10 Haunted Houses That Have Murdered People

4. A John Wilkes Booth Impersonator Killed By A Civil War Ghost

Agreeing to stay in a haunted house is never a good idea. Enough horror movies (and Super Mario spin-offs) have involved such a set-up, with somebody spending a night in a spooky location as a dare, or to get some inheritance, or something. That's mad enough. Even worse an idea is when people decide to stay permanently in houses with histories of paranormal activity.

And yet such reckless regard for the housing market has so far seen two lives claimed by one Chicago mini-mansion, which has since had to slice its asking price to the paltry sum of $159,000. People say that the building is haunted by the ghosts of small children, who will speak and run their fingers through your hair. Creepy.

Built in 1882 and previously owned by Civil War Veteran and barbed wire pioneer Hiram Scutt, the mansion has seen two deaths in almost as many years: firstly a college football player was shot there during a party in 2004, and then in 2007 a John Wilkes Booth impersonator somehow saved up enough to buy the place... only to drop dead unexpectedly, aged 38, six months later.