From the 7th to the 17th century the city of Benevento, Italy was said to be home to magic, black arts, and witches. For a time the citizens sought their council but after some time the witches were blamed for all the evil that occurred in the city.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of family gathering and giving, a time that is happy and joyful, but every holiday has its own dark myths and monsters. Here are 5 of Christmas’ most terrifying:

The Teatro Alejandro Tapia y Rivera building was first built in 1824 with a capacity of around 700 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With its long history it’s no surprise many claim ghostly figures still perform there.

In 1972 artist Bill Stoneham painted “The Hands Resist Him”, decades later it appeared on Ebay by a seller claiming it to be haunted. But why do we believe in these ghost stories?

The statue of the woman in grief was said to come alive at night at Druid Ridge Cemetery looking for victims that lost their way. Known as the Black Aggie Statue many legends quickly spread instilling fear in all those who looked too closely at her.

Called the most haunted road in the U.S, Riverdale Road sits between Thornton and Brighton and is home to a phantom Camaro, a vengeful spirit, witches, and even the gates of Hell. But which of these stories actually have a basis in truth?

On January 12th, 1979 Athens Asylum patient Margaret Shilling’s body was finally found after missing for 6 weeks. According to legend her grief and fear of impending death left a curse where her body once laid.

In 1938 Carl Pruitt found his wife in bed with another man. Crazed with uncontrollable anger he strangled his wife with a chain and then shot himself. Unfortunately for Pulaski County, Kentucky, Carl's anger manifested a curse upon his gravestone.

On April 21st, 1907 the Chicago Tribune published a story of a Russian steamer called The Parrier docked off the coast of Santa Monica, California. The crew aboard the ship had been attacked by some unseen force driving them mad forcing them to take their own lives or that of their crewmates.

In Denton County, Texas near the ghost town that once was Alton, a bridge was constructed at the Hickory Creek in 1884. A half a century later a legend of a monstrous half-goat, half-man was born.

Considered one of the most haunted towns in the United States, Jerome, Arizona has had a troubled past. A town dependent on the mining of copper in the 88 miles beneath the dirt roads it has had far too many fires, explosions, accidents, and deaths. Today it seems there's a ghost at every corner and a haunted location at every end of the street.

On Colchester Road in Virginia, there is a tunnel said to be home to the spirit of an escaped mental patient from the late 19th century. Dressed in a bloody bunny costume and holding a small wooden axe, his spirit waits for the next group to pass through the tunnel on Halloween night.