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Severed Barbie doll heads on a car antenna. A grass field covered with plastic forks. A guy setting his hair on fire. There's nothing more captivating than seeing an image on the internet that leaves us a little speechless and a lot confused. We might have no idea where these cursed scenarios came from, but there's one thing they all have in common. They make us feel seriously uneasy.

Just take a look at the Cursed Image Dealer Instagram account. A project that has amassed more than 194K followers and is full of bizarre, weird, and straight-up disturbing pictures that grab your attention and not let go. While we can’t help but wonder why on earth they exist in the first place, their oddness fascinates us nonetheless.

We have collected some of the most intriguing posts the account had to offer, so continue scrolling and let us know what you think about them in the comments below. And if you’re in the mood for some more images with no context whatsoever, be sure to check out our previous posts about them right here and here.

"The 'cursed image' is an internet phenomenon," Frank T. McAndrew, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Knox College, told Bored Panda. "It is an image that is unsettling because there is something not quite right about it, but we often cannot pinpoint exactly why it is so disturbing." 

"It may combine things that should not go together (a cherry pie with a bleeding human face baked into it?) or it presents an object in a context where it does not belong," the professor continued. As for why they make us feel uncomfortable, he explained that we do not like uncertainty. "We like to make sense of the world around us, and things that defy our expectations or things that are difficult to categorize throw us off our game."

#4

Happy 36th Birthday To Her

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

Relatable. We were "celebrating" our grandpa's birthday when the first plane crashed the first tower.

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Yet, many people enjoy watching such creepy scenarios while mindlessly scrolling through their social media feeds. "People who are tolerant of ambiguity or open to new experiences may be drawn to them because they offer a pleasant diversion from normality and present us with a cognitive puzzle to solve," he added, saying that others simply find them unpleasant.

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"We are programmed by evolution to intently focus on unexpected or unusual things in our environment. It is essential to determine if such things pose some sort of threat to us or not, and cursed images hijack the part of our brain that is responsible for protecting us," McAndrew noted. 

#6

So I’m Getting ~200 Followers A Day And ~190 Unfollows A Day. How Are So Many People Unfollowing? I’ve Never Had So Many People Unfollow So Consistently. Like My Net Gain Is At ~10 Per Day. If I Gained 10 Followers Per Day And Got To How Many I Have Now, It Would Take Over 45 Years. And The Amount Of Unfollows Per Day Is Eerily Close To The Amounts Of Follows. Like If I Gain Followers I Loose Just As Much. Something Is Wrong. It’s Either The Content I’m Posting Is Bad, There’s A Glitch In The Algorithm, Or I’m Shadowbanned. I Was Wondering If Any Of You Guys Would Know?
#unsettling #cursedimages #ghostly #cursedimagedealer

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

"Hello, do you have a minute to talk about our lord and saviour?"

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To learn more about the Cursed Image Dealer project and the inspiration behind it, we reached out to the creator of this Instagram account who was kind enough to have a little chat about it. They revealed that they started this meme account at the end of their sophomore year of high school. "I thought cursed images were cool and a not very well saturated area of the 'market' so it was a perfect theme," they told Bored Panda. 

While they don’t remember the exact reason behind creating this page, they mentioned that they "wanted clout" and a meme account "is pretty easy to run as opposed to me becoming a traditional influencer." 

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"I had a feeling it would become popular and, for some reason, I have a strong memory of telling a girl in my class who I wanted to be friends with that I started one and she seemed extremely uninterested," the creator added, wondering if she would care now when the account has amassed so many followers.

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While Instagram is the unofficial home of avocado toasts, latte foam art, and carefully staged aesthetics, people there truly seem to enjoy the disturbing posts others share. "I think people like seeing cursed images because there is a sort of shock factor to the good ones," they told us. 

"The classic images are confusing and a little unsettling because you can’t really tell what is going on in them, and people's minds try and fill in the blanks," they explained. "I think they scare some people in the same ambiguous way people have a fear of the dark; they don’t understand what is being hidden from them." 

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The curator of the account mentioned that they don’t like traditional gory shock videos but enjoy the subtle images they post. "I feel like there is an almost intellectual quality to them" since people online could try to analyze the "aura" behind them. "In a way, they almost seem to be an extension of the Creepypasta trend in the early 2010s."

#12

He Tweakin
(Image Credit @unworn)

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Logan Duffy
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

is this yet another person's lost father after leaving to find the milk?

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O.M.Miki
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i literally just let out a an AH in the office lol...wtf? What's happening!

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

That must be Robin, from the song by Silver Convention years ago. It went something like this: "Fly, Robin, fly". Good to know he is still doing ok. 🙄

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g90814
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is from a movie I think... some sort of dark superman plot, don't remember the name.

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#13

Mom #unsettling #cursedimages #ghostly #cursedimagedealer

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

Very disturbing - please repaint the house before the neighbours start to complain

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When asked about their followers, they revealed that sometimes they can be quite active and engaged in their content, and other times the creator feels a bit ignored. "I’ve noticed a trend I find to be very unusual," they said. "When I first started, my account grew slowly [and] pretty steady until I started getting close to 100K." 

"It started skyrocketing and I remember getting like a thousand new followers every few days," they even mentioned a point where they received this number of new joiners every day. "It was crazy." 

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After celebrating it with their friends and teachers, the growth of this account slowed down, and the creator is not exactly sure why. They guessed that cursed images might be losing their popularity or their account might be shadowbanned since their peers are finding themselves in a similar situation. 

"You’d think a large account like this one should be able to consistently gain followers", but that’s not the case. Still, they wanted to make it clear that they’re not at all complaining. They even asked their followers about this and many replied that they still enjoy their content, which every creator is truly happy to hear. 

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When it comes to finding such bizarre and slightly off-putting images, they almost entirely found all of their content on the Cursed Images subreddit once the account started. "But as I went, my sense of what makes a cursed image vs a [trashpost] became more refined" and they started noticing that many of the pictures on this online group were starting to become a bit low-effort. 

"I’m sad because the subreddit used to be a great place to get images from," they added. "But as they grew in popularity, they shifted away from images that were actually cursed into … typical shock pictures." The creator hasn’t been back there in a while and has moved to other places to look for new content. 

#24

What’s Ur Favorite Dipping Sauce? I Like Ranch
#unsettling #cursedimages #ghostly #cursedimagedealer

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CATMONSTER2018
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aaaaadventure Time! Come on grab yo-ur friends. We'll go to ve-ry dis-tant lands.

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Still, they are very glad they started this account. "[It] has changed my life. A lot of people who I admire follow me on here, and I’m lucky to be able to talk to them," they added. "Not to mention the wonderful friends I’ve made as well. It’s honestly wild to think about." 

#27

I Need New Content Sources
#unsettling #cursedimages #ghostly #cursedimagedealer

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

This became less scary when I realised the guy probably stuck some dentures on his nose as a prank.

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Their personal goal in life "is to lead an interesting and unique one, and I think growing into adulthood with this account is definitely a good start." The creator is thrilled to be having this experience, and while they may not know whether "it’s a big deal to other people, it is to me," they concluded.

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#31

Thank You For The Support Last Night I Got Some Sleep It Was 4 Hours But At Least It’s Something I Think I Know What To Do Now And I’m Doing Things To Improve My Sleep Health

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

I know this is a nightmare for the owner, but it is stunning!

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#33

In The 70’s There Were Reports Coming From A Small Town In Ohio Of Livestock Mysteriously Going Missing. Some Suspected Wolves. Then People Started Vanishing As Well. People Didn’t Know What To Do. Then, Early One Fall Morning, An Unidentified Young Girl Walked Out Of The Forest, Dragging The Beast Behind Her. The Government Was Called In And They Dismembered The Beast. The Whole Thing Was Classified Until Recently, But This Was The Only Picture Released To The Public. It Is Of The Girl Holding One Of The Dismembered Legs.
#cursedimage #strange #cursed #cursedimagedealer

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

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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#40

Me Engagement Is Lower Than When I Had Like 10k Followers Time To Post Some Teeth Pics

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Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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