Episode 1: Evil Places

A traditional depiction of a Japanese yurei

This traditional depiction of a ghost–or yurei, as they are known in Japanese culture—appearing to a samurai exemplifies the belief that if proper funerary rites are not administered immediately after death, the soul of the deceased will linger in the environment. According to legend, Aokigahara—the “Suicide forest”—is full of those “lingering souls.” (Credit: Getty Images)

Decayed body and belongings at Aokigahara

In Aokigahara, Japan, people commit suicide in the remote and isolated areas of the forest. The decaying bodies and personal effects are sometimes recovered years after their owners perish. Other times, bodies are found in the lava tubes that tourists come to admire. (Credit: Nicolas Datiche)

A clean-up crew removing remains from Aokigahara

At the base of Mount Fuji lies a 1100-year-old forest growing on bed of lava. Sadly known as the “Suicide forest,” Aokigahara became a popular spot for suicide in the 1960s, after a novel featured two lovers ending their lives there. Nowadays, clean-up crews regularly find decaying corpses in the dense forest. (Credit: Zuma Press)

The group of 1950s Soviet hikers on their way to the Ural Mountains

The group of 1950s Soviet hikers on their way to the Ural Mountains for a multi-day expedition that involved hiking, skiing, and overnighting in a tent at high altitude. The remote region of the Ural Mountains is known for its local Mansi tribe and mysterious legends. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)

A group of 1950s Soviet students enjoy a break on their multi-day hike through the Ural Mountains

A group of 1950s Soviet students enjoy a break on their multi-day hike through the Ural Mountains. The hike eventually took a turn for the tragic and nine of the ten hikers would later be found dead—their bodies horribly mutilated. The “Dyatlov Pass incident” would become one of Russia’s longest unsolved mysteries. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)

Bodies of the hikers are recovered in the Ural Mountains

Bodies of the hikers are recovered in the snow by local police weeks after they die. The unusually gruesome wounds lead local authorities to start an investigation. Cause of death will be determined to be hypothermia and unexplained wounds caused by a mysterious force. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton, West Virginia

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton, West Virginia, was founded in the 1920s. A popular spot for decades, local coal mining families would enjoy its nautical offerings, dance hall and children’s rides. The park was closed down in the 1960s after children died in tragic circumstances. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton, West Virginia paddleboats

Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in Princeton, West Virginia, was re-opened in the 1980s under the guidance of the White family. The Whites wanted to make the place a fun destination for locals young and old. Paddle boats were introduced on the lake for that purpose. (Credit: David McNeil)

Paranormal investigator Dave Spinks and his assistant Haley Sharp examine a mysterious burn

Paranormal investigator Dave Spinks and his assistant Haley Sharp examine a mysterious burn on the interior wall of Willows Weep—a house in rural Indiana where multiple deaths have occurred under highly unusual circumstances. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)

An artifact said to be from the lost 'White City' of Honduras

Deep in the jungles of Honduras, a team of American explorers and archeologists have discovered what they believe may be the long lost “White City” of Honduras. The city was abandoned in the 15th century and thought to be lost forever. The mysterious metropolis is renowned for a curse that says those who go there will fall ill and possibly die. This artifact is said to have come from this lost city. (Credit: Prometheus Entertainment)