa Castle" feels like a mini-horror film that keeps the tension for most of the time the crew is in the castle. Through the footage seen throughout the episode, it is easy to see why Manresa Castle is such a popular destination for any traveler trying to stay at a haunted hotel.
38 Terror On 25th Street
Ogden, Utah
With a name like "Terror on 25th Street," it's easy to see that the crew of Ghost Adventures are in for a scary good time throughout season 26, episode 2, one of the latest episodes in the entire series. This time, they traveled to Ogden, Utah to explore two separate buildings that seemed to be overrun with spiritual dark activity.
"Terror on 25th Street" contains all the elements that fans of the show love to see, and features some truly wild XLS footage that is almost impossible to believe.
The most notable building of the two was a former brothel, where it is believed by locals that the madam of the place might still be running it from beyond the grave, one of the most interesting setups for Ghost Adventures in a long time. It also features some great moments that have to be seen to be believed.
"Terror on 25th Street" contains all the elements that fans of the show love to see, and features some truly wild XLS footage that is almost impossible to believe. An XLS camera emits millions of tiny light points to capture a 3-D map of the environment, and the crew used it to capture a figure doing some wild moves in one of the bedrooms, showing why the many believe the brothel to still be up-and-running, in a way.
37 Union Hotel
Bay Area of California
A classic episode setup for the crew of Ghost Adventures is haunted hotels, and they end up traveling to the Bay Area of California to investigate the Union Hotel, a classic hotel that weathered the California Gold Rush, the smallpox epidemic, and a seedy flophouse. As a result, the paranormal activity at the Union Hotel can often be aggressive.
"Union Hotel" premiered in July 2019 and is the 11th episode of season 18, and the crew really shines in this one, opting to do more investigating instead of more interviews, adding to the already unsettling feeling that permeates this episode. The environment in this one is quite ominous, really elevating the episode and making it one of the stronger Ghost Adventures outings in quite a while.
The EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) gets some great use in "Union Hotel," coming out incredibly clear, making everything feel even creepier. While it can be debated if what the crew finds is actual evidence of paranormal phenomena, moments like that drive home just how unsettling it can be no matter what.
36 St. Ignatius Hospital
Colfax, Washington
Ghost Adventures headed to Colfax, Washington in season 18, episode 8, "St. Ignatius Hospital" to investigate the abandoned, but not quiet, 127-year-old hospital. Haunted hospitals are a dime a dozen for the series, but when they are good, hospital episodes are some of the best in the series.
St Ignatius Hospital was originally built in 1893 and the building was officially shut down in 2003, after serving as an assisted living home from the late 1960s through 2000. What makes St. Ignatius such an enigma is the fact that visitors report hearing strange growls when on the property and being "attacked" by hands that can't be seen, which meant the Ghost Adventures crew had to go see what was actually going on.
"St. Igantius Hospital" feels like the crew getting back to their roots.
While later seasons of Ghost Adventures began to lose a little of the essence of what makes the series so great, "St. Igantius Hospital" feels like the crew getting back to their roots. Of course, they even found proof that the hospital is actually haunted, capturing a "white misty apparition" when using a full-spectrum camera, giving this episode everything fans love about the series.
35 Ancient Ram Inn
Gloucestershire, England
The Ancient Ram Inn in England has a long history of paranormal activity, including a pagan burial ground, alleged ritual sacrifice of children, and a possible connection to Stonehenge. In the eighth episode of season 2, Zak Bagans and his crew head over to England to see this haunted location for themselves.
The Inn was built in 1145, so it has a very long history, even without considering the paranormal aspects of the building. There was an immediate sensation when the walk started as John, the owner of the Ram Inn, felt something go through him, causing intense pain, something he said had never happened before. Zak also began to suffer headaches around the same time as they did the walkthrough. Finally, Zak heard bells ringing, but there were no bells, and then he felt another sensation.
Zak was sure they had an encounter with something because he dreamed of a woman with red eyes.
This episode offered a lot more than others in the series because the team actually got some readings, and their EVPs recorded voices communicating with them, including threats, questions, and warnings. Aaron also captured a dark mist moving fast in front of the camera. By the time they left, Zak was sure they had an encounter with something because he dreamed of a woman with red eyes and woke up with visible scratches on his neck.
34 Mizpah Hotel
Tonapah, Nevada
The Mizpah Hotel is considered one of the most haunted locations in Nevada, located in Tonopah. The Ghost Adventures team visited the hotel three times, with the first in the episode named after the hotel, before it also appeared in "Horror Hotels and Deadliest Hospitals" and "Do Not Disturb." Its first appearance came in the second episode of season 5 when they set out to explore the famed haunted hotel, a trip that saw a lot of weird things happen.
There were actually two locations they visited in this episode, with the first called Castle House, which they revisited after it was one of their very first lockdowns as a team. There were a lot of things that happened while they were gathering their evidence, including an EVP recording of a female voice talking, moaning, screaming, and even exclaiming that they were evil. Zak also saw an apparition, and Nick felt something going through his body during the EVP experiment.
Zak said at one point that they wanted to investigate it for years, but never received permission.
However, what really took them by surprise was an elevator by Aaron opening and closing despite it being out of service. On top of unexplained knocking and banging, Zak set up some wood and something kept knocking it over. This was a huge episode for the team, as Zak said at one point that they wanted to investigate it for years but never received permission until this season.
33 Tooele Hospital
Tooele, Utah
The Tooele Hospital is in Utah, and there have been stories of spirits in the halls there for years. Since it has such a torrid reputation, the owners turned it into a haunted house, but the guys showed up to see if there was any truth to the haunting. The team went in with big warnings, with the owners claiming that the spirits would often scratch visitors. However, things got really scary when one of the spirits they recorded during their investigation called Zak out by his name.
Things started shaking the team up during the very beginning walkthrough and interview with the owners when cold air hit the team in three blasts. This is important as anyone who watches the show knows that the number "3" is very important to Zak and his team concerning paranormal activities. During the investigation, the guys found even more.
The most frightening sounds from the EVP came when a child's voice began calling out Zak's name.
There was a lot of activity, including footsteps, doors slamming, growling, and scratching sounds. The most frightening sounds from the EVP came when a child's voice began calling out Zak's name. There were also a lot of physical attacks going on here, including something shoving Zak, everyone feeling their energy being drained before a blast of cold air hit, and Aaron feeling something was grabbing onto his arm. This saw a lot more physical interaction than many other Ghsot Adventure episodes.
32 Goldfield Hotel: Redemption
Goldfield, Nevada
The team went to Goldfield Hotel for one of their live events, which was not aired on TV. This happened from February 8-10, 2008, and they featured clips from the visit in later episodes. However, they returned there for its own episode in season 7, episode 16, with the title, "Goldfield Hotel: Redemption." This was a re-investigation of the Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield, Nevada, where they experienced even more unexplained events happening at the location.
The background featured a fire and flood that devastated the town, as well as undocumented murders and crimes that took place over the years. It seemed the entire town was cursed, but Ghost Adventures focused on the hotel that seemed to be the center of all the paranormal activity. The original investigation saw a lot of unexplained phenomena, including rocks being thrown at people, a brick violently breaking for no reason, and voices threatening people in the hotel.
The Goldfield Hotel was the only place that the team investigated four different times.
The investigation here saw them hear more voices, thanks to the EVP, including one voice itting to throwing the brick. Zak saw a shadowy figure on the second floor and then experienced the rocks being thrown at him from a direction where no one was. The Goldfield Hotel was the only place that the team investigated four different times because of all the evidence (2004, 2007, 2008, and 2011).
31 Island of Dolls
Xochimilco, Mexico
In the 10th season of Ghost Adventures, Zak Bagans and his team headed to Xochimilco, Mexico, to explore the reported haunting at the Island of Dolls. According to the local legends, the dark and scary canals is the home to one of the creepiest attractions, the Island of the Dolls. This area is named after all the baby dolls hanging from the trees, which is terrifying by itself. However, the team learns in this episode there are a lot more sinister things there than dolls.
Despite them being the only people on the island, a fire ends up igniting in the pit later in their visit.
While Zak is doing his pre-investigation into the area, something happens, and he ends up with three mysterious bruises on his arm. He was holding "Harold the Haunted Doll" earlier, which had a loose arm on it, and that was the same arm on which Zak's injuries appeared. The team arrived on the island and heard sounds coming from a fire pit area. Despite them being the only people on the island, a fire ends up igniting in the pit later in their visit.
They see a lot of things, which include several apparitions, men's voices coming from the Spirit Box, and more than one instance of cold energy sweeping by the team as they investigate. The idea of hanging dolls in the trees is creepy enough, but having the team out on the island with all the unexplained phenomena makes this one of the scariest Ghost Adventures episodes in the series' long run.
