Supernatural TV series coming out of the U.S. have captivated audiences with their blend of mystery, horror, and fantasy. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Stranger Things explore themes of good versus evil, the unknown, and human resilience in the face of extraordinary threats. Their storytelling and relatable characters have created devoted fan bases and influenced pop culture.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Supernatural, the television series that evolved into a global cult phenomenon over its 15-season run and was a hit in Kazakhstan. The show followed the Winchester brothers as they hunted ghosts, demons, and other preternatural beings, drawing on local legends and folklore. But tales of the uncanny are not exclusive to the American Midwest. Central Asia – and Almaty in particular – offers a rich tapestry of urban myths that could easily serve as material for a local paranormal series. Recent years have seen an explosion in the horror/paranormal genre across Central Asia, with domestic productions now outperforming foreign blockbusters at the box office in Kazakhstan, something which was unthinkable just a decade ago.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts of Almaty

One of the earliest episodes of Supernatural features a ghostly hitchhiker, an image that Almaty residents might find eerily familiar.

“I often drive the Kapchagay highway past midnight,” said Vadim, a resident of a village north of Almaty. “A couple of times I’ve seen a figure in white, just like the one my grandfather used to talk about, the ghost of a girl thumbing for a ride. If you stop, she asks you to call her parents and gives you a city phone number. But it’s an old Soviet six-digit number. When people called, someone on the other end would say their daughter had died long ago.”

In another variation, the phantom begins to flirt with the driver, until he looks down and sees that instead of feet, she has hooves.

There are multiple versions of this legend. Another ghostly hitchhiker is said to haunt Zhandosov Street near a former fruit and vegetable factory, reportedly foretelling fatal accidents. A third ghost is rumored to dwell in a bank building at the intersection of Seyfullin and Shevchenko streets, which is allegedly constructed upon the grave of a woman who was murdered.

This last tale, however, doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. The building once housed a design institute and later a high-end nightclub, hardly the kind of place a malevolent spirit would haunt. Local students and clubgoers have reported no paranormal activity.

The Martyr of Baum Grove

Baum Grove in Almaty has long been the subject of ghost stories, many centered on a buried treasure and the murder of an Orthodox bishop during the Russian Civil War. While the Soviet authorities never investigated the legend, literature offers a clue. In his 1925 novel Mutiny, Bolshevik writer Dmitry Furmanov recounted the extrajudicial killing of a bishop outside the city by drunken Red Army soldiers.

Historical records confirm that on September 16, 1918, troops from Ivan Mamontov’s punitive detachment abducted Bishop Pimen (Belolikov) from his residence and executed him in Baum Grove. The Russian Orthodox Church has since recognized him as the first martyr of the church in Kazakhstan, and in 2023, events were held to mark the 105th anniversary of his death. An obelisk now stands on the presumed site of his execution.

Bishop Pimen of Vernoye and Semirechensk; image: Mitropolia.kz

While stories persist about a cursed treasure buried with the bishop, historians note that he was brought to the grove for execution, making it highly unlikely that he hid valuables there, let alone put a curse on them.

Ghosts and Tunnels in Panfilov Park

Nearby Panfilov Park, named after the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, also enjoys a reputation for the supernatural. Local lore tells of a spectral figure that wanders near the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments at night.

Another widespread belief is the existence of underground tunnels running beneath Almaty. Some say they begin under the Ascension Cathedral and stretch as far as China, and were allegedly used to hide church treasures during the revolution.

The Ascension Cathedral in Panfilov Park; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland

“There really are underground passages under Almaty,” confirmed local tour guide, Eugenia. “They connect the Ascension Cathedral to the former residence of the Governor-General of Verny, now at the intersection of Tole Bi and Dostyk Street, as well as to the bishop’s former house, now the site of a Citibank on Kazybek Bi Street, and to Kaldayakov Street, where the House of Officers is located.”

The Abandoned Military Hospital

Almaty’s Tau-Samal district is home to an abandoned hospital once used for the treatment and rehabilitation of veterans from World War II, the Soviet-Afghan War, and the Chornobyl disaster. Opened in 1967, the hospital could once house up to 500 patients.

According to legend, the hospital was suddenly evacuated before its closure. Staff and patients reportedly left behind personal belongings, medical equipment, and supplies. The back entrance was said to be barricaded to keep something, unnamed and unsettling, out.

There’s even talk of a ghost soldier who died of battle wounds while being treated at the facility.

Abandoned War Veterans Hospital; image: zakon.kz

But more mundane and, more troubling realities lie behind the story. The hospital was closed in 2010 due to structural issues, including a crack in the wall of its main building. Veterans of the Afghan War and the Chornobyl cleanup have repeatedly petitioned President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to fulfill government promises to restore the facility.

“In August 2010, the main hospital building, located in one of Almaty’s most prestigious districts, was shut down,” read one such appeal. “We were promised a new state-of-the-art facility with 240 beds for war veterans. Each year we receive letters from the Ministry of Health assuring us that construction will begin soon, but nothing has happened. Perhaps someone has other plans for this prime land?”

The hospital may indeed be haunted, but by neglect and bureaucratic inertia rather than by ghosts.