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Ever since cameras came along, people have been trying to capture spooky moments or trying to prove that the supernatural exists.
Some photos can be accidental — for example, you spot a shadow, a reflection, or a shape that just looks weird. Others can be intentional — like when an abandoned building or empty corridors give off haunted vibes.
No matter how creepy or terrifying an image is, we all know that mix of feeling scared but also hooked at the same time. You just can’t look away sometimes.
The r/Scary subreddit is full of creepy images, and we’ve narrowed down some of best snapshots that show the scariest, the most bizarre, and the strangest side of real life.
Some of these are bound to make you shiver and once you start scrolling, you won’t be able to stop.
This post may include affiliate links.
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#2
Guillermo Del Toro’s House Is My Dream Home
#3
That’s Definitely Not Good
The horror genre is huge — from movies, TV shows to even just scary images on your phone, it is one of the most popular entertainment forms. But fear isn’t exactly a positive feeling, so why are we so attracted by content that make our skin crawl and send a shiver down the spine?
Fear isn’t necessarily negative either — one of the reasons we love horror is that it gives us a major rush. Seeing something scary or even anticipating it acts as a stimulation for the brain.
Psychologically speaking, your body gets filled with adrenaline when something scares you, making you more alert and full of energy.
Fear triggers the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, sharpens our senses and makes us notice things we might otherwise ignore. In a way, it helps us react faster in real-life situations.
It is one of our oldest survival tools — fear helped our ancestors stay safe in dangerous situations, and even today it guides our decisions and protects us in ways we often don’t notice.
Research says we have a mental “protective frame” that lets us enjoy scary experiences, turning fear into fun — as long as our brains believe that we are safely sitting at home, while scrolling through these images, it can help us enjoy the thrill.
#4
Somebody Edited A Teletubbies Episode And Made Them Black And White, And They Look Like Something Out Of Some Freaky Horror Movie
#5
Bonnie Aarons' Transformation Into ‘The Nun’
#6
One Of The Masks I Made
#7
A Wasp Colony Constructed Their Nest Around A Mask That Was Being Kept In Storage
The horror genre also has a solid fan base among Americans.
In a recent survey, about half of Americans (50%) said they like or love horror movies, with most popular subgenres being comedic horror and psychological horror. Other popular styles include paranormal, vampire, monster, and witchcraft horror.
On the other hand, some types of horror that don’t sit well with most people are straight-up gore that feel too violent or disturbing.
According to the survey, age and gender also play a role in how much people are drawn towards scary or creepy content.
Younger adults are more likely to enjoy horror than older Americans, and men tend to be bigger fans of the genre than women.
#8
In 2013, A Scuba Diver Placed A Jason Voorhees Statue At The Bottom Of Crystal Lake In Crosby, Minnesota As A Prank For Other Divers. It’s Still There To This Day
#9
Took Advantage Of A Foggy Night
#10
I’ve Been Told My New Painting Is Scary/Spooky?
#11
Well, That's Unsettling
The love for horror goes beyond just movies and many people engage with horror media more broadly — including images, stories, books, games, and other scary content.
Research by Penguin Random House found that many kids enjoy horror books —about one in four kids reported they read or enjoy scary stories.
“Horror allows us to confront our anxieties in a controlled space, where the boundaries between reality and fiction are firmly drawn,” Dr Steven Gerrard, a scholar of horror cinema, told Dazed magazine.
#12
The Lenin Lamp Must Be Fed
#13
Jennifer Tilly Does Her Traveling With A Small Chucky Doll At Her Side
#14
My Hometown In A Misty Night
#15
Wait, Before You Go To Bed, Here's The Mouth Of An Arctic Lamprey
Looking at these images makes you wonder one thing — are we actually more drawn towards real-life creepy stuff than to fictional horror stories?
Stories that feel true might stay with us more than made-up ones because they connect with our personal beliefs and emotions. It also taps into our imagination more.
Such types of pictures can also make us feel that there is something beyond our own world, helping us make sense of our mortality and making us feel that life goes on.
Which means while ghost stories or images can be terrifying, to some it can also provide a sense of comfort.
Experts say that people often try to find meaning in things, even when there isn’t any, and that’s a major reason why ghost stories or photos can feel convincing.
#16
Someone Tried To Get Into My Hotel Room Overnight
#17
Sears Tower While It's In A Blackout/Powercut
#18
Laura Loomer Mask On Is Just As Unsightly As Mask Off
#19
An Old Chuck E Cheese Animatronic Robot Sitting In The Desert
#20
Gen Z Will Never Understand Why Millennials Have To Pass This Truck As Quickly As Possible
#21
John Franklin, Who Played Isaac In Children Of The Corn, Was Actually In His 20s
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
It's usually cheaper and safer (legally speaking) to use adult actors instead of child actors, if you can. You don't have to have tutors available on the set, or certain other staff members, if your "minor-aged" characters are portrayed by adult actors. My mom pushed me into acting as a child and wanted me to be a famous child actress (and make her tons of money) but my body got on the Maturity Train early, and casting directors would flat-out tell me that I looked "too mature" for my age XD My mom forced me to get emancipated in a desperate bid to make me more marketable, as I wouldn't need certain staff members to be present if I were an emancipated minor, but alas, I did not become a famous child actress. Only two IMDb credits XD
#22
This Abandoned Hospital Had A Visitor In The Middle Of The Night
#23
Just Moved Into A 190 Year Old House
#24
Every “Cute” Photo My Mum Sends Me Of Her Dog Looks Like A Scene From A Indie Horror Film
#25
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 Die
#26
Stomach Contents Of A Psychiatric Patient Who Passed Away From Pica Disorder, A Disease Characterized By An Appetite For Inedible Objects
#27
Look At This, Not A Cell Phone In Sight, Just A Family Enjoying Quality Time Together
#28
Can Someone Explain What This Is Used For?
#29
Jacob Elordi And His Stunt Double For Frankenstein
#30
Tarnished, Oil On Canvas, By Me [davidking] •2024•
Savannah greenleaf 1 day ago
I wouldn't put it on my wall, but I I think I like this in some weird manner.
#31
Pregnant Pigs In A Modern Farm
YakFactory 1 day ago
That's not a farm. That's tort*re. Where is the green grass and sunshine?
#32
Dark Hallway Of Caged Hens In A Factory Farm, Where ~80% Of Eggs Come From
#33
An Abandoned Daycare
#34
The Mascot Of My Local Grocery Store (Piggly Wiggly)
Rob Stevens 1 day ago
There are Piggly Wiggly stores where I used to live. I always called them The Writhing Swine
#35
Russian Sleep Experiment's Infamous Image Of A Smiling Test Subject Is Actually A Prop Called "Spazm”
Rachel Reynolds 1 day ago
Sorry to be the bearer of bad (good?) news, but the Russian Sleep Experiment story is just a creepy pasta and the photo is an old Spirit of Halloween decoration. I think you can still buy them.
#36
These Are All Brown Recluse
Sara Frazer 2 days ago (edited)
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. I need to know where OP lives so I make a point to never be there 😭 generally I have no problem with spiders; at home and at work I'm the one to catch and release them outside, even big hairy brown ones. But ones whose venom would make skin rot off the bone..??? N O P E
#37
Can Someone Tell Me The Use Of This Thing? In The Wall?
Chich the witch 1 day ago
"To make little kids like you ask questions" as my dad was fond of saying.
#38
Witch's Hat Pavilion This Semi-Spooky Remnant Of An Abandoned Hotel Provides Fantastic Views
#39
This Giant Moth Found In Australia (The Largest And Heaviest Moth Ever Found)
#40
34°03'17.6"N 118°13'32.7"W On Google Maps
#41
A Schizophrenic Inmate Drew This. What Does It Mean, If Anything?
#42
This Is The Scariest Picture I Have Ever Seen I Think. It Terrifies Me And It Is Just A Picture!
#44
Throwing Out Grandma’s Old Rug … 😳
#45
This Is A Stain Left In A Lunatic Asylum By A Woman Called Margaret Schilling In 1978. Numerous Efforts To Eliminate The Stain Have Proven Unsuccessful. It Is Still There To This Day
Ali Sherlock 2 days ago
I think this is the patient who was never found while playing hide and seek
#46
Picture I Took Of My Reflection 🙉 Didn’t Know I Was Going To Look Like A Demon 👹
#47
This Santa I Saw At A Liquidation Sale, Just Casually Bleeding From The Mouth
#48
Someone Just Ran Into This While Walking On The Beach, What Could It Be?
#49
Why Would Anyone Want This Thing Staring At Them At Home
Shark queen 🦈🦈🦈 2 days ago
To hide in their siblings closet my brother hide something like it just to mess with me.
#50
Found This About 5 Miles Away From The Nearest Road
#51
My Mri Scan Results
#52
Someone Should've Burned This Thing Long Ago
#53
I’d Die Instantly
#54
My Grandmother Told Me That In My Town There Are Nahuales (They Change Shapes Into An Animal) I Didn't Believe Her But One Day I Was Returning To My House, They Shouted My Name Very Loudly, I Turned To Look And I Saw This
#55
Came Across This At A Abandoned Mall
#56
Found This “Angel” At An Estate Sale
#57
A Creepy Photo I Found In A Family Album
#58
The Narrow Hallway Seen From The Attic
#59
I Could Have Probably Been Never Heard Of Again If I Dediced To Keep Exploring This Corridor…
#60
This Random Family Picture I Saw At Goodwill…
#61
This House By The Shoreside
#62
Whoever Decided To Add Detailed Eyes On A Baby Mannequin…
#63
This Picture I Took In The Woods
#64
Accidental Photo Of My Lamp Very Spook
#65
Markings In My Airbnb Wardrobe
Bad Alchemy 1 day ago
Hope OP got a refund. I wouldn't stay there for 5 minutes. It looks nasty.
#67
An Actual Spa I'm Currently Staying In
I'm coming to the end of a week's trip with my Dad and brothers.
We've been to Turkey (where my dad's side is from) to see family, friends, relax and get in touch with our roots.
At the end of the trip my Dad had a geothermal pool spa stay planned for us all.
He told us about it from the very start and had vouched for it the past few years as he's been with my sisters, or with his fellow brothers from his Muslim community.
It's REALLY secluded, up in the mountains, probably closest to like a small village or two but not much else.
Upon arrival we found out it had massively gone downhill and stopped being maintained.
Now I want to make it clear there are plenty of areas that look normal, and the facilities that are still functional are lovely (geothermal pool, chilled pool, Turkish bath).
But I came across a few questionably scary/liminal looking spots in the resort that just gave me the heebie jeebies and I had to share them here, because these photos together look like something straight out of a terrifying horror film (I'm a huge horror fan so maybe I'm biased).
Add to that, the fact that it's Ramadan currently, so most people arent travelling to these sorts of places and as a result there are like a total of 6 other guests staying here at the moment leaving the whole resort mostly empty, bar a few staff here and there.
The first photo is the hallway to our rooms, the end lights don't even turn on as you walk down into that dark abyss. shudders
The (definitely abandoned) children's play area is highly unsettling. (I didn't snap a photo of it but there's one sole tiny ride machine hidden in a dark corner, with a huge duck head with a massive beak and eyes staring at you from the darkness and it's f*cking terrifying).
The geothermal pool area - whilst VERY relaxing and therapeutic - looks like a summoning chamber.
The staircase area is liminal af and something about it just doesn't sit right with me.
Again, lovely stay despite it's lack of maintenance, but the vibe of these areas was too good not to share.
Would make a great spot to shoot a found footage horror for sure.
#68
Convinced Someone Lives In My Attic
#69
My Neighbours In The Window
#70
You're In An Airplane And You See This 😱 Out Your Window. What Do You Do?
#71
Mask In The Wall🎭👹
#72
What Is This?
marianne eliza 2 days ago
From Young Frankenstein. It's The Monster on the lab table as Dr. F. is jolting him with electricity.
#73
Bro I Think I See A Face In The Woods I Saw It Took The Pic And Left ND Then I Heard Some Loud Crashing Sound After I Got Away From It
martymcmatrix 1 day ago
You should do acid for the first times only with an experienced trip sitter...🤭
#74
Found In My Woods
#75
Skinamarink Blu-Ray Steelbook
#76
The ‘Cage Of Death’ At Crocosaurus Cove, Australia. Would You Dare Enter The Cage? The Eighteen-Foot Alligator Would Love A Visit!🐊
Rose the Cook 1 day ago (edited)
There are no wild alligators in Australia. Alligators are native to North America and China, and there are no species of alligators that are indigenous to Australia. The reptiles often mistaken for alligators in Australia are actually crocodiles.
#77
Walking Home
#78
The Hallway Of An Abandoned Mansion
#79
My Grandparents Stairs
#80
Idk Why But This Chick Is Terrifying. Real Life Harley Quinn Vibes But In A Bad Way
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