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Whether you take pumpkin carving seriously or not, the Jack-o'-lantern remains an important part of every Halloween. Although carving squashes and turnips have been a common practice in many parts of the world for a very long time, it is believed that this modern tradition has its roots in 19th-century Ireland, and it seems that it's here to stay.

Bored Panda has compiled a list of some of the scariest and truly terrifying Halloween pumpkin carvings that will give you more than enough ideas for your own jack-o'-lantern designs in the years to come.

From a dying phone battery to the haunting student loans, these Halloween pumpkin carvings etch deep into the human existence. These jack-o'-lantern faces remind us of the uncomfortable parts of reality and will make you sleep with the light on during the spookiest night of the year. Scroll down to collect your nightmare fuel, pick the scariest pumpkin carving ideas and upvote your (least) favorite entries.

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    #4

    Scary pumpkin carved with a check engine light design, humorously illuminated in the dark.

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    Infernohound
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This little light of mine, im gonna let it shine.

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    #5

    Scary pumpkin carved with glowing "THE FUTURE" text in the dark.

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    Ok Ha-Neul
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that pumpkin is brighter than my future

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    #6

    Scary pumpkin carved with "ATTACK" and glowing design reminiscent of swimming shapes, illuminated in the dark.

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    Becca
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    From someone who had a baby 5 months ago, and a 4 year old who knows everything, this it truly terrifying haha

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    #7

    Scary pumpkin carved with a classic web browser logo, glowing in the dark.

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    Neeraj Jha
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Must have started curving this 3 years ago

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    #8

    Scary carved pumpkin displaying the words "Comic Sans!" illuminated from within.

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    Monica Lane
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Comic Sans is actually one of the easiest for people with dyslexia to read because every character is just different enough. I get that it's a running joke but it really does help some people.

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    #9

    Scariest pumpkin carving with a TV wrestling match in the background.

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    PyroarRanger
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO This is my worst enemy when in the outdoors

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    #12

    Scary carved pumpkin with "A Second Term" glowing, lit by red lights.

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    Patti
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's the scariest pumpkin I have ever seen

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    #13

    Scary carved pumpkin with "House Prices" text glowing in the dark.

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    Becca
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah that's definitely a scary reality

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    #15

    Carved pumpkin with the word "DEADLINES" glowing ominously.

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    PyroarRanger
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    NO I CAN'T DEAL WITH DEADLINES! I'm a heavy procrastinator lol

    #16

    Carved pumpkin with "The Male Ego" text, glowing from within.

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    cat woman
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    need a bigger pumpkin ... the men ego is huge :))))

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    #17

    Carved pumpkin with "Fake News" text, illuminated from inside.

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    cat woman
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    hahahhahaha is cool and very updated :)))

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    #18

    Scary pumpkin carving with "Out of Vodka" phrase illuminated in the dark.

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    cat woman
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    lol ! This must be a Russian pumpkin :))))

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    #19

    Scary pumpkin carved with "YOUR FACE" illuminated from within.

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    Infernohound
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    TO quote the great Dean Winchester: "Lets not get ugly now."

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    #20

    Scary carved pumpkin with "Taxes" illuminated.

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    Victoria Pietsch
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I’m not afraid of anything normal. I love snakes, sharks, and spiders. I love public speaking. I have No Fear of death and write a lot of funny stories about the grim reaper. I like heights and want to go parachuting one day. I love small, confined spaces. I went to a haunted house, got separated from my friends, and jokes with all of the actors as they threatened my life. ‘Twas grand. When people ask me what my biggest fear is, I swear I am not lying in the slightest when I say, “taxes, bills, identity theft, or computer viruses.” These are the things that terrify me.

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    #22

    Scary pumpkin with "You're An Adult!" carved into it on a dark background.

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    #25

    Scary carved pumpkin with a Wi-Fi symbol and battery icon, humorously representing social media anxiety.

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    Id row
    Community Member
    6 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you have to explain it, it's not funny.

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    #27

    Carved pumpkin with words "housing market crash" glowing, showcasing a creative and scary design.

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    #29

    Carved pumpkin with Windows 7 logo glowing in the dark for Halloween.

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    Neeraj Jha
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    IMO Vista and 8 were horrible.. 7 was ok

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    #31

    Young person posing with a carved pumpkin displaying "Goldman Sachs."

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    #33

    Scary carved pumpkin with "9 a.m. church" message on bathroom counter.

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    #34

    Carved pumpkin with "GPA" design placed by a front door.

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    #35

    Scariest pumpkin carved with "Friday Deploy to Prod" text, glowing on a staircase.

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    Jeannine Pope
    Community Member
    8 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you have worked in software, then you know how truly terrifying this is. No weekend for you!

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    #37

    Scary pumpkin carving with words "Get on the Line" glowing in the dark.

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