So, you say you don't scare easily, huh? That you're big and brave enough to stomach the most intense Hollywood horror movies, the wildest roller coasters, and any number of other frights that shake lesser people to their core? Well, what about visiting some of the country's most famous and infamous haunted houses? How do you think you would hold up there?

We aren't talking about the fake haunted houses either, like the kind that pop up every October, just in time for Halloween. No, we're discussing the homes that hosted some of the most gruesome real life (or at least rumored and legendary) murders imaginable. The kinds of places with dark basements where innocent children met horrible ends, or even the backwoods houses where multi-headed incubi are said to have committed unspeakable atrocities against entire families. 

OK, so that last example may be a bit much from a credibility standpoint, but you get the picture: The U.S. is littered with places where really messed up shit went down, and where the echoes of those messed up things can still be heard today. You may have heard of some of these, like the Lizzie Borden House in Massachusetts or the house that served as the basis for The Amityville Horror. And I hope you've heard of the White House, but did you know that is also rumored to be haunted? 

Beyond the recognizable, there are plenty of other homes and buildings from coast to coast where the undead are alleged to roam, that may be able to claim the title of the country's scariest haunted house, in towns like Salem, MA and New Orleans—places that have long been associated with the occult—and seemingly quaint and picturesque cities—like San Francisco and West Palm Beach—that may be hiding a dark, mysterious underbelly.

Still not scared? Well, go ahead and check out our collection of the scariest haunted houses in America. Just don't tell your rommates it's our fault that you want to sleep with the lights on tonight.