What was your first thought when you heard about Destinations of the Damned with Zak Bagans? Was it, “When does it start?” Or, “Where can I watch?” Maybe, “What places will he explore?”
Let’s start with the when and where. The all-new series premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. It will also stream on discovery+ with what they’re calling “a same-day binge-drop.” I’m not sure if that means some or all of the other episodes will be available at the same time or not. We’ll have to wait and see.
About Destinations of the Damned
As far as the what, Bagans won’t be on location at “the world’s darkest and most evil locations” in this new series. (His whole fear of flying thing?)
Instead, like he did with The Haunted Museum episodes, he’ll narrate each one for Destinations of the Damned too. However, also similar to Ghost Adventures: House Calls, he’s sending “his documentary film crew around the globe to explore what lurks within” each terrifying place. In addition to connecting with resident eyewitnesses and paranormal practitioners, the team will navigate local legends, historical mysteries, diverse cultural beliefs, and real-life horrors to document claims of hauntings, possessions, and curses.
Destinations of the Damned Locations
As for the places themselves, they’re all plagued with “macabre history and hair-raising unexplained activity” that makes many believe they’re cursed. Naturally. They either have to be that or demon-infested for Bagans to be involved, right? (And, yep, demonic activity is on the menu in one of the episodes. Note the Italian asylum episode below.)
The premiere episode heads to Armero, Colombia, where tens of thousands perished after a volcanic eruption in 1985. Most believe it’s nothing more than a horrific natural occurrence. However, Bagans and other superstitious sorts believe a murdered priest’s last words caused the disaster—and may still plague the jungle.
What will Bagans’ team find? I don’t know, but “Armero, Columbia” is on his face above his right eye. Well, technically above the “ND” in “Belle Island.”
Before we get to some of the other places written on his face, here’s a taste of the other locations we know they explore this season:
- A sinister Malaysian mansion with dangerous, otherworldly portals
- An Italian asylum inundated with demonic activity
- A former hotel in the Philippines with an evil past
- A Czech Republic castle with dark secrets
- And a mystical island in Singapore where sinister forces drive off the population.
The Places on Zak Bagans’ Face
Here are some of the names of the locations I could make out written on his face.
Bell Island
The ladies from the Canadian TV show History’s Most Haunted ventured to this reputed Newfoundland destination. Will Destinations of the Damned check out the island’s allegedly haunted mine?
Skirrid
This was a hard word to make out on Bagans’ left cheek. At first, I thought it read “Skull” something or other, but I think it might reference the haunted Skerrid Mountain Inn, a haunted pub in Wales. We’ll find out if I’m right.
Jilava Fort
Does this indicate the Romanian fort that was originally built to defend Bucharest before becoming a notorious prison? I’m thinking yes.
Cuauhtémoc
If I read this word right, they may investigate something related to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas/Plaza de Tlatelolco in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. Given all the deaths that have happened there, it would be easy to see how it would be considered cursed. The Spanish mass murdered thousands of Indigenous Mexicans in 1521. The Tlatelolco massacre took place there in 1968 when the military murdered hundreds of demonstrators. And a 1985 earthquake claimed 400 lives when a building collapsed.
Indiana State Sanatorium
Is this historic sanatorium in Rockville, Indiana, one of the only U.S.-based destinations of the damned? Maybe. It’d make a good pick for the type of locations this show is interested in. There’s a reason it was one of the scariest locations featured on season 3 of Destination Fear.
The Devil’s Roadhouse
Is it the same small house in Nova Scotia that once served as a rest stop for weary travelers? If so, is it even still standing? Because in 2023, The Mirror wrote that the new owners were set to tear down the abandoned house. They were “scared of it being haunted by the previous owners who killed themselves within its sinister walls.”
Volterra Asylum
a.k.a Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in Italy. This must be the “Italian asylum inundated with demonic activity.”
Houska Castle
Is this castle in the Czech Republic really built over a “gateway to Hell”? I’m positive that’s what Destinations of the Damned will explore.
Destinations of the Damned Sneal Peek
Check-In
Which places do you see written on Bagans’ face? Any that I missed? And which are you most curious to learn more about and see investigated?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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So nice to see another post from you!!
I might watch this, since Bagins won’t be there constantly getting possessed.
Maria!!! THANKS for noticing I was quiet!!! I’ve been gone, and it turned into a scary trip (my hub collapsed) so the fact anyone notices if I’m back or not…that actually meant the world to me right now!!!!
Also, you made me laugh with your comment about why you might watch. lol
P.S. Hope all’s been well in your world!
Welcome back! You have keen eyesight to make out all the places you saw on Zak’s face. What’s this about a Malaysian mansion with portals to other worlds? Doesn’t that sound interesting? Hm, outer space alien worlds or demonic realms?
I remain busy, trying to come up with decent ideas for painting, still writing a monster octopus of an epic fantasy novel. Who knows when I will finish it or whether I will do anything with it.
I am looking forward to all the October programming. Freeform is actually showing Something Wicked This Way Comes, a scary Disney film from the 80s, for the first time.
And I hope your husband is doing better! Stay well, both of you.
Oh yes! I’m SO curious about that Malaysian mansion too. I’m wondering if it’s the Kinarut Mansion. I didn’t see that written on Zak’s face but maybe it’s there and my eyes aren’t seeing it?
And I’m also very intrigued about the sinister forces on the Singapore island. We didn’t get to visit any of the haunted spots around Singapore when we were there but there was one place in the city that sounded very creepy. It wasn’t an island though. Curious to learn more about that.
Also, thanks for the welcome back!!!!
“monster octopus of an epic fantasy”? Holy smokes that sounds ambitious! Does your writing inspire your painting at all? Or vice versa? All I know is you are a true Renaissance woman. Wow.
Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my favorite movies from the 80s!!!! I have extremely fond memories of seeing it in the theater with my sister on one of our sister dates. She was 14 years older than me and being the cool big sister she was, would sneak off in the afternoons early to pick me up from school and take me to a cheap movie and then out to dinner at one of those cafeteria places. It was a huge treat to do any of that so…yeah. It left a lasting memory. lol
So cool Freeform will play it! Enjoy it for me since we don’t have that.
Thank you! Hope you stay well too. This getting older stuff…when it strikes, yikes. BUT we’re getting through it. One day at a time.
Yeah, this epic is like a hyper-caffeinated octopus. It keeps sprawling this way and that. I might have this fantasy epic finished next year (????), but then I have to figure out what to do with it. Do I go ahead and publish it online, like I did the rest? If so, I would have to break it down into shorter novels. (I’m on chapter 213!) My most recently published novels were The (after) Life of Stephen Fleet and Naldo and the Castle of Necessary Evil. The first takes place in our world and the second takes place on my fantasy epic world. I gave up with corporate publishers by 2001 and have been publishing my own work via Lulu and lately, Amazon.
I’m looking forward to watching Something Wicked, even with commercials, just for the pleasure of knowing that other people will be discovering it!
213 CHAPTERS????!!! Holy smokes, I think the tentacles of that epic are sprouting tentacles, Maria!!!! LOL
Your books sound interesting and the fact you created a world…wow. Another impressive Maria revelation!!! You are the kind of creative I wish I could be!
Would you be able to turn your “hyper-caffeinated octopus” epic into separate novels (like you mentioned) or a series? Or would that be daunting? And how do you like Amazon? I haven’t published there in a while now but am getting ready to because like you, gave up on the corporate pubs years ago. And when I last pubbed on Amazon, it was decent. And I made way more money than I ever did the other route!
Weirdly enough, this unruly epic has turned into a (ugh) “prequel” to all of my other fantasy novels in my imaginary world. I’m covering, unexpectedly, the very distant ancestral roots of the characters from my other novels: the amazonian Fernarian women, their neighbors the Ermish, the people who settled in Penalunia and the Land of Many Kingdoms, and the Faeries of Nuneau. I would absolutely have to go in and discipline this beast into smaller tomes.
WOW! You’re like JK Rowling. Or JRR Tolkien. Or George RR Martin. In years to come, when I watch an adaptation of your epic, I’ll be able to say I knew you when!!!!
I feel for Martin’s fans. They’re beginning to say that he won’t ever finish his series, or rather, resigning themselves to his not finishing them.
Now that you bring it up, I do recall hearing something about his fans not being happy with him. Or how the show adaptations have played out. Or maybe both? I never read the books that inspired both series, and in this case I think my ignorance is bliss because I love both Game and House. I don’t know any different and have no comparisons though. lol