What makes old insane asylums so creepy?

Old mental hospitals and insane asylums from the past (1890’s – 1940’s) always seem to be very creepy and… strange. Is it the fact that mentally ill people dwelled the halls at one point in time? Or the painful torturing procedures that took place in the facilities?

Uh, yeah! Is there anything not creepy about them?

I’m in one right now. It’s hardly creepy.

Edit: Okay, technically it was built shortly after that period you state, but it still counts I think.

People were misunderstood then (and still are now) and were treated very inhumanely. In some cases, they still are. That’s why they seem creepy.

For a very creepy vision of the inside of an insane asylum, rent the Dracula movie with Frank Langella. Excellent movie, super creepy (and sad) portrayals of human beings locked inside an insane asylum.

Plus, if you love the Goth stuff, you’ll love this movie. It scared the poop out of me, and Frank Langella is immensely sexy as Dracula.When I first saw this film, I assumed FL was British. Turns out that he’s from the South of the United States.

If your wouldn’t know it’s an old asylum in the first place, you wouldn’t find it creepy… i guess. mind over matter.

It’s the movie One Flew Over the Coo Coo’s Nest.

Shouldn’t this be in meta ;¬}

I think the question should be, why am I so fascinated with old, abandonded insane asylums (as well as old hospitals, orphanages etc)? I’m terrified but intrigued all the same. I love pictures of abandonded buildings especially if there is sad, tragic stories behind them.

To actaully answer the question, I think they are creepy because of the, often horrific, things that happened and the sad memories of lost souls that surround these places. That is why so many claim that these buildings are haunted because of the tradgedy and sadness.

All of our ghosts here are friendly…mostly.

I think they’re creepy because people with mental health issues were and still are misunderstood.
The treatment that was carried out in old asylum’s was barabric and so it adds to the creepy factor
People were not treated as people in those buildings, but rather as experiments for grotesque practices

In my hometown, there is the huge estate built in 1828 and was used as a ‘lunatic asylum’. An older sister did volunteer work there back in the early ‘70s. I can still vividly recall some of the stories about the patients that she shared with us. The building still stands, albeit empty for years.

In thinking about it, maybe it has to do with the fact that people with a mental disability were tucked away in these facilities. We weren’t integrated with persons with a disability, and it created a general perception that not only were they different, but possibly dangerous.

Add that to the factor that it’s a giant, rambling building, and like @stardust said, the experiments that went on way back, then you’ve got one creepy place.

How many fictional stories in books, the media, etc. have headlines: “Homicidal Maniac Escapes from Institution.” It’s supposed to scare you and it does, but it isn’t reality. Mental hospitals are more like dormitories and the patients have different problems, but are not threatening in general. Once upon a time, treatments were barbaric, but modern medications have come a long way from that.

Q: What makes old insane asylums so creepy?

A: Well, for one, @incendiary_dan is there.

I think @stardust has it right on the money.

I think @stardust is on the money too. Even in contemporary times people are still uninformed about mental illness but historically, some of the treatments were horrific. However, look at these images of old mental asylums, who wouldn’t find some of these buildings creepy!
http://tiny.cc/jjrl7

Hope the link works.

@Mz_Lizzy My question is, who are the people who go into the old asylums and graffiti them? Creepy!!!!

I suppose the same people who graffiti anywhere. I think also the idea that an building has history can be appealing to some people and asylums have history by the bucket load of course. I go on ghost tours all the time when I visit new cities. I find them funny and yes a little creepy. Perhaps it is that adrenalin rush that draws them in to these sad buildings? Although, looking at those pictures, while they undoubtedly are creepy and especially at night, look at the architecture. I would love to go exploring in some of those buildings and to hear the stories of those who lived there. Fascinating stuff.

I think so too…but I would not go alone or without a trusty bottle of booze for courage.