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We've all felt it. The feeling of someone behind you when you turn off the light and have to go to the next room, the fear that you're not alone and someone's watching you from the dark corner. Or when your heart starts racing while walking alone in the streets at night, afraid that someone's lurking in the bushes to get you.

That is what this Dublin artist, Brian Coldrick, illustrates in his work (part one). He creates moving images that show all kinds of creepy scenarios that are bound to give you goosebumps and shivers down your spine. With only one image and a few words, Brian manages to tell a story, capture the audience and maybe even make you wonder if someone's standing behind you right now.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | thehairsonthebackofyourneck.tumblr.com | twitter.com | briancoldrick.tumblr.com

#1

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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LotusWolff
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is kinda sweet, the spirit kills the bullies so they don't bully her anymore

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The whole project Brian creates is called 'Behind You'. Here's more info about it: "Behind You is an ongoing series of illustrations made by me, Brian Coldrick (hello!) I’d call it a webcomic but there are no panels and each image is essentially a separate story so that might be a stretch. My naive intention is to upload once a week."

"The whole thing sprung out of my love of horror films and books, and particularly the reading of spooky internet stories. My favorite type of spooky internet story is the real-life account. These barely function as narratives as much as scary scenarios. There are so many gaps in the stories there’s lots of room for the reader to fill them in with their conclusions. This series is essentially my attempt to purposefully do the same."

#5

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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crazy_cat_notAlady
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that's actually very sad...makes me think that the poor man has dementia and he has forgotten the name and face of his friend/lover/wife. he knows that he knows her and that she helps him, but he just can't remember anymore. maybe one day i will b him too.

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Ronny Hermans
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is not just creapy but the reality for people having dementia. It's like something is stealing their memories/world

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Sheila Stamey
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh I hate this one. I live in an assisted living center. I see this and it's very much like what's happening with Alzheimer's patients.

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LesAnimaux
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is what happens when you try to remember your dream in the morning

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Kenny Kulbiski
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This could be a good thing if it would take the memories you didn't want anymore.

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E Bytes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone who lives near a lot of elderly people and lost my Grampy to Dementia and heart failure.. this is incredibly sad. I see this happen every day. Sometimes every few minutes when I talk with them.

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Dorothy Parker
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very touching. We do lose the threads of conversations, of ideas too, as aging progresses.

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Riley Quinn
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Happens to the best of us. Old age is pulling the string, unraveling our memories.

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Daniel Perkins
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No reason to be scared of the thing you can't remember. you can't even remember that you should be scared.

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"Each page is simply a character with someone, or something, behind them and one line of text. While some of them touch on well-worn horror tropes, none are direct adaptions of existing stories; I guess fairytales and myths, old and new, are fair game. Hopefully, there is some amusing weirdness and genuine creepiness in the mix."

Brian told us about the main goal of his illustrations: "That totally depends on what I’m illustrating. With the 'Behind You' series, I’m obviously trying to give the viewer a chill or sometimes a laugh, maybe make them curious about the wider untold story. But I often work on things with a totally different purpose. Cute characters or concept art or storyboards. It’s always nice to have variety!"

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The artist shares what got him into art: "Comics, Saturday morning cartoons, films, board games. I suppose like everyone, I drew all the time as a child but I’ve just kept it up. When it came time to try and pick something as a job, it seemed a lot more fun than the other options!"

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#10

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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Nora12
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this one very subtle. But they are all really really good!

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Brian shares what the most difficult part of creating these illustrations is: "Coming up with the initial idea is always the hardest part. I find I can’t really start until I come up with a good concept but then the concept doesn’t really form in my brain until I’ve started drawing. It’s a catch-22 which just leads to a lot of scratchy rough drawings."

#12

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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Why?
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A new Guinness Record was set for continuously riding a merry-go-round.

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Brian describes his drawing style and why he chose to do horror: "I suppose I’m fairly comic book-ish generally. For better or worse, I tend to believe the more the better, so I generally layer everything I do with lots of texture and detail. I love the beautiful lived-in clutter of the locations in Studio Ghibli films, so that’s at least one influence I’m always drawing from. I picked horror because it's is a fun genre with great visuals that can also tackle more serious themes in interesting ways. But mostly it was a excuse to draw monsters!"

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Brian tells us if he himself gets scared easily: "Definitely as a kid. I’m pretty good these days with scary movies and creepy stories because once you’ve seen or read enough, they can become pleasingly familiar rather than truly scary. But every once in a while I’ll see a coat I forgot was hanging at the end of a corridor and jump out of my skin."

#16

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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Chloe *Leah* Pheonix
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate the scary stories parents tell their kids so that theyll behave, it turns into a real fear if they dont realize it's not true, which can be a problem

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"I think I started creating these illustrations in 2015. My production rate has slowed a lot lately. I was finding it a lot harder to produce new ideas I liked and as a result I was spending more and more time on each one. I haven’t made a new one in quite a while now but with Halloween around the corner, I think it’ll be time to get back to work. What inspires me to keep going forward is: Fun, curiosity, money, jealousy, depression? All of the above."

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Here's some advice from Brian for those who want to get into arts themselves: "I suppose my only advice would be to start making/doing what it is that interests you. What gets created might not be perfect but it’s better to have made it than have nothing. And then just keep going. You don’t need permission to try."

#21

24 New Brian Coldrick Short Horror Stories That Can Give You Nightmares

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Chloe *Leah* Pheonix
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I too wear a costume... I dont go trick or treating anymore but I still like to wear costumes when I hand out candy!

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Brian tells us more about himself and his life: "Well, I’m 40 now so I’ve already forgotten most of the journey. I’m originally from Dublin but I moved to the UK about 10 (11?) years ago. No kids but one very small, old and grumpy cat who is snoozing on my lap as I type this."

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"It definitely got some nice reactions and generated some great interest in 'Behind You.' It’s still strange to think of someone on the other side of the world interacting with an odd thing I drew in my little office one night," said Brian when asked if being on Bored Panda before helped him out.

What do you think of these illustrations? Did they creep you out? Send shivers down your spine? Tell us in the comments down below and don't forget to vote for your favorite one! Also, go show some love to the amazing artist Brian, who deserves way more recognition than he has. Your support means a lot to artists, so go follow and like their social media!