The Hawaiian Islands are rich with the culture and lore of supernatural beings. Real-life tragedies and dark events in local history have spawned many urban legends and scary stories from Hawaii. Tales of mysterious creatures, old goddesses with old grudges, and legends of ghosts are simply part of daily life on the Hawaiian Islands.
Everything is considered "alive" on the island. Even the banyan trees littering the landscape are believed to contain lost spirits that became tangled in their twisted, otherworldly form. Every nook and cranny, every rock and leaf is part of Hawaiian urban legends. There are so many creepy stories and Hawaiian urban legends that have been passed down for generations, it's hard to pick the scariest one.Â
The Kaimuki House Of Horrors
A house located at 8th Avenue and Harding Avenue in Honolulu has a gruesome past. Much of its dark history stems from a cannibalistic demon called a Kasha. Like a ghoul, the Kasha feeds on deceased human flesh, and once it's done, it drags the corpses to hell.
Legend has it that a man murdered his entire family and hid their bodies on the property. The wife and son were found buried, the daughter was never found. Then in 1942, a woman reported her children were being accosted by evil entities. She called the police, according to reports, and when the police arrived, they witnessed the children getting tossed across the house by an invisible force. There have been multiple reports of paranormal activity at the house since, and needless to say, many families have moved in and out.
The next occupiers of the Hawaiian hell house were three women. One of them was grabbed by the entity, and the other two called the police for help. Once again, the police couldn’t really do much except escort them out and follow along behind them as they drove to their mother’s house. While following the women, their car pulled over. The officer went to check on them only to find two women wresting the invisible goliath that seemed to be choking out the third woman. He tried to help them but was pushed and held back by what he described as a “large calloused hand.” He managed to get the choking woman out of the car, but neither of their cars would start until she went back to her own car. The police officer and the other two women watched helplessly as the door was ripped off the car and the woman was choked to death.
The Night Marchers, Warriors Of Ancient Times
The night marchers are definitely not the type of ghosts you want to upset. They are ancient warriors who, according to legend, roam the Hawaiian Islands at night. They are heavily armed and dressed for combat with drums pounding, torches held high and blazing through the night.
They say anyone who hears the sound of conch shells and chanting rising through the air must hide. If spotted, they must play dead or lie flat at the feet of the marchers in respect. Locals warn anyone who comes into contact with night marchers to not make eye contact with them. Anyone who does not have an ancestor among the night marchers and dares to make eye contact with them will be slain.
Mujina, The Faceless Woman
The legend of Mujina first appears in Japanese folklore and was brought to the Hawaiian islands by Japanese immigrants. A Mujina is a faceless creature capable of mimicking a human form. The earliest known sighting of this creature in Hawaii occurred in 1959 when a woman saw the faceless creature in the bathroom of the drive-in theater in Kahala.
The woman claimed when she entered the restroom, there was another woman combing her red hair. Once she got closer, she realized the woman didn’t have a face. Terrified and unable to process what she saw, the woman fled the premises babbling incoherently. Allegedly, she suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. The story was so popular, it caught the attention of a local radio show. Host Glen Grant was discussing it on air in 1981 when the woman called into recount her story, insisting it was true. She went into great detail and soon many were taking her story as fact. Since then, others have reported seeing the faceless woman all across the island, including Grant.
On the island of Oahu, paranormal activity seems to center around Old Pali Road in the Nuuanu Valley. Before the road was built, it was the site of some of the most significant battles in Hawaiian history. In 1795, during efforts to unify the Hawaiian islands from warring tribes, King Kamehameha I ordered thousands of opposing warriors to jump to their deaths from the Nuuanu Pali cliff.
Today, the entire area is completely saturated with ghosts. Visitors said they've seen spirits falling as if they are reliving their deaths for all eternity. The most common apparition is a young girl missing half her face.
Witnesses claim she has long black hair, and they’ve seen her skipping rope down the road. Upon closer inspection, they realize she is missing half her face, the only discernible feature are her two bulging eyes and rope marks around her neck. This spirit is said to be a rape victim who was strangled to death with her own jump rope then left in the bushes along the road. Her body was significantly decomposed when it was discovered. Local legends say animals ate parts of her face, which is why her features are still missing in the afterlife.
Obake - a malevolent shapeshifter - is another part of Japanese folklore that made its way to Hawaii. One of these entities is known as the “Green Lady.” She has hair full of seaweed, jagged teeth, fish-like scales, and is covered in a green substance resembling mold or moss. She has been seen wandering the Wahiawa Botanical Garden. Some have seen her traveling as far as the Wahiawa Elementary School.
The most popular theory of this spirit’s origin is that while visiting the Wahiawa gulch, one of her children got lost and was never found. The woman died from her heartbreak, and her spirit roams searching for her lost child. After the loss of her own child, it's rumored she’ll gladly take any child she sees.
The central region of Oahu is home to an entity called "The Choking Ghost." Whether there are multiple choking ghosts or simply one that likes to wander is uncertain, but the old Kakaako Station of the Honolulu Fire Department seems to be a favorite spot for this aggressive presence.
Firefighters frequently report the sensation of weight on their chests and the feeling of being choked in the middle of the night. The encounters are brief and haven’t actually resulted in death, so the entity has been classified as a "kolohe spirit," or pranksters. These are mischievous ghosts that enjoy freaking out the living. Today, the firehouse is often visited by supernatural enthusiasts hoping to capture orbs in photographs.
