Haw Par Villa

Pasir Panjang · Singapore · Museum

After closing time, the statues in the Ten Courts of Hell are said to come alive – and some believe the figures house real souls.

Haw Par Villa was built in 1937 by the brothers behind Tiger Balm and holds over a thousand garishly painted statues from Chinese mythology. Most notorious is the tunnel of the Ten Courts of Hell, where sinners are dismembered, boiled and impaled in graphic dioramas that terrified generations of Singaporean children. According to the city's enduring legends, the statues come alive after closing time, and guards are said to have heard screams from the hell tunnel at night; some claim the figures were cast around real human remains or house wandering spirits. The park is free to visit – in daylight.

FAQ

Where is Haw Par Villa located?

Haw Par Villa is in Pasir Panjang, Singapore.

More haunted places in Pasir Panjang

• Fort Canning Hill Centrala Singapore · Fort
• Pulau Tekong Pulau Tekong · Haunted site
• Matilda House Punggol · House
• Bedok Reservoir Bedok · Natural site
• Old Changi Hospital Changi · Hospital
• Istana Woodneuk Tanglin · Palace
• Amber Beacon Tower East Coast Park · Lighthouse

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: LN9267 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons