Pokémon is famous for being a kid-friendly franchise with plenty of cuteness creatures, bright colors, and friendly reminders about teamwork and friendship. Not every bit of the games is quite so wholesome, however.
On their journeys throughout the Pokémon world, trainers will pass through beautiful towns and see some amazing sights, but they might also wander into places that will leave their hair standing on end. From haunted houses teeming with Ghost-types to eery places that inspired fans to write some of the scariest creepypastas ever, there are certain places in the Pokémon world that have definitely given kids nightmares over the years.
10 Pokémon Aren’t The Only Ghosts In The Old Chateau
Deep in the heart of Eterna Forest lurks the Old Chateau, a ruined house that has now the home of Ghost-type Pokémon. And, unusually for the series, these aren’t the only apparitions around — terrifyingly, the ghosts of actual humans will appear and disappear before the player’s eyes. These NPCs, along with a portrait that actually has eyes that move to watch the player while glowing a menacing red, are something straight out of a horror game.
Players of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum have a good reason to brave this haunted house, however — lurking in one of the room’s TVs is the rare Pokémon Rotom.
9 Pokémon Black & White 2’s Strange House Carries On A Ghost Story
Unova’s Marvelous Bridge is definitely not a scary place itself, but, in Pokémon Black & White it does serve as the setting for a creepy event. A young girl can sometimes be seen, but will disappear if the player walks toward her. According to a nearby NPC, she would play in the area with her Pokémon, an Abra.
In the sequel, this girl can actually be talked to in a building known as “the strange house,” but this only makes her more unnerving. In dialogue as terrifying as it is sad, she describes “an endless dream of darkness” that has separated her from her family and beloved Abra.
8 Cerulean Cave Was A True Mystery
By later titles in the series, a deep cave where a Legendary Pokémon waits for the player has become an expected part of the game, and fans venturing into Hoenn’s Cave of Origin or Unova’s Giant Chasm will generally know what to expect.
For the first few players of the original games, however, anything could have been in Cerulean Cave, the home of Mewtwo. Descending into the dark with absolutely no idea of what might be down there must have been truly frightening — not to mention the cave’s labyrinthine maze of rocks or the ominous encounter that the trainers did find.
7 N’s Room Is Pure Psychological Horror
It’s not often that a Pokémon game offers players a glimpse into a character’s troubled psyche, but that’s exactly what can be found in N’s castle in Pokémon Black & White.
This area was where N grew up, and players can find his childhood bedroom. To call this area creepy would be an understatement — the background music of the rest of the castle is replaced by a haunting, music box-like tune, while the toys scattered around provide an unnerving contrast to the rest of this villainous lair.
6 Turnback Cave Will Have Players Doing Exactly That
There are few things scarier than the thought of being helplessly lost in a dark cave — especially one with a monster lurking in its center. Turnback Cave in Sinnoh perfectly captures this feeling. The rooms found through each doorway are random, making it very difficult to navigate.
Adding to the feeling of being trapped, this is one of the only caves in the series that players can’t escape from by using Dig or an Escape Rope. It’s a fitting home for Giratina, one of the most frightening Legendary Pokémon in the games.
5 The Chamber Of Emptiness Is Too Quiet
There’s something uniquely scary about a cave in a video game that seems empty. Will something jump out? Is there a hidden passage? Why have the developers bothered to code it in, and what does it mean?
Perhaps nowhere in the Pokémon world evokes this particular feeling more strongly than the (aptly named) Chamber of Emptiness in Kalos. This tiny cave is marked on the world map and is noted in-game to be “mysterious,” but nothing can be found within it other than a Spooky Plate and, in the post-game, a Banettite. Spooky indeed.
4 Canalave City Is A Seemingly Normal Town With Some Nightmarish Secrets
For most of the Diamond & Peal, Canalave City functions as a pleasant and useful town, with a library where players can learn more about the Sinnoh region and a ferry that can take them to Iron Island. Post-credits, however, trainers will start to see that something’s wrong in this cozy seaside community.
Eldritch, one of the local sailors, whose name is a reference to Lovecraftian horror, must enlist the player’s help to free his son from the endless nightmares inflicted by Darkrai. This connects to the mysterious Harbor Inn, where, after obtaining an event item, players will fall into a nightmare themselves.
3 The Ruins Of Alph Are An Unown Phenomenon
An area that has been unnerving trainers since Generation II is the Ruins of Alph. As well as hinting at the cryptic history of the Unown, players who happen to turn on their radio here will hear a “Mysterious Transmission” — distorted noises that the game offers no explanation for.
There’s definitely something going on with the Unown, though, as when they are walking here in HeartGold & SoulSilver they will growl “in a way that sounds almost like speech.” Once they hear that, players will definitely be leaving the ruins in a hurry.
2 In The Abyssal Ruins, Every Step Feels Dangerous
The Abyssal Ruins are a mysterious area in Unova that contains almost all of the Plates, as well as some valuable relic items and some cryptic, coded messages that hint at Unova’s past. Players can’t explore the entire ruins at once, however, as a torrent of water will wash them away after they have taken 500 steps.
Knowing this makes the ruins fairly easy to navigate. For a player who doesn’t yet know the secret, however, exploring these ominous ruins can be nerve-racking, as it feels like that torrent of water could come at any moment.
1 Lavender Town Inspired A Classic Creepypasta
Undoubtedly the most famous creepy location in the Pokémon world is Lavender Town. This area, with its haunting background music and status as a place where dead Pokémon are laid to rest, inspired one of the most famous gaming-related creepypastas ever.
There have been plenty of unnerving locations seen in Pokémon games since Generation I, but none have inspired quite so many rumors or nightmares as this little town from the first games. Even the bravest of players might feel a chill run down their spine when they hear the first notes of the Lavender Town theme.
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