North America is home to many cities and towns, plenty of which share pleasant monikers. However, numerous locations evoke a sense of mystery, eeriness or even frightening images with their unique names. Those who enjoy a good scare may want to take a fall road trip around Halloween to visit some places with creepy names. Such a trip can be a fun way to see the sights and celebrate a few tricks along the way.

Bad Axe, Michigan: This unusual name is said to have originated from surveyors who found an old, rusty and badly damaged axe at a campsite abandoned by hunters. Such an axe certainly calls foul activities to mind.

Cape Fear, North Carolina: Sir Richard Grenville led an expedition to present-day North Carolina in 1585, hoping to reach Roanoke Island. The ship got stuck behind the cape and the crew feared the ship would capsize, hence the name.

Coffin Cove, Newfoundland: The name sounds ominous, but it’s likely tied to something quite reasonable. It is believed this area may have been named for someone with the surname Coffin, which was prominent among English and French settlers at the time.

Dead Women Crossing, Oklahoma: Historians believe this community gets its name from the unsolved murder of a local woman, though further details remain unclear.

Forbidden Plateau, British Columbia: Legend says Comox people were hiding on the plateau during a raid and returned to find their women and children gone, replaced by blood-red lichen.

Gnaw Bone, Indiana: Are there gangs of cannibals running around? No. Some historians suggest the original French settlement name of “Narbone” sounded like “Gnaw Bone” to English settlers and the name stuck.

Hell, Michigan: No one is quite sure why this area of Michigan has such a dismal name. One theory suggests the name is derived from the hell-like conditions faced by early explorers forced to confront mosquitoes and traverse wetlands.

Sleepy Hollow, New York: While Sleepy Hollow doesn’t sound like a scary place to visit, and seems like it would be a cozy woodland retreat, Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” gave this town an ominous feel. Visitors may hope to see the Headless Horseman, and the town dresses up for Halloween each year.

Slaughter, Louisiana: Named for Will and Joe Slaughter, owners of the land upon which the town was built, this area may give some a creepy feeling. That’s certainly the case in Slaughter Beach, Delaware, where local legend states the town gets its name from a massacre of its original settlers.

Tombstone, Arizona: This Wild West town is famous for the gunslingers Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Residents say there are ghosts and a haunted cemetery to discover.