Anyone seeking a good old fashioned ghost hunt knows that visiting some of Singapore’s most haunted places – from Old Changi Hospital to Tekong – is a surefire way to embark on spine-chilling adventures.
But what about those who don’t go looking for ghosts, yet happen to find themselves in the midst of supernatural encounters? For anyone in search of a spooky read, we’ve got you covered – here are 7 hair-raising ghost stories from people who lived in haunted houses.
Unseen horrors and haunting screams at Teban Gardens Block 17
Image credit: Lightcamp.Asia
While Block 17 of Teban Gardens has since been demolished, OP u/choobiwoobi relays the spine-chilling ghost story that unfolded within the residence many years ago – a saga that left both the original occupants and the new owners horrified to the core.
Image credit: Lightcamp.Asia
OP’s mother and her family once called the residence home, dwelling within the haunted confines of Block 17. “Her dog would cry at night while staring at the window for a long time when there was nothing there,” OP said, recalling the eerie stories recounted by her mother.
Eventually, OP’s mother’s family decided to sell their home and evacuate the premises. On the day they handed the house keys over to the new owners, both families – OP’s mother’s and the unfortunate new owners – heard something that spooked them to the bone.
Standing outside the house, the group suddenly heard the anguished cries of a young Malay girl, screaming “HELP ME! HELP ME!” and banging the inside of the closed main door. “Obviously they had all vacated the house, so no one should have been inside,” OP rationalised.
Alas, the sale was completed. Despite their shock and horror, the new homeowners had no choice but to claim ownership of the haunted residence – while OP’s mother and her family gladly escaped the inexplicable terrors of Teban Gardens.
Story shared by u/choobiwoobi on Reddit.
Shadowed figures pacing the apartment hallways in Teban Gardens
Image credit: Jerome Lim – The Long And Winding Road
Yet another account from a Singaporean whose mother previously resided at the spooky residential area in Jurong, OP u/scarsaw agrees that “Teban Gardens seems to be really haunted”.
“My mum lived there as a kid, and she has also told me some creepy stories about her home there,” OP said, recalling one of the stories which involved repeated sightings – corroborated between OP’s mother and her siblings – of unknown shadowy figures pacing through their apartment.
Given the family history of OP’s grandmother aborting several of her fetuses as a result of not being able to afford the cost of having so many children in the 90’s, OP’s mother speculates that the shadows may have been haunted spirits of her siblings.
These eerie apparitions, thought to be the lost siblings seeking a connection, cast a ghostly pall over their home. The family lived in unease, disturbed by the unexplained shadowy figures that seemed to emerge from the very walls of their Teban Gardens apartment.
Story shared by u/scarsaw on Reddit.
Haunting incidents in Bukit Batok flat – doors opening and slamming, unknown entity attempting to enter locked bedrooms
OP u/scarsaw narrates his firsthand experience with several haunting incidents which occurred within his family’s home in Bukit Batok. Upon moving in, OP’s family was immediately confronted with inexplicable events.
“As my sister and I were both very young, we slept with our parents in the same room,” OP contextualises. During their first night, the family heard wardrobe doors in an adjacent room incessantly opening and slamming shut. Strangely, there was no one else in the house, leaving them without a logical explanation for the unsettling phenomenon.
Image credit: Jerome Lim (The Long And Winding Road)
“Fast forward to one night in either 1999 or 2000,” OP sets a new scene, explaining that it was around 2am and he was wide awake and lying in his usual position on the mattress placed in front of the bedroom door.
Suddenly, the door knob began to turn vigorously as if someone outside was attempting to enter the room. “Luckily, the door didn’t open since my mum had a habit of locking the bedroom door at night once all 4 of us were in the room,” OP clarified that there was no one else living in their home.
Immediately overcome with fear, OP sprang to his parents bed. Meanwhile, his father bravely ventured out of the room to check for signs of a break-in. Upon finding the rest of the house empty, silent, and untouched, OP’s parents lied and pretended that the turning knob was caused by a strong gust of wind.
“But the room was tucked so deep into a corner that it was virtually impossible for a breeze from the living room window to reach it, let alone one strong enough to turn the door knob,” OP said, explaining that his family eventually managed to live in the haunted home for 20 years in spite of all the scary incidents.
Story shared by u/scarsaw on Reddit.
Seemingly-possessed domestic helper claims phantom instructed her to murder her employers
It’s no secret that the Yishun area has gotten a bad rep lately, but OP’s story about her seemingly-possessed domestic helper takes the cake.
Image credit: Jerome Lim (The Long And Winding Road)
When OP was younger, her parents employed a domestic helper from a rural village in Indonesia to help with the housework in their Yishun HDB.
“It was her first time being a domestic helper and she was visibly nervous. All day long she would stare out into the trees with this glassy look in her eyes. Even in the middle of the night too,” OP narrated, “She would mumble about ‘the old woman sitting in the tree with red eyes’. I remember always looking out from the balcony trying to spot the old woman.”
The situation took a terrifying turn when, in addition to the strange behaviour and cryptic murmurs, OP began to witness her helper repeatedly banging her head against the wall. When OP raised this to her mother, she was met with disbelief – until one day OP’s mother saw it happening. Pulling the helper away from the wall, OP’s mother was met with a horrifying confession.
“She started crying and said that in her village’s culture, everyone from the village had to murder someone when they came of age,” OP revealed that the helper was not only being faced with relentless pressure from her family, but was also being haunted by voices in her head. “And,” said OP dramatically, “the old woman with red eyes was telling her to murder us.”
Filled with understandable terror, OP’s parents took drastic measures. Armed and on high alert, OP’s father gathered the family into the master bedroom, fortified the doors, and kept watch throughout the night – before immediately sending the domestic helper home the next day.
Story shared by [deleted account] on Reddit.
Spooky ghost encounter in Redhill HDB lift
Image credit: Jerome Lim (The Long And Winding Road)
In the dead of night in Redhill, a seemingly ordinary HDB lift became the stage for a hair-raising encounter, leaving OP u/CaiusG bewildered and terrified. He shared the eerie incident, recalling a night spent with a handful of close friends from the Army, celebrating their ORD at a friend’s place at Redhill.
OP admits that the group drank a little, leaving him the slightest bit light-headed – yet far from drunk. As the clock struck 3.30 am, OP decided it was time to head home. He was the last to leave, and began checking Grab fares as the HDB lift descended.
That was when the lift doors opened. “My friend lived on the 16th floor and I had only been on the lift for about 5 seconds, so I knew I hadn’t reached the ground floor yet,” OP said, explaining that he held the lift doors open while continuing to look at the Grab prices on his phone. From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure walk into the lift.
Image credit: Jerome Lim (The Long And Winding Road)
As the doors closed, OP felt a breath on the back of his neck, accompanied by a faint floral scent. “I was a little annoyed as the lift wasn’t crowded,” OP said, puzzled by the person’s proximity. Perplexed, OP proceeded to book a JustGrab ride, planning to sneak a glance at his unexpected companion upon reaching the ground floor.
Holding the lift doors open at Level 1, OP turned to take a look at the person who had encroached upon his personal space. “That was when I realised I was alone in the lift. I turned around and there was no one.”
Alone and thoroughly shaken, he hastily made his way to the safety of the main road, seeking refuge in the presence of passing cars. “While I did drink, it was mostly beer and I definitely wasn’t drunk enough to hallucinate,” OP said, convinced of his supernatural encounter. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, but the inexplicable incident never faded from OP’s memory.
Story shared by u/CaiusG on Reddit.
Encountered a phantom version of her husband in Stirling Road rental flat
It’s not uncommon for Singaporean couples to move into a temporary rental flat while waiting for their BTO. Yet, soon after moving into her rental home along Stirling Road, OP u/caipngnopng found herself in the grip of a chilling encounter.
Image credit: Che Mukammil
One particular Thursday evening, a few weeks after the couple settled in, OP’s husband was out playing soccer with his friends, leaving her alone for the night. Unable to find any dinner kaki, OP enjoyed a quiet dinner alone before falling asleep.
Around 10pm, OP was roused to the familiar sound of her husband opening their main gate and entering their flat. Half asleep, OP greeted him with a groggy hug, noting his mention of hunger. “I told him I’d heat up some food so off to the kitchen I went,” OP said, recalling that she was browsing through Instagram while waiting for food to heat up over the stove.
Image credit: Singapore Door Repair Service
“Then I received a WhatsApp message that chilled my blood – ‘Hey baby, on the way home! Just ended the game, see you in a while’.” Shock and horror rising, OP immediately texted back, ‘Are you for real?’, cautiously approaching the bathroom where her alleged “husband” was supposed to be showering.
“The door was ajar, but the lights were not turned on. I didn’t bother checking and just rushed out of the flat into the comfort of the Kopitiam downstairs,” OP recalled.
Image credit: Joint Hawker
Seated at the Kopitiam with fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins, OP phoned her husband, half believing what she had just experienced and desperate for an explanation. He picked up, verifying that he was on the bus back home – nowhere near reaching their flat.
Terrified and uncertain, yet not wanting to scare her husband, OP decided to wait at the coffee shop until he was back. “He swore it wasn’t a prank and till this day I had no idea if I was hallucinating or it was something else,” OP concluded, explaining that they decided to stay on in the rental flat in spite of OP’s unexplained encounter.
Story shared by u/caipngnopng on Reddit.
Awoken by a phantom version of her mother, only to realise that she was alone in the room
For OP u/GuestNumber_42, being awoken by her mother for school was an everyday occurrence – until one peculiar morning turned a routine wake-up call into an unexplainable enigma.
Image credit: Katie Wilson
As a child, OP had the habit of sleeping sideways and facing the wall. One school day, she heard her mother enter the room to wake her for school. Reluctant to get out of bed, OP continued her pretence of sleep. “She shook me gently by the shoulders and I even heard her say gently ‘OP, wake up for school… late liao…’” OP recalled.
When she still refused to get up, OP felt her mother’s fingers begin to tickle her back. “I swear I could feel the fingers go up and down my back, giving me those goosebumps you get when you are gently tickled,” OP said.
Unable to contain her giggles, OP finally rolled over, ready to laugh and tell her mother that she wanted to ponteng school – only to be met with an empty room and closed door. There was no one, yet OP’s back was still covered with goosebumps from being tickled.
“This all happened in broad daylight, around 7am. More than 10 years later, I’m still not sure if it was a paranormal experience, or I was simply half-asleep,” OP explained that she was reluctant to believe the latter, given that she had never experienced sleep paralysis or anything of the sort.
Story shared by u/GuestNumber_42 on Reddit.
Ghost stories from people who lived in haunted houses
From phantom family members to inexplicable ghost encounters, these 7 haunting ghost stories are a reminder that the reality of our surroundings can often be far from what we perceive – and they might just be your sign to start avoiding places like Stirling Road and Teban Gardens.
For more haunting reads:
- Tan Tong Meng Tower: The truth behind Singapore’s haunted condo
- 5 rental horror stories from Singapore landlords and tenants
- 6 haunted HDB estates and the stories behind them
Cover image adapted from: Katie Wilson, NextShark
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