Patch Visits The Hudson Valley's Most Haunted Road And Lives To Tell

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — A stretch of road that runs through White Plains and West Harrison has a reputation that is so chilling, the legend has found its way to movie screens, but the potholes might be the most terrifying part of a late night drive on Buckout Road.

It's hard to imagine that an unassuming tree-lined lane in Westchester County can strike fear in the hearts of drivers used to New York City traffic, but there are plenty of reasons that Buckout Road has an enduring infamy.

Unnerving urban myths about the Hudson Valley's spookiest road include terrifying tales of albino cannibals, reports of long dead witches seeking to avenge their deaths after being burned at the stake, a serial killer who stalked the surrounding woods, a love triangle that saw prominent forefathers land in early graves and the bad omen of crossing paths with the ivory deer.

See Also:

• The Legend of Buckout Road: The Movie
• Flesh-eating Albinos, Witches and Murder: An Aggregated Account of Buckout Road
• Movie Screening with the Director of "The Curse of Buckout Road"

Urban sprawl has taken a little away from the macabre atmosphere of the 6-mile winding strip of pavement. The eerie abandoned mansion has been torn down and new homes nearby have given the drive decidedly more of a "Poltergeist" fright than "Blair Witch Project" terror. But, there are still plenty in the Hudson Valley who know firsthand from a friend of a friend that someone they went to high school with left for a late night drive on Buckout Road and were never seen again.

The mystique surrounding Buckout Road even inspired a motion picture. "The Curse of Buckout Road" terrified and delighted audiences during a recent screening in the relative safety of the Harrison Public Library. The film follows a fictional college class project on creation and destruction of modern myth, which turns terrifying when the students come to realize the urban legends surrounding the famed Buckout Road may, in fact, be real.

A midnight visit to Buckout Road was not the most terrifying drive of my life. I've seen my life pass before my eyes merging onto the Hutchinson River Parkway and I once had an out-of-body experience after nearly four hours stuck on the George Washington Bridge.

On the other hand, it might just be the perfect way to find a little scary excitement as Halloween approaches.

It's hard to suspend disbelief enough to truly feel primal fear at an overproduced haunted house with ample emergency exits and safety rules, but when a cold autumn wind sends the leaves dancing, as the moon slips behind fast-moving clouds, it's not difficult to find a part of you that feels the dread of impending doom even if the white deer remains hidden in the woods.