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.

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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.

Next, Tanner was driven to insanity, echoing his neighbour and friend's claims.

Other strange deaths in the settlement included that of Sara Faye Swift, who in 1804 was struck by lightning in a freak accident that left her husband Herman inconsolable. Grief-stricken, he soon died. His death too could not be explained.

By the year 1900, all remaining residents had either died or moved away, leaving Dudleytown abandoned. Some believe the deaths stem from a curse placed on the land after a descendant of the Dudleys was beheaded in England by King Henry VII for treason.

Fast forward to the 1990s and the area had become a hotbed of vandalism and destruction. The release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999, depicting a haunted village, only made matters worse, attracting ghost hunters.

Billed as a real-life Village of the Damned, the curse is said to cause poltergeist-like activity, misfortune, and madness.

To ward off anti-social behaviour, the owners of the land where Dudleytown existed have closed it to the public. Now, it is now illegal to visit Dudleytown, which is private property.