Inside 'cursed' village with Blair Witch Project vibe – so ominous it's illegal to visit

As ghost towns go, few are creepier than the long abandoned Dudleytown.

The former settlement, located in the ominously named Dark Entry Forest, in Cornwall, Connecticut, is even said to be under a curse, similar to the plot of chilling 1999 horror movie, The Blair Witch Project.

It comes after a series of tragic occurrences prompted residents to flee before paranormal investigators, mischief makers and mindless vandals later flocked to the shadowy rural area.

• Agonising death of famous author killed in horror accident with a toothpick
• Urban explorer urges 'do not visit' after exploring mill scheduled for demolition

Dudleytown was settled in the 1740s by Thomas Griffis, who was swiftly followed by Gideon Dudley, Barzillai Dudley and Abiel Dudley, with Martin Dudley arriving a few years later.

It was home to just a small number of residents, but in 19th Century began to fade from existence as people upped sticks, moving to pastures new.

The settlement's dark demise, though, began after a new resident, Nathaniel Carter, arrived. Soon after, six of his relatives fell ill with cholera and died. The remaining members of his family left due to health concerns, but also died a short time later.

There was more tragedy to come. Gershon Hollister, who was building a barn for his neighbour William Tanner, died in unexplained circumstances after talking about creatures lurking in the shadows.