The world is scary enough without people still adding to it with their creepy and unsettling pics. But here we are… For some reason, human beings seem to have a bit of an obsession with stuff that makes the hair on our neck stand on end.
Experts put it down to us wanting to experience fear and thrill from the safety of our own homes or environments. It’s a complex mix of mix of psychology, biology, and evolution, they say. We actively seek out the thing we don’t really want to see. If you’re sitting there thinking, “even me,” you’ve come to the right place – but you probably already know that.
Bored Panda has put together a list of unsettling images that might earn you a badge for the “No Sleep Club.” Many are ordinary objects that somehow took an eerie turn, as if auditioning for a horror movie. From a yam shaped like a hand, to a headless woman performing on stage, there’s enough here to leave you feeling more than a little on edge. Note: these images are best viewed in the dark.
#1 The Way This User Censors Faces
Image source: GreenandBlue12
What on earth is wrong with us? In a world filled with bad and depressing news, we could be using the little bit of free time we have to reset our nervous systems. Hot bubble baths, long walks on the beach, browsing through dreamy photos of faraway places, that kind of thing.
But here we are, scrolling through creepy, unsettling, and scary photos – by choice…
It’s human nature, say the experts. According to researchers from Harvard University, one of the reasons we seek out horror is to experience stimulation.
#2 Rabbits In Colorado Spotted With Tentacle-Like Growths On Their Heads From Rare Virus
Image source: reddit.com
#3 This Yam Shaped Like A Human Hand
Image source: fjhforever
Exposure to terrifying acts, or photos, can stimulate us — both mentally and physically, positively and negatively. We get scared or anxious (negative) but also excited or joyful (positive).
“For instance, watching a horror video simultaneously activates both types of stimulation, with the most pleasure experienced at the most fearful moment,” explain the researchers. “The biochemical inside our bodies also changes when we consume horror. Fright can trigger the release of adrenaline, resulting in heightened sensations and surging energy.”
#4 A Factory Farm
Image source: SatyamRajput004
#5 Hello There
Image source: cinwald
#6 How My Sister Dries Her Hair Extensions
Image source: Independent_Two_7211
Psychologists say that at its core, fear is an adaptive survival response.
“When we sense danger, the amygdala activates, triggering the body’s fight-or-flight system. Heart rate spikes, adrenaline floods the system, and our senses sharpen,” explains Dr. Melisa Arias-Valenzuela, founder and clinical director of Uprise Psychology & Wellness.
Arias-Valenzuela goes on to say that unlike real threats, spooky experiences are “safe dangers.” Basically, we can enjoy the physiological thrill without actual risk. Harmless fear, if you will. In psychology circles, this paradox is called benign masochism.
#7 Should I Call The Cops?
My bf thinks they were just trying to be funny but I truly don’t know…
Image source: frickmeplease
#8 A Wasp Colony Constructed Their Nest Around A Mask That Was Being Kept In Storage
Image source: pschyco147
#9 Gasped When I Saw This Hoodie Drying In The Garage!
Image source: Cheesenip20
A few things need to be in place for us to be able to actually enjoy watching horror movies, reading scary stories or scrolling through creepy photos like the ones featured here.
In their paper, The Psychology Behind Why We Love Or Hate Horror the Harvard researchers note that we must possess what’s known as a psychological “protective frame” to be able to derive pleasure from being horrified. These frames fall into three different categories.
#10 Why Are My Photos Printing Like This!!!
It is a brand new HP Envy 6100e series. I am using HP everyday photo paper and the ink that came with the box for setup. I tried having the paper face both sides.
Image source: squidlord55
#11 This Was Fun To See On The Front Door Of My Airbnb
Image source: Fostersmomma
#12 These Roaches Living In Our Oven Clock
Image source: christmasskids
The first is the safety frame — we need to believe that we are physically safe.
“For example, although the evil entity in a movie might be committing terrifying acts in front of our eyes, we can derive pleasure from the horror as long as we believe that the evil entity is physically distant from us and hence cannot cause harm to us,” say Harvard’s Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang.
However, they add that if we start to believe that the evil entity is coming out of the screen to hurt us, then the experience stops being fun.
#13 My Nephew Refuses To Go To Our Local Park Because He’s Terrified Of This Thing
Image source: sKullsHavezzz
#14 Noticed This Face In The TP Holder While Washing My Hands
Image source: Keecatface
#15 Laptop Nailed To A Tree In The Woods
I moved to a new house a few months ago and was exploring the woods on the property and came across this laptop nailed to a tree.
Image source: Nuke_Lear
#16 Moving Out Of House. Left Something In The Crawlspace For When The New Residents Start To Snoop
Image source: plasma2002
#17 Noticed These Faint Differently Sized And Aligned Footprints On My Toiletseat, I Live Alone
Prints are facing away from the bathroom door, I’ve had no visitors in 4 months…. and I’d think I’d remember someone standing on my toilet….
Image source: SGC-UNIT-555
#18 Headless Woman Performing In A Coney Island Sideshow In 1945
Image source: Imaginary-Season-483
#19 In 2019 A Mysterious Individual Wearing A TV Head Mask Was Caught On Camera Leaving Old Television Sets On People’s Porches At Night In Virginia
Image source: OuterRim777
#20 Travis, A Chimpanzee Who Eventually Went On To Horrifically Maul His Owner’s Friend, Holding A Baby
Image source: Hyxenflay7737_4565
#21 Someone Has Been Living In The Basement Of Our Student Complex
In our building, we have been dealing with several break ins these past few months, so yesterday when it happened again we finally called the police. We live in a really old building with several weird entrances and a creepy basement. When the police came, we investigated all the entrances, and found one that leads to a hidden area in our basement. Then, we found this secret room hidden behind some curtains. The person even made their own improvised heating system tapping into our power.
Image source: moriart_
#22 Abandoned Hospital With The Power Still Running
Image source: True_explores
#23 Took This Photo While Walking The Dog Tonight. We Don’t Have A Cat
Image source: btown1987
#24 This Halloween Decoration
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#25 Scientist Holding A Basketball Covered With Vantablack, The World’s Blackest Substance
Image source: TheOddityCollector
#26 The Passer-Through-Walls (Le Passe-Muraille) Sculpture In The Paris Catacombs
Image source: Bodhi_II
#27 Found This Weird Photo Of Little Me And Some Unknown Child In A Penguin Mask
Image source: genevawesomeart
#28 Driving Down A Side Street And Glanced Down An Ally And Had To Do A Double-Take
Image source: Cabingirl957
#29 Hotel Room Escape
Image source: siorourke
#30 My Pupils Are Rectangular
Image source: Ocirederf94
#31 Was Gonna Fix A Cable To An Accesspoint On The Top Floor In My Old House And Found This Behind The Wall???
Image source: kajola1969
#32 Found This Note Taped Under A Panel In This Storage Cabinet, Previous Owner Just Trolling Me?
Image source: issaquahhighlands
#33 Woke Up To Find An Ear Print On My Back Door. I Will Be Buying Home Security Cameras Immediately
Image source: itch-the-anus
#34 Reflection Of Light That Shows Up On My Wall
Image source: FumblinginIgnorance
#35 This Man And His Child Are Riding Around In My Town At Night In Canada
Image source: sniffedcatbum4kitkat
#36 I Was Getting Ready To Leave Work When I Looked At The Security Cameras
I almost fainted. I work alone. That’s MY car. The store had be closed for almost an hour at this point.
Image source: CGC2000
#37 Mossy Mannequin In The Forest
Image source: allesumsonst
#38 Found This And Feel Like It Fits Here. Looks Like A Ghost Ship
Image source: mj9wd
#39 I Was Walking Out In A Corn Field This Morning, It Was Foggy And Overcast, And I Thought This Was Pretty Creepy. No Wind. Silent
Image source: Under_Ach1ever
#40 Statues At Vezio’s Castle In Italy
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#41 Someone Wearing A Full-Face Prosthetic Mask To Avoid Being Identified By CCTV And Facial Recognition
Image source: TheOddityCollector
#42 This Specimen For Sale On Fb Marketplace
My friend and I were looking up “dolls for sale” on Facebook to try and find the weirdest ones. We found a lot of creepy looking dolls but this has got to be one of the weirdest-scariest things I’ve seen for sale online.
Image source: goblinwitch95
#43 This Snowman
Image source: A-Helpful-Flamingo
#44 My Local Production Of Frozen Fashioned This Little Number For Sven
Image source: parisiteriley
#45 I Found This Red Target In My Basement
The people who lived in my house before were really strange. They were talking about a ghost in the basement who’d come out if we were to close up the old well in the basement. It’s probably something they put on the wall.
Image source: SnooBananas6894
#46 This Mask Someone Put On The Free Table At The Local Dump (That Is Now Hanging Up On My Back Porch)
Image source: Alaric_Darconville
#47 Setenil De Las Bodegas In Spain
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#48 The Stairs In Peru
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#49 Found A Message In The Clouds
I was taking pictures of the sunset and noticed the Text Selector was activating on this picture. Used the “Add to note” button and found it was some Chinese characters that translate to “Waiting for you”.
Image source: mike_jenks
#50 45 Night Shifts As A Lone Security Officer In One Of The Permanently Closed Cinemas In UK
Image source: Asadahmedmalik87
#51 Found A Tombstone Marker In My Yard
Found underneath a fallen tree. 1976-1980.
Image source: QuiggieQuarrell
#52 My Dog Looks Like A Paranormal Creature
Image source: coffee-loop
#53 This Guy Sitting In Front Of My Car With A Camera On The Steering Wheel, Just Staring At Me
I go to the grocery store this morning and I’m just sitting smoking a cigarette, and this dude pulls in directly across from me (in an otherwise empty lot since it was 5:30am) and he has a very obvious camera attached to his steering wheel, pointing directly at me. And he just sits there, and stares, for like twenty minutes. I finally work up the strength and courage to actually go into the store, and when I came back out after a very quick shopping experience, he was gone.
No, this is not a joke. No, I don’t know him. Yes, the pictures aren’t great. Have you ever tried to inconspicuously take a picture of someone, over your steering wheel? Mine is pretty high, but not high enough that I could take pictures through it, so I had to put my phone right in my face and act like I couldn’t see my screen, so I could have the camera high enough to take a snap of him. I ended up getting more of my dash than anything, but I did what I could.
This is just so weird.
Image source: mustangkitty427
#54 Today, A Couple Of Vultures Appeared At The Window Of The Surgical Center Where I Work
A patient said he was scared. It was like they were waiting for him to rest in peace.
Image source: drpedrico
#55 This Guy Made Himself A Custom Mask During The Pandemic
Image source: Background_Coast_244
#56 Baby Getting Their Passport Picture Taken
Image source: flyart
#57 Left Home For A Couple Months, Came Back To Find Tiny Hand Prints
Image source: YvngHag
#58 I Woke Up And Found This Weird Dark Green Stain On My Pants. No Where Else Just There
Image source: Gazers22
#59 I Forgot To Grab My Watch Before Work This Morning
Image source: grandmastoasted
#60 Weird Object In The Sky?
Image source: Dies_Iraeee
#61 For Almost 2 Months Now This Trash Can On My Route Has Been Filled With Unmarked VHS Tapes. I’m Afraid Of What’s On Them
Image source: relpmeraggy
#62 Picked My Car Up From The Mechanic Only To Find This In My Back Seat
Image source: Xalmoxiss
#63 Any Idea What Made These?
Bushwhacked for miles behind a farm house i’m renting… found these circles in the snow above a frozen pond, deep into Green Mountain National Forest. Oddly immaculate.
Image source: reddit.com
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