Top 10 haunted homes for sale around the world

The cold autumn wind cuts through the twisted branches of a long-dead tree as you walk down the dark street. The bare twigs scrape eerily on the window pane as lightning flashes in the distance. Out of the corner of your eye, a shadow moves. You turn to look, but the shadow is gone. You're left standing, staring through the front window of an old abandoned mansion, across the street.

Tales of grisly murders surround the old place and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as the facade of the creepy old manse stares back at you. To your surprise, you see a 'For Sale' sign swinging slowly in the wind, through bursts of lightning. Do the walls of the master bedroom bleed at midnight, like you've heard? Or is it really just a classic Victorian, remodeled with contemporary fixtures and appliances and priced to sell? Are those bumps in the night dead demons walking the halls or the bass from the newly installed full-house stereo system?

The only way to find out the answer to this dark mystery is to dig into this year's 'Top Ten Haunted Homes for Sale' list. One must be strong of heart when touring these homes where ghosts play and devils dance in the stories rumored about these estates. Everything from scary mansions to Dracula's Castle to famous television show homes on this year's list, so jump right in. If you dare

1. Dracula's Transylvania Castle

Bran Castle. It isn't a high-end European retreat where health seekers can go to get a dose of vitamins and fiber in their diet. No, the legend of this nightmare palace is much more sinister in fiction and in reality. Bran Castle was home to one of the most notorious monsters in literary history - Count Dracula. No other name elicits more fear and respect in the world of horror than Dracula. His dark powers and blood lust are legendary. On par with the count himself is the castle Bram Stoker reportedly based the Lord of the Night's home after.

Bran Castle is nestled in the heart of the mountains in Romania - formerly Transylvania. Carved from the rock of the mountains, Bran raises like a dark monolith above the sweeping verdant valleys below. Home to queens, kings and knights, the castle's history is rich and storied. The most infamous character, and what draws over half a million visitors a year to see this horror home, is Vlad Tepes or "Vlad the Impaler" as he is more commonly known.

Vlad was known to be a vicious and vindictive ruler. To the enemies that he defeated in defense of the Wallachia border and those who broke laws under his rule, he was the impaler. Known to put his enemies on sharpened spikes as a "message" to others, his name struck fear in the hearts of all around him because nothing says, "doesn't play well with others" than putting them on sharpened spikes.

Truth be told, Vlad's actual residence is a couple of miles from Bran and in ruins. His connection to the castle is that he reportedly was a guest there in the dungeons. Though there were many bloody battles surrounding it, the castle was actually a customs post, home and museum for much of its history. It's traded hands many times even being stolen from the royal family when communism took hold in Romania and they were given only twenty-four hours to flee the country. Fortunately, the castle is now back in the hands of the heirs and they've painstakingly and lovingly restored the property. Now they are looking to sell to a private buyer with intentions of investing in this major tourist attraction and "taking it to the next level."

This one of a kind estate is on the market now for forty-seven million pounds ($78 million USD). Yeah it may bleed your bank account dry but, "looook into my eyes…you VANT to buy this castle!"

2. Victorian Killing Estate

Kill Road. Never was there a more appropriate road for a home to be nestled on than this one. The history surrounding the Victorian estate is a dark and haunted one. Tales of mysterious fires, multiple suicides, wandering spectral couples and crying ghost children wreathe the Staten Island manse. Oh yeah, there was also a grisly mob hit in the home. There is that too.

Originally constructed in the mid-1880s by wealthy brick magnate Balthasar Kreischer as one of a pair of mansions for his family, the fourteen room home (which is oddly lacking in brickwork for the home of a German brick millionaire) is all that's left of the Kreischer legacy. The second home mysteriously burned down during the Great Depression. The brick factory, which the sons inherited after their father passed away just one year following the construction of the homes, burned down as well. The sons rebuilt but the factory never regained its original glory and the family fortune dwindled. Balthasar's son, Edward, distraught with the losses, killed himself, and his wife allegedly did the same. Their spirits are said to be the ghostly couple that reportedly wanders the grounds to this very day.

The home was converted into a restaurant in 1996, but the true terror surrounding the 3,300-square-foot structure is the grisly mob hit that took place in 2005 when Joe "Joe Black" Young slit the throat, stabbed, drowned in an ornate pond (which is one of the home's nicer features), dismembered and then burned in the basement furnace the body of victim Robert Meckelvy. Which as we all know, aside from a serious crime, is also a huge health code violation for a restaurant.

This mansion looks like it crawled out of every horror movie combined. If the Adams family were the interior designers, then Satan was the architect. The home does have its own ghastly charm and the realtors who list this home at $12 million say that it has "endless possibilities" and "a wraparound porch." Well if a wraparound porch doesn't help you ignore the bloodstains, ghosts and bumps in the night…we don't know what will.

3. Ozzie Nelson - the Friendly Ghost

One of Hollywood's long-running rumors is that the Los Angeles home where the Ozzie and Harriet Nelson family lived and was the actual home used for the "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" exterior scenes in the 1952 to 1966 television show is haunted.

It is probably just a Hollywood legend but the story has been circulating for years that the home where Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and their sons, Ricky (was a major 1950's rock star) and David lived for 25 years, is haunted. Ozzie was the friendly, easy going and popular dad who didn't seem to have a job but lived in a fancy house, drove a nice car and played a lot of golf. Their Hollywood Hills home is the perfect All-American home with a nice lawn, tall leafy trees, white wood siding and a lovely pool.

But don't always believe what you think you see! The stories began when Ozzie died in 1975 at age 68 that his ghost was frequently seen poking around the house still wearing one of his comfortable cardigan sweaters. New owners reported hearing footsteps, doors that opened and closed on their own, covers ripped off sleeping guests, and light bulbs and faucets that turned on and off on their own. Workers who were hired to paint the house were spooked by moaning noises and ghost-like apparitions. According to the "Los Angeles Times," the prominent Beverly Hills real estate agent who handled three recent sales of Ozzie's home said that all three owners told him the house is haunted.

The 5,813-square-foot home was built in 1916 on almost a half acre, with five bedrooms and four baths. The house is gated and private at the end of a cul-de-sac. The grounds contain a guest house, separate office and the backyard pool. Recently remodeled, the interior includes a media room, chef's kitchen with marble countertops and Viking appliances. The house is also ghost friendly with white walls, curtains and cabinets that make it easy for a ghost to navigate the home without drawing too much attention. Also, french doors, two fireplaces and light hardwood floors. Everything a friendly ghost could want.

The current listing agent says the house is no longer haunted (that's what they always say) and the asking price is $5.25 million, which is a good price for the expensive Hollywood Hills market. For one extremely lucky home owner, a chance for a beautiful home and maybe the ghost of Ozzie Nelson happily puttering around the yard. If we had to pick a ghost, charming Ozzie would be a pretty nice guy to have around.

Click or tap here for more & photo slideshows.