Horror logo

The Ghosts of Europe

The experiences that haunt me

By Michelle KaldyPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
First Place in Cursed Images Challenge
13
A cherub head angelically guarding a grave found in Prague

During the filming of Ghosts of Europe in 2017, I had the pleasure of being the lead photographer. This meant I got to visit a variety of scary places including the site of the worst nuclear disaster in human history, the home and death place of Europe's most prolific female serial killer, and of course the resting place of black death victims in the city considered to be the Witches Capital of the world.

Chernobyl in Soviet Ukraine, 1986. There is an explosion in Reactor 4 of the nuclear power plant. Pripyat, a thriving city housing the workers of the powerplant, are sleeping a few kilometres away. The explosion rocks the city awake and radiation spills into the atmosphere. Firefighters attempt to put the fire out but are taken away, ill from the exposure to large amounts of radiation.

3 days later, the city is evacuated with the promise of return. An exclusion zone was formed surrounding the city which included villages and farms. Many refused to leave and rather stayed. It was a fatal mistake for most. The promise of return was never fulfilled and the city of Pripyat lay abandoned and decaying.

Those villages that were left never saw their occupants ever again. Many families were displaced and children were wrongfully put into orphanages. Many women gave birth to deformed babies or babies that didn't live past a few months.

It was a tragic event that could have ended the world had it not been handled as quickly as possible. Today, the city is cordoned off by the military and you need special permission to visit. I had the privilege to document the city through photos for the documentary Ghosts of Europe.

The inside of an abandoned farmhouse, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

This place had to be one of the eeriest I had ever seen. It was quiet, decaying, and waiting for owners to return that never will. You could feel a strong sense of isolation walking along the forgotten paths that weave between houses and farms. Only your footsteps and the sound of the wind accompany you.

The hallway of the same abandoned farmhouse in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Naturally, we couldn't walk too further in as the floorboards had decayed from the weather. It was dark and it had begun raining outside which meant that we had to leave. Water would seep through the holes in the roof and the walls would creak.

Another farmhouse with a doll hanging from the ceiling

This particular house was too dilapidated for us to actually go inside, however, I managed a peek through the broken window. Notice a little token in the top right; a doll who is hanging by some rope.

A small room in the maternity ward found in Pripyat hospital, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

When we arrived at the Pripyat hospital in the exclusion zone, we had to walk very carefully in case we disturbed over 30 years of radioactive dust. We also learnt that the clothes from the firefighters who tried to put out the fire from the exploded reactor were buried in the basement of the crumbling hospital. It was filled with sand. Some say there are also bodies down there, but that's just a myth...

The infamous ferris wheel waiting for people who will never come

This ferris wheel was what we were all waiting to see. It's rusty and groans a little in the wind. This was all part of the hurried May-Day celebrations that were organized after the explosion to distract the city occupants from any impending disaster.

Elizabeth Bathory's Castle in Slovakia

Next, we travelled further west to Slovakia where we were on the hunt for the most prolific female serial killer in European history.

Her name was Elizabeth Bathory and she is claimed to have been a vampire. People come to her dying place here and leave flowers and other gifts for her. Why would they do that for a killer? Was she even a killer or were those rumours made to discredit her?

The castle from the outside

The castle is said to be haunted by the restless and angry spirit of the Countess. This was her favourite among all the estates she owned. It sits above the small village of Cestice who have a statue of her in the town square holding the head of a virgin who she was said to bathe in the blood of.

The town of Cestice sits below the mountain where the castle stands menacingly

From the path leading to the entrance, you can easily see the remnants of the tower she was locked in for years before she died. They kept her corpse in the tower for 3 months before burying her in a crypt somewhere unknown. This was to stop her supporters turning her gravesite into a shrine and resurrecting her. But, if you walk through the crumbling paths of her home, it's almost like you can feel her watching you.

A giant statue of an angel gliding across a tomb

We continued north to the Czech Republic to a cemetery so old, it houses the bodies of black plague victims.

They're buried far beneath other bodies, whose identities are unknown or even recent. It's a massive necropolis with confronting imagery of death and mortality. I remember turning a corner of one of the "streets" and finding this colossal angel stepping across stones of this tomb. It was ghostly and sent shivers down my spine.

The dark doorway of the abandoned orphanage

We drove south again, to the small towns in Hungary. The country has a dark history of invasion, soviet occupation, secrecy, mass killings, and war.

You can feel it in the air, you can see it in the people you meet. Most obviously, you sense it in the plethora of abandoned buildings throughout the country. We found this orphanage hiding behind tall grass and a broken fence. The "keep out" sign was rusted and tossed to the side. After walking through the massive gap in the fence, we made our way around the property and found an opening to the building. That's when we made the decision to spend some hours at night there to see if we could commune with the dead.

The foyer of the abandoned orphanage

That night we heard stampedes of people rushing through the complex. However, because it's so dark, you need a torch to get around. We saw no lights, only heard the rumble of a crowd of "people" running all around us. We rushed to find the source of the sound and then heard it come from the other end of the building.

It was almost like someone or something was mocking us.

The stairway that leads to nothing

This place was certainly haunted, if not by ghosts then by the memories of dark things that occurred between its walls. The decay and rot only made it incredibly dangerous for us to be there. The chattering we heard, whistles, screams, and running of unknown beings only added to the macabre feeling you take home with you after exploring.

The entrance to the inside of the building. You can't see through the darkness beyond the broken door

As we were on the plane headed home, I reminisced about everything I had seen.

There was a lot of forgotten history that seemed desperate to communicate. Ghosts or not, there was definitely something haunting the hallways, brick and mortar of each location whether it be memories or some sort of presence. Years later, I still feel like I'm being watched as I write about these images like they themselves are haunted.

Happy Spooktober all.

travel
13

About the Creator

Michelle Kaldy

I am a photographer and content creator, here to educate and take you on my post film school journey. With a BA in Film and Video Editing, I survive the big bad world with my wits and camera in hand. Straight Outta Film School!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.