With the Halloween season among the living once again, many attractions are simulating other-worldly experiences. However, for those who require a stronger dose of fear an answer is closer than one might think. Ventura County has an authentic haunted history of its own, with many locations that could leave a dark impression on those brave enough to enter.

One such haunted location can be found in Thousand Oaks at the Stagecoach Inn Museum. Built in 1876 as the Grand Union Hotel, the Stagecoach Inn now serves as a historical landmark with many artifacts for visitors to explore. Yet, what attracts many guests are the different specters that supposedly occupy the grounds.

Many have reported seeing the image of an elegantly dressed woman disappear from the corner of their eyes, leaving a lingering scent of perfume.

Others have heard the sounds of a child crying in the distance. According to the Inn’s website, the sounds come from a spirit of a boy who had disappeared in the surrounding forest.

The ghost of a man named Pierre proves to be the most famous. The 35-year-old looking mountain man named Pierre Devon apparently haunts the second floor of the inn where he was shot in the heart. Cold spots are reportedly felt by those going down the stairway and strong disturbances are felt within the room where Pierre was killed.

The spirits of the museum have been stated as being neither dangerous nor scary by the inn, the same may not be true of the California State University Channel Islands, previously known as the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. The hospital once housed many schizophrenic and autistic patients, but the grounds were closed in 1997.

CSUCI psychology major Maritza Estrada, refuses to approach the campus’ many abandoned buildings.

“There are rumors that they would torture patients and treat them inhumanely,” said Estrada. “I’m scared of what they say supposedly happened down there.”

The doors that lead deep into the building’s underground are surrounded with signs that warn students from entering, and as the stairway is pitch black at night, many do not take the risk..

“They say that they had electroshock therapy done down there,” continued Estrada. “You are supposed to hear people screaming.”

With the strange sounds that haunt the halls and the many abandoned buildings that are spread across the campus, the creepy ambiance looks like something straight out of a horror movie, which it actually is. Films such as ‘The Ring’ and ‘The Snake Pit’ have been filmed on site. Even scenes from the television series ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ have been captured on the campus.

One of the more unusual hauntings in Ventura County can be found at Simi Valley’s Sycamore Park, which is the host of many strange occurrences. Local legends say that a white and furry creature that appears similar to that of an extremely fast gorilla roams the grounds at night. This park also carries many strange, white floating lights that apparently make an individual disappear when they walk through them.

Ventura County proves to have many accounts of supernatural activity throughout the local area, begging for the living to enter. All of these locations are open for the public to explore, should anyone prove brave enough to tread upon the authentically supernatural this Halloween season.