Important takeaways
- Mario's adventures are full of bright and colorful places, but some areas can get scary.
- Places like Dark Bloo Inn and Horror Land add ghostly charm to Mario's world.
- Haunted houses and haunted forests offer spooky enemies but maintain a whimsical atmosphere.
Mario's adventure takes him through many bright and colorful locations throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Sometimes he ventures further, from the comfort of its familiarity, although things tend to remain happy and lively. But not all places in the Mario world are full of sunshine and rainbows, and things tend to get a little scary.
Boos wanders haunted houses. Dry bones rise from piles of scattered bones. Swipes babble as they fly down from the ceiling, and Magikoopas cast spells. But despite this, all locations in the Mario world still have an element of whimsy. Even if things get a little scary, you still join Mario on a fun, exciting adventure, after all.
12 Dark Blue Inn
Paper Mario: Color Splash
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The Dark Bloo Inn from Paper Mario: Color Splash wasn't always haunted, but it certainly is now. The owner tried to get ghost busting hero Luigi to help, but he never picked up the phone. That leaves us to take his place. The music really helps set the eerie tone of the adventure we're in for.
Ghostly Toads do it all here, from trying to find a place for their luggage to demanding fresh sheets. They are not so bad once you get to know them. All they really wanted was a spooky tea party. But the giant Scaredy Rats running through the halls still leave this place with an eerie charm.
10 Horrorland
Mario Party 2, Mario Party Superstars
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Horror Land first appeared as one of the boards in Mario Party 2. Players become wizards, complete with matching costumes, to decide who will be the superstar of this haunted forest. The board was later reused in Mario Party Superstars.
The tableau cycles between day and night, where the ghostly souls of the undead come to life to feast at night. Big Boo, or King Boo in Superstars, is even hidden in the upper right corner behind a Skeleton Key. He can steal coins and stars from any player for triple the price of a regular Boo. Other horror merchandise in the Mario series such as Mr. I and a haunted mansion with a Magikoopa living inside can be found here as well.
8 Haunted house
Super Mario World
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Ghost Houses made their debut in Super Mario World, but have appeared in several games since then, including Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World. In their first appearance, even if you were riding a Yoshi when you entered the level, you can't take in the friendly green dinosaur. Some fans believe it's because Yoshi is afraid of ghosts.
Inside these haunted mansions are a wide variety of scary enemies, especially a wide variety of Boos and other ghosts. Many of these levels tend to be puzzle-based, requiring you to find the right path to progress. They have since become a staple of the Mario series.
6 Cap Kingdom
Super Mario Odyssey
The first kingdom you find yourself in after falling from the sky in Super Mario Odyssey is the Cap Kingdom. This bleak, monochromatic land feels like it could fit in a Tim Burton movie, perhaps The Nightmare Before Christmas. A brilliant full moon hangs overhead, illuminating the kingdom with its golden glow.
Cap Kingdom is inhabited by a race of ghostly hat-wearing creatures called Bonneters. They may look a little scary, but they mean well and do their best to help Mario get a working ship and start his odyssey.
5 Spooky galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
Ghostly Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy appears from the outside like a giant haunted house. Poor Luigi somehow managed to find himself trapped where he was holding the Galaxy's first Power Star. The galaxy consists of a haunted mansion, phantom tower planets and even floating bones.
The enemies here are all suitably creepy, including enemies that appear in almost no other games, including Jack O'Goombas, Spanglers, and Bomb Boos. A fun fact is that the background of the galaxy – along with the Bonefin Galaxy and Boo's Boneyard Galaxy – uses a slightly edited version of the one from the Ghost Ship in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, another suitably spooky location.
4 The Underwhere
Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Chapter 7 takes our heroes to the depths of the Underwhere. Peach is the only exception in our party of four, having gone to Overthere instead. The Underwhere, which is a play about the Underworld, has plenty of references to Greek mythology. River Twyz is full of Underhands, skeleton hands that will attack Mario. The ferryman Charold can help you pass safely. Queen Jaydes rules over these dark lands.
The Underwhere is full of horrible Shaydes, who are basically inhabitants of purgatory, as they are neither too evil to become a Skellobit nor good enough to become Nimbis in the Overthere – Super Paper Mario's version of Heaven. While some Shaydes may seem happier with their “aftermath”, it's still terrifying to think that the Mario brothers and Bowser ended up in Hell.
3 Forever Forest
Paper Mario 64
East of Paper Mario 64's vibrant Toad Town is a haunted forest. Like a darker version of Lost Woods, you'll go in circles if you take the wrong path. You'll be back at the beginning and have to find your way through these maze-like forests again. Flowers laugh at you as you try to find the right one. Faces flash in the dark.
The path past here is just as full of ghosts and horrors. When you finally make your way out of the Forever Forest, you're greeted by a three-story mansion full of Boos who enjoy scaring and pranking you. Past is a desert Boo village, followed by a mansion inhabited by a monster who thinks ghosts are delicious. Chapter 3 definitely pulls no punches when it comes to its scare factor.
2 Big Boo's Haunt
Super Mario 64
Big Boo's Haunt is a three-story haunted mansion that you can access through a small birdcage in the courtyard of Princess Peach's castle in Super Mario 64. As the name suggests, the mansion is full of Boos galore, but those aren't the only creepy enemies Mario finds here.
There are big floating eyeballs called Mr I and books with sharp teeth trying to pick on you. Perhaps most terrifying of all is the piano.
At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary piano. But suddenly its lids will start crashing against it, revealing sharp teeth. Its keys sound like someone is slapping their hands against it as the piano attacks. It has certainly given several children their fair share of nightmares.
1 The last resort
Luigi's Mansion 3
Imagine being invited to an all-expenses-paid resort to celebrate your heroic efforts. Now imagine it being run by your biggest enemy's biggest fan. That's the situation Luigi and his friends found themselves in at Luigi's Mansion 3 at The Last Resort, a hotel run entirely by ghosts with the sole purpose of imprisoning Mario and company in paintings.
The facility consists of fifteen main floors, two basement floors and a rooftop – each with its own delightfully spooky theme. From a pharaoh's pyramid to a haunted pirate ship and everything in between – The Last Resort has it all.
Unfortunately, saving your friends means destroying the hotel. You and the friendly ghosts that remain work to rebuild it, but it really loses the scare factor in the process.
