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Humans seem to have an innate fascination with everything creepy. Many people live for the release of the spookiest horror film, which would give the average viewer nightmares for days. Some even take on professions that involve paranormal activity.
It’s also the likely reason for the Oddly Terrifying subreddit, which has more than two and a half million followers as of this posting. This side of the internet contains images that may leave you with a few uneasy emotions. It’s also the source of today’s story.
Whether you’re looking for that jolt that caffeine can’t give or are simply a fan of everything morbid, scroll away. But do proceed with a little bit of caution.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Street In Amsterdam, Netherlands
RELATED:
#2
A Camera. There Are Even Smaller Versions
In a previous piece we published, we spoke with Dr. Kevin Corstorphine, a lecturer in American Literature at the University of Hull. As he explained, people who enjoy horror films find solace in them.
Media psychology expert Cynthia Vinney, PhD, provided a different explanation in an article she wrote for Very Well Mind. She mentioned the excitation transfer theory, which, in a nutshell, suggests that people find enjoyment in the negative effect of a horror film followed by the positive upswing upon the resolution of the threat.
#3
Light Blew Out On A Canadian Wendy’s Sign
#4
Extreme Close-Up Of A Wolf Spider. Photo Credits: John-Oliver Dum
#5
A Dead Whale On The Brink Of Exploding
#6
Saw The Full Mirror In My Hotel Room Randomly Shake And Discovered This Space In The Wall Behind It
#7
A Missing Person's Page From An Old High School Yearbook
Dr. Vinney also mentioned a 2023 study by Murray State University entitled "Exploring the Dark Side of Humanity: Motivations of Morbidly Curious Individuals." The study delved into people's motivations for consuming morbid media, particularly films.
The study found that morbidly curious individuals find more enjoyment in horror films with prevalent themes of gore and violence and if they can turn it into a learning experience.
This supports the theory Dr. Vinney noted in her article, suggesting that humans live vicariously through these movies. It allows us to "grapple with the darkest parts of humanity in a safe environment."
#8
What Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Looks Like
Laugh or not 1 year ago
It does. I worked on clinical studies for RA and it is a devastating disease. Currently no cure, most treatments are to slow down the progression and treat the symptoms.
Load More Replies...
Detroit Citizen 1 year ago
My mom had RA. She passed in January. It happens to your toes also. She had to have two amputated after they were causing bone infections. What people dont tell you is that the loss of independence is what really bothers most people of RA. It is a horrible disease that reeks havoc on the body, no immune system. Or the nodules you get when you bump a part of your body.
Caroline Nagel 1 year ago
My dad had hands like these. He used to have a beautiful handwriting but that changed drastically as soon as his fingers started growing sideways.
Bill Kubeck 1 year ago
It does hurt. My wife's mother has it and it's awful. It can be fixed by surgery, but that REALLY hurts.
Marsha Hultberg 1 year ago
IT DOES! My mom suffered with it... WARNING her medication, Methotrexate, killed her. It causes Lymphoma (cancer). The massive 'business' of western medicine (can be) unconscionable. Appreciat for the ear.
Carrick Crocker 1 year ago
I had a junior high friend whose sister ran over him with boat while water skiing. His left hand looks like this left hand but with a lot of bones they couldn't repair.
Sandy Kavanaugh 1 year ago
And good luck finding a doctor to slow down this autoimmune disease.
Liz Thomas 1 year ago
Met a man with this at Sutter fort, he had surprisingly good handwriting
#9
This Was A Machine Patented In 1965, To Deliver A Baby Using Centrifugal Force. The Machine Would Spin The Woman Until The Baby Came Out, Which Would Be Caught In A Net
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Must have been invented by a man with no idea how female anatomy works.
#10
What Did Someone Else Know That We Don't?
#11
The Folds In This Curtain Creating The Illusion Of A Face
#12
Protective Mother Guarding Her Babies
#13
On The Set Of Godzilla (1954)
#14
These Twins
Finding a learning experience isn’t one of the top reasons people have for consuming creepy images, moving or otherwise. But apparently, there is research to support it.
Behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner, specializing in horror and morbid curiosity, published an article in 2021 entitled “The Psychology of Morbid Curiosity: Development and Initial Validation of the Morbid Curiosity Scale.” He argues that the fascination for the macabre “drives individuals to learn about aspects of life that are perceived to be dangerous.”
“When a dangerous phenomenon is perceived to be near or impending, curiosity may spike in order to gather information about the dangerous phenomenon. By learning about the threatening factors associated with death, one can learn to avoid the negative outcomes associated with those factors,” he wrote.
#15
This Guy Did Something Crazy. This Is What He Looks Like Before & After 2,000 Miles From Georgia To Maine
Miss Tinker 1 year ago
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/895/He-Hiked-2-000-Miles-From-Georgia-To-Maine-The-Entire-Appalachian-Trail-In-153-Days
#16
The Stomach Contents Of A Psychiatric Patient Who Suffered From Pica Disorder, A Disease Characterized By An Appetite For Inedible Objects
Glenn Cuneo 1 year ago
This is a display at the Glore Psychiatric Hospital in Chillicothe Missouri. Well worth the price of admission.
#17
The Sleek, Sexy, And Somewhat Sinister Razorbill
#18
A Lone Scientist Descending Into The Radioactive Darkness Of Chernobyl In 1986
#19
Creepy Mould That Formed From A Plate Of Left Out Cat Food
Carl Roberts 1 year ago
This begs the question....if the food sat there so long that it grew mold, what happened to the cat? Why did it never eat its food?
#20
This Suburb Built On Top Of A Shopping Mall
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
There's been talk of repurposing dead shopping malls into residential spaces. Dead malls are a common sight these days.
#21
I Woke Up To Loud Tapping On My Window
Bored Panda’s previous article also mentioned a Washington Post interview with director Mathias Clasen. He classified horror fans into three types: adrenaline junkies, dark copers, and white knucklers.
Psychology professors Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang identified another personality type: someone who lacks empathy. Here’s an excerpt of their piece for Harvard Business Review in 2021.
“Those who are not so empathic can enjoy horror more. This is because those with a higher level of empathy tend to feel more negatively about the distress situations others experience, like people being tormented by a devious murderer in a film.”
#22
Statue Of A Child At The Bottom Of This Pond
#23
Just How Deep Oil Rigs Are Scares The Living Shit Out Of Me
Scott Rackley 1 year ago
That's the Troll A platform. The tallest and heaviest structure ever moved. They towed it 120 miles or so.
#24
Took A Couple Dozen Photos Of This Girl Outside My House And This Was One Of Them
#25
These "Sunglasses"
#26
The Great Gorge Ruth Glacier In Alaska Is The Deepest At 3700 Feet
#27
Scientists Grew 'Mini-Brains From Stem Cells. Then The Brains Sort Of Developed Eyes
#28
My Lemon Tree Grew One Huge Mutant Leaf To Better Absorb TV Radiation
#29
Kidney Stone....i Passed Out
#30
Woke Up This Morning To These Prints On My Back Yard Deck Came Right Up To My Glass Door
Rebelliousslug 1 year ago
At least there’s clearly prints of them walking away too. Imagine if there were only prints TO your house
Author G Neil Martin, an Honorary Professor of Psychology at Regent’s University of London, supported the “lack of empathy” theory. He published an article in 2019 entitled “(Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films.” Here’s an excerpt:
“Low empathy and fearfulness are associated with more enjoyment and desire to watch horror films but … specific dimensions of empathy are better predictors of people’s responses than are others.”
#31
Final Self Photo Of Kayaker Andrew Mccauley Recovered From His Memory Stick After His Disappearance. Credit : Jamesishere
Jrog 1 year ago (edited)
Sad but preventable. He rushed into the adventure despite a known equipment fault: part of the protection shell for sleeping arrangement prevented the kayak self-righting capability and made nearly impossible to re-board the craft if thrown out. Drinking water storage in the boat was on deck, high above the center of gravity, adding instability to the setup. His choice of equipment was debatable: radio equipment was under-powered, lacked hand-free trigger and was tied to the kayak. Touchbase reporting procedures were shoddy; his emergency beacon was not firmly tethered to his floatvest, that was inflatable instead of a buoyant one for better comfort, meaning less readiness in case of emergency. His GPS beacon was not waterproof, and had to be operated manually in short daily windows to account for the lack of battery capacity, allowing large drift error. Ultimately, he cheaped out on organization, foregoing arranging a support ship following close as is common in those efforts.
#32
Apparently, This Was Someone's Wisdom Tooth:
#33
King Cobra Loose In My Neighborhood
#34
Passengers Boarding A British Airship For Its Last Voyage Killing 48 Of 53 On Board
#35
Workers Polishing The Gateway Arch 630 Feet Above The Ground In Saint Louis, Mo 1965
#36
The Hands Of German Serial Killer Fritz Honka
Gender also plays a role in the fascination for anything morbid. As Martin noted in his article, men are more likely to get a kick out of horror films than women, and here’s his explanation:
“Men and boys prefer to watch, enjoy, and seek our horror more than do women and girls. Women are more prone to disgust sensitivity or anxiety than are men, and this may mediate the sex difference in the enjoyment of horror.”
#37
This Photo In My Doctor's Office
#38
A Bacteria Colony In A Snow Globe That Wasn't Properly Sterilized
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Dragon is wearing a wig. I can tell that's not his real hair.
#39
The Crime Scene On The Night Of Nov. 11, 1974, That Inspired The Amityville Horror
Carl Roberts 1 year ago (edited)
Fun fact: The Amityville Horror (1979) and Amityville II (1982) were filmed at a similar house in New Jersey, that was modified to look exactly like the real house (pictured above), which is in New York. Another fun fact: the real house still exists, but has itself been modified to deter film buffs, true crime buffs, and tourists from disturbing the owners.
#40
The Surface Of Comet 67p, A Jupiter-Family Comet Originally From The Kuiper Belt. Filmed By The Rosetta Space Probe
#41
Portrait Of A Man Affected With What Is Now Believed To Have Been Congenital Syphilis C. 1820
#42
Staircase To Nowhere In The Woods
In his article, Martin also pointed out that children handle scary moments better. He wrote, “Physical coping strategies are more successful in younger children; priming with information about the feared object reduces fear and increases children’s enjoyment of frightening television and film.”
This rings true with eight-year-old Aubriella Lopez and her younger brother, six-year-old Dominic. Both are fans of the Michael Myers character from Halloween. Their mother, Kayla, spoke to CNN, saying, “I don’t really know of anybody that likes horror as much as them, honestly.”
#43
Stairway In Hotel Goes Forward 13 Floors Without Any Switchbacks
#44
Oddly Unreal Looking Side Of The Road
#46
My Mom's Boyfriend Has These In His Hallway. Says There His Ex-Wives. Idk Why He Still Has Them
A child, of course, processes fear differently than an adult. And in the case of gravitating toward horror films, it could be more about proving something to themselves. This is according to Purdue University professor Glenn Sparks, who also spoke with CNN.
“Some children may be more willing to expose themselves to potentially scary things, perhaps because of the gratification they think they will experience from being able to conquer those things."
#47
The Gun That Started Ww1
Admiral Graf Spee he/him 1 year ago
It was a cause for ww1 not the cause the others were mainly modern imperialism, militarism, nationalism, the arms race, and the French german war of 1872 I had to learn this for my history exam
#48
Today My Car Was Marked With Duct Tape On The Windshield And Handle. No Idea Why
#49
I Had To Stop For Gas Around 1 Am
#50
What Looks Like A Locked Cage Under My Hotel Shower. View From The Toilet, At My Most Vulnerable
This Heifer 1 year ago
The plumbing access door would be the least of my concerns, that whole room is so gross!!
However, watching horror films doesn’t always sow terror in a person’s psyche. Sometimes, it may bring two people closer together to spark a romance. This is according to NYU professor John Montgomery, PhD, who published an article on Psychology Today.
According to Dr. Montgomery, it’s the anxiety that draws attraction. He wrote, “Something about the state of fear or anxiety, in other words, appears to make many of us more likely to experience feelings of sexual attraction towards other people.
“Such a tendency may have originally evolved to encourage us to connect with or attach to other people when our survival is at risk.”
#51
Cervix Dilation During Childbirth Illustrated Through Carved Pumpkins. Fyi The Cervix Is Inside The Vagina And The Opening Is Normally Closed, Like Much Smaller Than 1cm
#52
Cave Lion Skull Found In The Alaskan Permafrost
#53
Baby Cages Used To Ensure That Children Get Enough Sunlight And Fresh Air When Living In An Apartment Building, 1937
Ovata Acronicta 1 year ago
I personally would benefit from a cage like this. But I don't think it would hold me, so I guess I have to just...go outside and walk or something. Literally touch grass.
#54
This Toilet Threatening To Cut My Fingers Off
#55
Someone Brined A Turkey In A Metal Pan And This Was The Result… And I Am Oddly Terrified
#56
After The Attack On Pearl Harbor In 1941, Some Sailors Were Trapped On The Uss West Virginia And The Uss Oklahoma. One Group Of Men Survived 16 Days, Which They Tallied On The Wall Of The Storeroom Where They Were Trapped. No One Wanted Guard Duty Because Of The Incessant Banging And Screaming
#57
😳 Bonus Gift For Being The First Customer
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
On the surface that's gross AF. I also suspect some sort of neo-pagan witchcraft may factor in too though.
#58
This Morning, I Got An Image From My Sister
#59
This Envelope Full Of Candy I Found On My Chair At Work
#60
It's A What? You're All What?
#61
This Australian Children’s Cartoon Called ‘Dirtgirlworld’
#62
Was Delivering Drywall On A Flatbed And This Was Next To My Truck During Unload. Receivers Had No Explanation As To Why It Was There
#63
French Diners Eating Tiny Birds Whole (From R/Interestingasfuck)
ZuriLovesYou 1 year ago
Those poor birds. If you're so worried that what you're doing is a sin against God, maybe you shouldn't do it in the first place. Honestly, guys! 🙄
#64
Unused Venom Design For Spider-Man 3
Kinetics Loves Apples 1 year ago
Never thought I'd disapprove of anything Venom. Apparently Venom with human teeth is my line.
#65
Abandoned House And Jeep Found On A Hill/Mountain. Eery To Look At
#66
Cancer Warning On Rice??!!
LeighAnne Brown-Pedersen 1 year ago
Apparently that warning is for anything that can not prove beyond a doubt their product does not cause cancer. And to pay for that testing is too expensive so everyone just slaps the warning stating they have not proven that it does not cause cancer… ergo … California
#67
Still Figuring Out The Dropzone Location
#68
Message Is Clear Girlfriend. Going To Lowe's First Thing In The Morning
#69
My Parents Came Back Home To This. Almost Burned Their House Down With This Concave Mirror
#70
This Old Well (I’m Assuming) Covered Under My House
#71
I Got My Mom A New Mattress For Her Hospital Bed. It Came With A Booklet Of Bed Rail Risks. This Is The First Page
#72
This Creepy Child’s Book My Mom Got My 1 Year Old- She Hates It
#73
The Sink At This Restroom
#74
World’s Largest Pitbull
#75
The Image Generated By My Teacher During A Demo To Show How A Bad Agent Might Try To Extract The Training Data From A Neural Network
#76
This Nikocado Avocado Thumbnail I Came Across
#77
Size Of Grizzly Bear Paw
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
We saw this entry last week and I believe we were all collectively upset about the fact that the bear is dead.
Now, it’s your turn, pandas. What are your experiences with the creepy and morbid? Do you share the same fascination? Or do you look away? Comment below!
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