Halloween is quickly approaching, and the haunted vibes on campus only seem to be increasing.
To be honest, the buildings here are creepy at any time of year, but there’s something especially off about them during spooky season.
Which Warwick building is the most haunted though, based purely on vibes? I’ve assigned each building a Haunted Vibe, or HV rating out of 10, to empirically
investigate this very serious topic.
The Oculus – 1/10
Coming in at least haunted is the Oculus, which receives a 1/10 HV rating. To begin with, the lighting inside is just too harsh and white to inspire any paranormal presence. There’s no way a ghost would willingly subject itself to an eternity inside those blindingly white walls. No self-respecting one, at least.
The Zeeman Building – 3/10
Next up, the Zeeman Building is slightly spookier, with a rating of 3/10. The association with maths is already enough to send chills down the spines of any innocent wanderer, and that’s before we’ve mentioned a ghostly presence.
However, serious Mathematicians often reject the concept of an afterlife, which
might put spirits off making Zeeman their home. After all, what would be the fun in haunting a building full of non-believers?
The Senate House – 5/10
Approaching the Senate House, there’s usually a sense of foreboding in the air. Yes, that feeling is symptomatic of losing your keys, but still, you can’t ignore the fact that the temperature drops the second you walk through that door. Thus, the Senate House receives a very respectable 5/10.
After all, ghostly whispers of lost key-cards haunt the very floors of this building. Especially if you’re visiting at 3am.
The Chaplaincy – 6/10
A list compiling the most haunted buildings on campus would be nothing without mention of a church, or rather, the Chaplaincy. Of course, the Holy Ghost resides there, or so worshippers believe, and that’s fairly solid evidence for haunting.
Perhaps, however, the supernatural vibes are because of the silence that pulsates from within. On such a busy, loud campus, tranquillity feels rather haunting, reminding us of past times when peace took precedence over stress. In this case, perhaps the ghostly vibes aren’t truly negative.
Nevertheless, the HV rating is still a six. Shakespeare himself said it, in Hamlet, Act 3: “When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out / Contagion to this world.”
Rootes Grocery Store – 7/10
Arguably, the campus not only has haunted buildings, but also ones that are, or are soon to be, ghostly memories. First up, Rootes Grocery store. Cruelly replaced before its time, with the Co-op – an absolute disgrace.
Yes, maybe this move did have noble intentions of reducing prices for students, but the cruel murder has undoubtedly left a haunted vibe in the air. And that’s especially when you consider its proximity to Whitefields, which is due to be demolished to make way for expensive new flats. Walking past Whitefields is chilling to say the least, since it basically just resembles gravestones, a reminder of modernisation.
HV rating? A definite 7/10.
The FAB – 8/10
Perhaps unexpectedly, the FAB is high up on this list, with a HV rating of 8/10. Is it the history department, is it the abandoned back stairway that no one ever seems to trek up? There’s certainly something very spooky about this place.
The views are undeniably beautiful as you walk in, but that beauty is rather reminiscent of a Gothic cathedral: Awe-inspiring architecture but with sinister undertones. It’s not hard to imagine a headless figure, clutching a stack of history books, roaming up and down the stairs, as they wait for dawn to break.
The Library – 9/10
Time for the building you’ve all been anticipating. The Library. Isn’t it the most perfect setting for a paranormal encounter? Imagine this: You’re working hard on your theology assignment due in an hour, it’s 11pm, and shockingly, the third floor is empty.
Then, Nietzsche’s Will to Power is flung at you by some vengeful philosophy student from decades before. Truly spooky. A definite 9/10 HV.
However, the floor two extension bridge is plausibly the spookiest part of the Library. At the end of the corridor lies silence and medical books, a truly haunting mix. A perfect place for a spurned wannabe doctor to roam the shelves, long after their untimely death.
Rootes – 9.5/10
Which building will take top prize? Not this one. Rootes is often associated with partying and pandemonium, instead of eerie quiet, but based purely on vibes, this accommodation is a contender for most haunted.
Not all ghosts are the peaceful kind, after all. Poltergeists almost certainly roam the halls of Rootes, basking in the utter chaos of it. Perhaps phantasmal rats also scurry through, waiting for unsuspecting students to stumble back in the dark, poised to attack. Therefore, Rootes shall win the prestigious title of second most haunted building on campus, with a score of 9.5/10.
The Social Sciences Quadrant – 10/10
So, which ghostly building beats Rootes? It has to be the Social Sciences Quadrant. Why exactly? Well, first off, navigating it is a truly hellish experience. This creates a perfect maze for supernatural residents to terrorise students as they attempt to find where SO.8 lies.
Plus, the Law School resides in the Social Science
building. It’s fairly hard to deny that law is a pretty ghostly subject – a spirit could be seeking posthumous legal advice to reach absolution. Or maybe they’re looking to sit in a philosophy seminar to understand the point of their afterlife.
The Social Sciences Quadrant truly deserves the title of most haunted building on campus, proving that social science actually is an important science, at least to
ghosts.
