Cemeteries and graveyards are a cliché in horror films, tapping into our fascination with the afterlife and the unknown. These final resting places often carry eerie reputations, with tales of restless spirits haunting the living. While we can’t confirm any of the many urban legends out there, we can point you to the spookiest cemeteries around L.A. for a Halloween visit. Just remember, if you go, it’s crucial to respect both the site and those who rest there.
1. Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Certainly, the most iconic final destination in the city where stars find their last resting place, including Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. This cemetery is famous not just for its dead celebrities, but also for its lively events (pun intended), like outdoor movie screenings and Día de los Muertos celebration in November. However, there’s more that makes it famous.
When actor Rudolph Valentino died at 31, his body was temporarily placed in a friend’s crypt at Hollywood Forever. After she passed away the following year, they were laid to rest side by side permanently. Legend has it that a woman in black haunts Valentino’s grave, leaving a single red rose in his honor.
📍 Location: 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038
⏰ Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM–5 PM. Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
2. Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary
Burt Bacharach and Leonard Nimoy are just a few of the big names resting at this Jewish cemetery in Culver City, a final stop for many in the entertainment industry. The site is particularly known for Al Jolson’s elaborate tomb, featuring a 75-foot-high pergola and monument atop a hill above a cascading waterfall.
At first glance, the place doesn’t seem eerie or unusual. On the contrary, it’s a vast, tree-filled space brimming with tranquility, making it easy to get lost in the calm. With over a century of history, ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts often visit during the day, armed with instruments that they claim can detect vibrations, orbs, and omnipresent silhouettes that aren’t easily perceived by the human senses.
📍 Location: 6001 W Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045
⏰ Hours: Sunday to Friday, 9 AM–5 PM. Closed on Saturday
3. Forest Lawn Cemetery
Founded in 1906, Forest Lawn Glendale is a stunning 300-acre memorial park in Glendale. It’s home to the Great Mausoleum, where the remains of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow rest, among others.
One of the most haunting areas in Forest Lawn Glendale is made up of two heart-shaped plots, known as “Babyland” and “Lullabyland.” Reserved for infants and small children, these sections evoke a deep sense of sadness but also carry a slightly eerie atmosphere.
📍 Location: 1712 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA 91205
⏰ Hours: Daily, 8 AM–6 PM
4. Inglewood Park Cemetery
This lush, green space feels like a sacred hidden garden within the city, but it’s actually one of Los Angeles’ oldest cemeteries, founded in 1905. It’s the final resting place for a list of celebrities from Hollywood’s golden era, including Betty Grable, Cesar Romero, Ray Charles, and Ella Fitzgerald.
More than a ghost story, this cemetery is infamous for the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of one of its famous residents, Paul Bern, Jean Harlow’s husband. Initially believed to be a suicide due to a note left by Bern, some suspect that he was actually murdered by his common-law wife, Dorothy Millette, who reportedly jumped from a ferry to her death after the alleged killing.
📍 Location: 720 E Florence Ave, Inglewood, CA 90301
⏰ Hours: Daily, 8 AM–5 PM
5. Los Angeles Pet Cemetery
Stephen King highlighted in the ’80s that while we love our cats and dogs, animal cemeteries can be quite eerie. However, this one isn’t as spooky as the movie version… Right?
Founded in 1928, this 15-acre cemetery is the final resting place for notable animals like Pete the Pup from Our Gang, Jiggs, the chimp from the Tarzan movies, and Room 8, a cat who wandered into Elysian Heights Elementary School in 1952.
Why bring this place up? Well, it’s rumored that, once again, Rudolp Valentino’s Alsatian Doberman, Kabar, might still be around. Visitors have reported hearing barking and panting, and some have even felt Kabar’s ghostly licks on their hands.
📍 Location: 5068 Old Scandia Ln, Calabasas, CA 91372
⏰ Hours: Daily, 8 AM–4:30 PM. Closed on Saturday and Wednesday
6. Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park
Here lies, near Natalie Wood, Dean Martin, Farrah Fawcett, Ray Bradbury, and Truman Capote, one of the brightest stars in history and a Hollywood icon, the unforgettable Marilyn Monroe. Her grave is somewhat secluded, but fans easily find it and frequently visit, leaving red lipstick just as she used to wear. So much so that the gravestone is stained in a peachy pink!
While fans’ gestures of affection are heartwarming, the graves of Poltergeist actors, Dominique Dunne and Heather O’Rourke might give you chills. Dunne, murdered at 22, is buried in the ground section, while O’Rourke, who died at 12 from a misdiagnosed illness. Their tragic deaths have long been linked to the supposed curse of the Poltergeist movies.
📍 Location: 1218 Glendon Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
⏰ Hours: Daily, 8am-dusk
7. Holy Cross Cemetery
This vast Los Angeles graveyard, opened in 1939 and spanning 200 acres, is the final resting place for many who practiced the Catholic faith. Among the stars buried here are Rita Hayworth, Bela Lugosi, Louella Parsons, and Rosalind Russell.
The site is infamous for housing the grave of Sharon Tate, who met a tragic and horrific end at the hands of the Manson Family. Tate’s unborn son, Paul Richard Polanski, was buried with her.
📍 Location: 5835 W Slauson Ave, Culver City, CA 90230
⏰ Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 AM–5 PM. Closed on Sunday
8. Savannah Memorial Park Cemetery
Also known as El Monte Memorial Park, Savannah Cemetery is the oldest American graveyard that isn’t tied to any specific religious tradition or denomination. Operating continuously since its founding in 1850, some burials may even date back to the 1840s.
Given its long history, many orphaned children are buried here, and it’s said you can hear them playing at night. Their tombstones often read “baby” or just their first names. The cemetery is a popular spot for ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts, who report hearing voices during late-night visits and capturing eerie silhouettes on camera.
📍 Location: 9263 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770
⏰ Hours: Daily, 8 AM–5 PM
9. Mountain View Mausoleum
The Mountain View Mausoleum, established in 1882, is indeed an impressive and historically significant site. It’s renowned for its stunning architecture, including frescoes on the arched ceilings and intricate stained glass, which lend it a cathedral-like grandeur. With over 70,000 burials and notable figures interred there, it holds a deep historical significance.
The mausoleum’s dramatic and ornate design can create a striking atmosphere, especially as daylight diminishes, giving it a more eerie or somber ambiance. While it may not be known for paranormal activity, its historical and architectural features make it a compelling place to visit.
📍 Location: 2300 N Marengo Ave, Altadena, CA 91001
⏰ Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 AM–4 PM. Sunday, 9 AM–3 PM
10. Historic Yorba Cemetery
Yorba Cemetery, dating back to 1858, has a fascinating history rooted in the legacy of Bernardo Yorba, who donated the land for burial purposes. With its last official burial in 1939, it holds many stories from its past…
The tale of the “Pink Lady ghost” is especially intriguing. According to legend, this apparition is of a 17-year-old woman who tragically died in a buggy accident in 1910, shortly after her school prom. Her ghost is said to appear every June 15 on even-numbered years, crying in anguish over her untimely death.
📍 Location: Woodgate Park Yorba Linda, CA 92886
⏰ Hours: First Saturday of each month 10 AM-11 AM