There are plenty of places you can visit that are named as portals to Hades for one reason or another. It could be that they are really scary, or have a legend behind them, or someone thought that title would be good for tourism. And they were right! “The Gates of Hell” are found all over the world: Greece, Iceland, China, Italy, the US, Turkey, Ireland, Japan, and in Belize, as pictured above. This location has a truly terrifying history.

There is a cave network located in modern-day Belize, which the Mayans believed was an entrance to their underworld: Xibalba.

The name Actun Tunichil Muknal translates as "Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre." Extensive research has linked the site, located in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, to ancient Mayan legends. These stories described rivers of blood and scorpions, and a vast subterranean labyrinth ruled over by the Mayan death gods, the demonic "Lords of Xibalba."

Since their rediscovery in 1989, the caves of Actun Tunichil Muknal have become a popular destination for explorers. There are numerous landmarks that make this network particularly interesting, including a vast chamber of stalactites known as the "Cathedral."

Amongst scattered fragments of pottery and bone, one of the more notable discoveries is the skeleton of an 18-year-old girl. Believed to have been ritualistically murdered in the cave as a sacrifice to the Death Gods, she has been nicknamed the "Crystal Maiden"; over the 1,000 years since her death, her bones have calcified to create a shimmering, crystal effect.

She’s not the only human sacrifice still visible in Actun Tunichil Muknal. Read more about it, and ten other places known as the gates of hell (not all of them as scary), at Atlas Obscura. This article is part of their 31 Days of Halloween series they do every year.  

(Image credit: Peter Andersen)

The scariest thing we've seen this year has to be the demogorgon from Stranger Things. This year you can actually be the terrifying flower monster -that is, if you have the skill to follow this impressive makeup tutorial by ellimacs sfx makeup (previously at Neatorama).

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Of course, putting it together takes more than just talent, it also takes a lot of time and a lot of specialized materials, so be sure you go shopping before you start trying to put this look together.

Via Instructables

Are you hungry for some killer Halloween recipes? Then you won't want to miss this awesome Instructables contest featuring delightfully horrific foods themed for Halloween. There's still time to enter your submissions if you have a favorite spooky recipe, but if you're just looking for some great ideas, the contest is great for inspiration as well.

And if you are looking for ideas for your party, doing it right now should give you plenty of time to perfect the presentation of your Kraken tacos and severed hand cakes so your terrifying treats will look perfect on the big night.

With only a couple more weeks left in September, it’s time for you to plan your Halloween decorations. Or maybe you just want to enjoy the over-the-top decorations produced by the work of others. This homeowner, somewhere in Texas, went all out a few years ago with a tribute to oversized movie monsters from King Kong and Jurassic Park.

And this one brings The Walking Dead to the neighborhood. Anyone would recognize it, but you’d think if they went to this much trouble, they’d put wings on the back of Daryl’s vest. If you’re considering doing your home up for Halloween, Housely has some tips for doing it right, plus 50 pictures to give you inspiration.

How cool is this photo Puddins! There was a professional photographer station at comic-con and I was lucky enough to get a few snaps taken by @whatabigcamera I was super nervous because this was within the first 10 min of arriving I'm surprised Kris got such a crazy shot! - - - #harleyquinn #harleenquinzel #suicidesquad #puddin #joker #jokerandharley #harleyandjoker #daddyslilmonster #margotrobbie #dc #dccomics #gotham #arkham #btas #cosplay #comiccon #comiccon2016 #ozcomiccon

A photo posted by Property of Joker (@infamous_harley_quinn) on Sep 12, 2016 at 4:03am PDT

This young Australian woman is, believe it or not, NOT Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in the movie Suicide Squad. She is a cosplayer who goes by the name infamous_harley_quinn on Instagram. She’s got the look down to the nth degree! This picture was taken by @whatabigcamera at Oz Comic Con. Here she is with another look-alike.

Marvel vs. DC ⚒ This Thor was amazing...he even voiced it too! - - - #harleyquinn #harleenquinzel #suicidesquad #puddin #joker #jokerandharley #harleyandjoker #daddyslilmonster #margotrobbie #dc #dccomics #gotham #arkham #btas #comiccon #ozcomiccon #comiccon2016 #cosplay #thor #marvel

A photo posted by Property of Joker (@infamous_harley_quinn) on Sep 10, 2016 at 6:19pm PDT

See more of infamous_harley_quinn as Harley Quinn at Instagram. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Like Mama always said, the end of one phase is just the beginning of another. Don’t be sad about the end of summer, because autumn has so much to offer: brightly-colored foliage, cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes, football games, apple cider, the end of the presidential campaign (whew), and Halloween! This optimistic look forward is brought to us by Sarah Andersen.

The Crazy Russian Hacker just reminded me that Halloween is only two months away. He stumbled upon the perfect party special effect when he added dry ice to a bowl of green slime. And I learned there is such a thing as slime powder.

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The main effect seems to be that the release of gas from the dry ice is slowed down in the slime. This leads to nice round bubbles, sturdy enough to pick up at some points, and easy to see against the colored mess in the bowl. There are also cool-looking vents and eruptions. Looks like a lot of fun! You’d have to lay down some rules about playing with it if there are children around, though. Remember, safety is nubern prerty. -via Viral Viral Videos

There's nothing like seeing a building, city or shipyard returning to the earth to remind us just how fragile our control over nature really is. Travel and Leisure rounded up some of the creepiest abandoned places on Earth and the collection is as intriguing as it is chilling.

Many of the stories in the article are just as haunting, like the tale of Bhangarh, India, which was abandoned overnight after someone cursed the entire city with death. Even now, visitors are forbiddden from staying after dark. 

Move over horse head masks and cat videos, there's a new player on the scene -stupid videos and gifs starring a now legendary inflatable t-rex costume. The costume was released at the same as Jurassic World and has quickly garnered a legion of fans, including a whole sub-Reddit dedicated to the sweet suit.

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The Daily Dot was nice enough to put together a collection of some of the best t-rex costume moments and to include a link to the Amazon page where you can buy the suit and see even more absurd images of the dino in action.

Talk about a buttload of nope, a man in Thailand was sitting down to use the restroom when a snake suddenly jumped up and bit his penis. That's right, the python climbed up through the toilet and latched its fangs into his man parts. 

Amazingly, both the man and the snake turned out ok, but the entire toilet had to be dismantled to get the lengthy animal free.

This little girl became a snake for Halloween and freaked out everyone who saw her. Redditor beningo83’s wife made the costume for their daughter. The snake body is held up by a hoop skirt-type harness worn underneath the costume when she’s standing or walking.  The eyes are makeup on her eyelids. So how did trick-or-treat go?

She did pretty all right but we didn't get to as many houses as we could have since she was always being stopped to take pictures. Lines started to form behind her so not only did she get candy, she prevented other kids from getting some as well.  

Today, she will virtually freak out people around the world.

Eighties sitcom fans everywhere will know and love this absolutely adorable Halloween costume worn by Oliver the Goldendoodle -that's right, it's Alf, the lovable, cat-munching alien.

Oliver is a multi-talented guy though and he also has many interests, which is why he couldn't be limited to just one Halloween costume. Here he is as the adorable and always hilarliously unfunny Fozzie Bear.

You can see more of Oliver's delightful costumes and just revel in his overwhelming cuteness over at his Instagram. 

Via Buzzfeed

Coming to America

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Nov 1, 2015 at 1:15pm PST

We’ve hit the Coming to America trifecta for Halloween this year. First, we saw King Jaffe Joffer in the list of 2015 Halloween costumes. Then we find out that Weiner's Circle in Chicago changed into McDowell’s from the movie.

Now it comes out that Beyoncé, Jay Z, and Blue Ivy dressed as characters from Coming to America for their Halloween festivities. Beyoncé is Queen Aoleon, Jay Z is Prince Akeem, and their daughter is Imani Izzi, the prince’s chosen bride. Next we need to find out who dressed as the flower girls, Extremely Ugly Girl, and Randy Watson. -via Buzzfeed

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Trent Toney and his friend played this classic Halloween gag last night. They carried a door frame up to houses, then knocked on the front doors. When residents came out to offer candy to trick-or-treaters, they found their roles reversed. Toney and his friend pretended to be elderly female homeowners who adored the costumes worn by the little adults who knocked on their door.

-via Boing Boing

General Mills's line of monster-themed cereals have never been particular intimidating. Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry seem like fun people to eat breakfast with. But I'm less confident of surviving a meal with these cereal mascots by Kate Willaert. Her Restricted Mills cereals include Shark Mates, Krumpuffs, and Machete Mateys--all terrifying villains from modern horror flicks. You can see more pictures of them here.

-via Geek Tyrant