The Luxor hotel and casino has a long history of tragedy that make some believe it’s one of the most haunted places on the strip. It’s also one of the most recognizable buildings in Las Vegas. The Luxor is a 30-story, glass-clad pyramid with one of the world’s brightest spotlights known as the Skybeam, says The Telegraph. The hotel and casino opened in 1993, during a relatively short phase in which Las Vegas attempted to create “family friendly” resorts that leaned on theme park-style experiences as much as gambling.

Las Vegas Ghosts claims that rumors abound over the deaths of construction workers, some of whom might be glimpsed by guests on the Nile Riverboat ride. Other incidents, like a fatal 2012 outbreak of Legionnaires Disease as reported by Scientific American, have made some wonder if the place is cursed. 

Sure, it might be a critical mass of people generating its own trouble, but some wonder if the showy version of Ancient Egypt has gotten some real ancient spirits mad. Or is it that dark energy gathered up by the pyramid itself, as Haunted Las Vegas suggests? Could there be a hush-hush burial ground for mob victims beneath its foundations? Wild as these rumors may be, we may never know for sure.

Unlike some ghost stories that are probably based on little more than urban legends, the tragedy of the MGM Grand Hotel is indisputable. A large fire broke out there on November 21, 1980, due to a faulty electrical system in one of the hotel and casino’s restaurants, says the Clark County, Nevada Fire Department. A total of 87 people died, while more than 700 more were injured.

On the somewhat brighter side, the MGM Grand fire led to extensive reform in Nevada fire codes, the L.A. Times reports. The hotel was repaired and eventually sold to Bally’s Entertainment, who changed the name of the establishment to Bally’s Las Vegas.

But, for all the changes made in the aftermath of the fire, some contend that the tragedy left spirits that still linger on the site. Despite the name change, much of the structure that experienced the worst of the deaths remains standing and in use today. If you care to believe the stories about the MGM Grand in Haunted Nevada, visitors can still hear the cries and coughing of those who died in the fire. Head on down to the casino floor, they say, and you may even spot a spectral gambler who just can’t move on from the betting tables.

Saying you hate clowns is a bit of a given. Of course, they’re creepy. It’s so embedded in modern culture that to say it out loud is just a way of slowing down the conversation. But even if that’s obvious, you have to admit that the whole vibe of the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino really is terribly unsettling, thanks in part to those clowns. It opened in 1968 as one of the first “family friendly” casinos on the strip, said the Las Vegas Sun at the time of the opening.

Inside, there was a gambling area on the first floor and a second floor dedicated to children’s games. The building’s developers leaned hard into the theme. Even today, the famous “Lucky the Clown” marquee leers over the entrance, endlessly brandishing his lollipop at passers-by.

If this weren’t all a bit too much, there are also legends of hauntings in the place. In the hotel, room 123 is said to be still inhabited by the spirits of a mother and son, says Haunted Las Vegas. Living folks say they’ve heard furniture moving around in the room and even interacted with the ghostly pair, who sometimes ask for a “Robert” and then vanish before the shocked guest’s eyes.

Located in Henderson, a nearby suburb of Las Vegas, Fox Ridge Park is reportedly home to an eerie presence and unexplained happenings, like many haunted spots. The fact that it’s all taking place in a playground makes it doubly fit for a horror film. According to Fox 5 Las Vegas, people have reported seeing a little boy swinging alone in the park, late at night. Bad enough, but those who approach the seeming child might be greeted by something far scarier, though vaguely defined. Sometimes, the swing will keep moving, though it’s apparently unoccupied.

Where did this boy come from, anyway? Legends, like those shared in The Haunting of Las Vegas, say that he’s the victim of a drunk driving accident. Other visitors to the park say they’ve seen amorphous shadow creatures, or else just felt as if they were being watched by an unseen presence while there at night.

To be honest, these stories are pretty hard to prove. For instance, no one’s unearthed any concrete records of a young child killed by a drunk driver nearby. Neither will most people hang their hat on a mere creepy feeling, which may be attributed to wandering around an abandoned playground in the middle of the night (perhaps while neighborhood residents watch you from behind their curtains).

Let’s face it: the Sandhill Road Tunnels are plenty creepy. These flood control tunnels not too far from the Las Vegas strip are frightening enough on their own, thanks to dark, cavernous underground spaces and graffitied walls straight out of a horror movie. Photos from these sites look like they were taken by intrepid urban explorers who went into the Sandhill Road Tunnels and never returned.

It’s not just the scary ambience that has people riled up. CBS Las Vegas says that nearby residents claim they’ve heard eerie voices coming from the tunnels late at night. One might think that it’s merely thrill-seeking folks or people looking for shelter, but some maintain that there’s a supernatural tinge to the place.

The Haunting of Las Vegas attributes some of the legends to a couple who died nearby in a motorcycle crash, though author Janice Oberding remains thoroughly skeptical. Plenty of other things can whisper and make haunting moans if they’re brave enough to venture into the tunnels. But what about the apparition of an elderly woman on the nearby Sandhill Road, which accosts motorists and then disappears in front of them? Maybe the stories are true.