With Halloween coming around the corner, many have plans of visiting "haunted" houses in which countless of us will pay over $40 to have its workers jump out and chase us for under an hour. While this can be both fun, spooky and great for getting in the Halloween spirit, there are hundreds of sites in the United States with many reports of real haunting due to their unsettling backgrounds, and the terrifying incidents don't stop after Halloween is over. If you're really looking for chills to send down your spine, here is a list of some of the most haunted houses in the United States and their stories.

1. The Winchester Mystery House: San Jose, California

The story behind this eccentric mansion begins with Sarah and William Wirt Winchester, the heirs to the Winchester rifle empire. Despite their extravagant wealth, their lives were filled with tragedy. Their only daughter died in infancy, which sent Sarah into a spiraling depression and the two never had any other children. About fifteen years later, William was stricken with pulmonary tuberculosis and died in 1881. Sarah grieved deeply for her lost husband and child and a friend suggested she get in touch with a medium to contact her husband's spirit. To her horror, the medium informed her through her husband's spirit that there was a curse upon the family. The curse had resulted in the death of their infant child, because spirits who were killed by Winchester manufactured rifles were seeking vengeance upon the family. To survive the curse, she needed to build a new home for herself and all the spirits who lost their lives, and to never stop construction in the home. Sarah spent the rest of her life constructing the mansion which contains many stairways to nowhere and long and uneven hallways, making it the world's largest haunted mansion. Sarah died in her sleep in 1922, and it is believed that the spirits still dwell in the mansion.

2. The Lemp Mansion: St. Louis, Missouri

The Lemp Mansion housed the many heirs to the Lemp Brewing Co. The company's Falstaff beer brand dominated the St. Louis beer market until Prohibition. There were four suicides within the Lemp family with three that took place in the home: William J. Lemp Sr., who shot himself after the death of his son Frederick and his best friend; his other son, William J. Lemp Jr., who shot himself in his office after the company sunk and was auctioned off due to Prohibition; William J. Lemp Sr.'s daughter, Elsa Lemp Wright, who shot herself in her bed in the home she shared with her husband after marital problems in which caused damage to her mental and physical health; and Charles Lemp, the final family member to live in the mansion and the third son of William J. Lemp Sr., who shot his dog and then himself, leaving the following note: "St. Louis Mo/May 9, 1949, In case I am found dead blame it on no one but me. Ch. A. Lemp." The mansion is believed to be haunted by members of the Lemp family.

3. The Amityville House: Long Island, New York

The horrifying murders that took place in this home inspired the book and film The Amityville Horror. Robert DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his parents and four of his siblings, causing a national spectacle. A year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz as well as their three children moved in the house and fled after only 28 days, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal activity. Due to the nature of the house's history, a friend of the couple had suggested having the home blessed upon moving in. Father Mancuso, a Roman Catholic priest, blessed the home and upon sprinkling the holy water, claimed to hear a male voice that said "get out." He did not share this information with the Lutz family at the time. There was a dispute about this taking place after the publishing of the book, in which Mancuso denied meeting with the family at the home.

During their stay, the family reported paranormal phenomenon such as waking up at 3:15 a.m. (the time in which DeFeo committed the murders), the house being plagued with flies despite the winter, vivid nightmares of the murders, the children having imaginary friends, and sightings of red eyes and spirits throughout the home. The last night the family stayed at the house before fleeing was too horrifying for them to account. They left the home as well as all their possessions behind. The book was then written based on the accounts of the Lutz family, which some criticize as being a hoax after several of the statements made by the family were debunked. Several other occupants have lived in the home since the Lutz family and reported experiencing no paranormal activity. The house is currently up for sale, listed at $850,000. (The Lutz family originally purchased it for $80,000.)

4. The Myrtles Plantation: St. Francisville, Louisiana

The Myrtles Plantation is deemed one of the most haunted sites in the South. The plantation is believed to have been built upon an ancient Tunica burial ground. There have been a reported 12 ghosts that reside on the plantation, including that of William Drew Winter. He was an attorney who resided on the plantation and was shot by a stranger in 1871. After being shot, he entered the home and staggered up the stairs and reportedly died on the 17th stair. His dying footsteps up the stairs can allegedly still be heard by those who visit the plantation. It is sometimes said that there were ten murders that took place inside the mansion, although William Drew Winter's was the only that was reported. Some have also reported seeing the ghost of a slave girl named "Chloe." There are several photographs that were taken on the plantation which are believed to contain apparitions of ghosts. The plantation currently serves as a bed and breakfast in which visitors can spend the night in the historical and haunted plantation.

5. The Joshua Ward House: Salem, Massachusetts

The Joshua Ward House was built upon the foundation of a house that once belonged to Sheriff George “The Strangler” Corwin, who notoriously interrogated and killed 19 men and women who he believed to be witches in the 1600s. He would often torture those he accused to be witches through unimaginable cruelty before killing them, for example, crushing them with a large rock. The spirits of the innocent he killed allegedly lurk in the house, including that of a woman who was once captured in a photograph by a realtor when no one else was present on the property. The woman is seen in dark clothing with wild, black hair. The house that George Washington once stayed in is listed at $900,000.