If you’ve visited a mostly empty mall close to closing time or a hotel that is almost completely vacant, you no doubt have been struck with a feeling of creeping unease, possibly mixed with some deja vu. You would not be alone in this feeling, and the ubiquity of smartphones these days means that internet users are documenting all the places that unsettle them.
The obsession with liminal spaces is a bit hard to explain, but there is no denying that it’s very real. Various internet groups exist where people share images of unsettling, eerie, or strangely nostalgic places they have encountered. So be sure to upvote your favorites and comment on how they made you feel.
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One Last Look Back
Abandoned Subways In Paris Are Bring Re-Purposed As Swimming Pools
Feels Like A Dream I've Had
To get a common question out of the way, liminal refers to a threshold or limit (the common root is visible here) that is at the bare minimum of getting a perceptible response. It has a somewhat morbid use as well, referring to a sort of state between life and death. As you can see in many of the images, the locations are hallways, corridors, parking lots, and other places that we have to pass through to get where we actually want to go.
While the actual emotion might be a lot older, it has only been studied recently. Before smartphones, we didn’t really have a good way to document these places, and who was going to waste physical film on a “bland” hotel hallway? Not to mention, most of us don’t spend that much time in these places, no doubt feeling a few, quick pangs of unease before walking through them to our final destination.
Oh
Saw This On Twitter, Where The Nambia Desert Meets The Ocean. Feels Surreal
Now psychologists believe that these liminal spaces have a similar effect to the uncanny valley, where something appears familiar and known, but “off” in such a way as to provoke general creepiness mixed with recognition. These spaces are the same, familiar, as we have no doubt encountered hundreds, but lacking in the features we actually place in our own homes, personality, heart, and charm.
It Continues Forever
Petrol Station After A Good Downpour
Dreaming Again?
If you pay attention, it’s noticeable that many of the images here depict places that are somewhat under-maintained or old. This adds to the liminal space uncanny valley, as this sort of disrepair is more common in non-personal constructions, like the utility areas of a mall or a small parking lot on the edge of a building. The wear-and-tear also makes us see these locations as old, evoking memories of places we’ve visited as a child, even if this nostalgia isn’t actually related to the place in the picture.
I Took This Long Exposure Photo Of Wind Turbines, Felt Like It Fit Here
“I Think I Have Wandered Too Far”
No One At Sight, No Sounds, Just The Wind
In the middle of lockdown, streets in the UK were abandoned like this. I had to leave the house to collect medicine and food, and streets I had walked down all my life suddenly freaked me out. It reminded me of that scene from 28 days later.
Most of the locations are also somewhat strange in that no people are present. All of these buildings exist for the use of us humans, so to see them empty creates unease. Where are the people? Why is this place abandoned? Sometimes the operative emotion is sadness, like a playground that looks worn out and left to rot. Psychologically, we know that children used to play here, but no don’t and our brain starts to wonder why.
Yesterday I Went To Windows Xp
The Building Next To The Hotel Im Staying At
This Is One Of The First Liminal Space Pictures I Made, Hope You Like It!
Despite its current popularity, as far as internet trends go, liminal spaces are quite new. The first “breakout” example originated in the notorious imageboard 4chan, with a picture of what looked like the backrooms of an office building, stripped of furnishing. Fluorescent lights, the old, yellow wallpaper, and no windows all came together to create a place that was somehow familiar, yet evocative of a cave, claustrophobic and dangerous.
A Very Uneasy Feeling
Legend says if you clap your hands three times right when the clock strikes midnight, a single cart will appear and you will ride that roller coaster for eternity.
Warning
Abandoned Nuclear Plant
When looking at this original example of liminal space, one can almost imagine the hum of the lights and the softness of the old carpet, despite only a handful of people having ever visited it. The important part is the isolation, as this “failure of presence” sticks out in our brains, putting us on edge even though the location has all the trappings of something we are seemingly familiar with.
You’ve Reached The End
Just The Two Of Us
My Girlfriend Works In A Bingo Hall And Sent Me This
This Empty Beach Me & My Girlfriend Saw While Taking A Walk Last Night
Forget
(THIS IS A JOKE IM NOT A BOT) guys with global warming more and more windmills are suffering from blade deformations each day :( click here to help the cause🥰 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
This Was My Neighborhood Today
Had No Idea A Part Of My School Looked Like This Until Last Night
Only You
Chinese Ghost City Look Like A World Boarder Of A Game
My Hometown Movie Theater
Road To The Unkown
This Area In My School Courtyard Always Gives Me Such A Weird Feeling When I Walk Alone In It
Feel Familiar?
Looks familiar. This is an image they use at the optometrist when testing vision
Why Don’t The Kids Go Outside ?
Come Ride With Us
Something I Found On Instagram
Everywhere And Nowhere
Feels So Fake Yet So Real
Hotel I Stayed At
This Picture Of Moment Valley Always Felt Liminal
A Diner In The Void [oc]
![A Diner In The Void [oc]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/6454bc57798b6_HEHmB4V__880.jpg "A Diner In The Void [oc]")
The End
I Am Literally Staying In The Liminal Hotel
Welcome
There Just Standing There
I Turned On My Flashlight During A Blackout
Ever Been To A Mall At 1 Am ??
I Feel Comforted, And I Also Feel Like I Wouldnt Be Able To Escape
So I Explained Liminal Photography To My Mum & She Took This The Next Day.. Thoughts?
A Pic I Took Many Years Ago In My Hometown, The Temperature Was -45
Local Town Hall
Dust And Laundry
Underground Bunker Built At The Height Of The Cold War Meant To Emulate Normal Suburban Life In America
We Climbed Inside Of A Highway Bridge . This Goes For 10+ Kilometres
Inxanity
Pov: Youre On The Way To Your Home
I Took This Picture And Left As Quick As Possible This Room
The 5am Ferry From Seattle
Took This Photo In A Store While On A Road Trip. Fake Skylights Are So Uncomfortable
"See You Later And Thanks"
Loveless
Why Does This Hallway Seem So Familiar?
I'm Lost
This reminds me of the theory of why they never found skeletons of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. [shudder]
This Hotel Pool My Girlfriend And I Just Swam In
From A Lost Convention
I"m wheezing. There was a whole drama around that ball pit. The link below is a wiki article about Dashcon. Also google ball pit meme. There were some really funny ones. At the time I found a big long writeup with multiple pictures spilling all the detailed tea about the fail that was Dashcon. I doubt the wiki is nearly as funny but here's the link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DashCon
I Just Accidentally Deleted This, So Here’s My Parents Hotel Hallway Again
I’ve Decided To Climb It. Some Of You Were Asking For A Top View Down. I’ll Update When I Get To The Top
The Inside Of A Wooden Toy Box With Holes For My Cat
My Morning Walk Felt Surreal
Exit
Took This Pic Today. Hope You Like It :)
Clear Sky
Take A Dip
Did You Miss Your Flight?
That happened to me years ago. I needed a pee so i went to the check in toilets. Exactly the same as the pic above. Had said pee then went back to the bar and told my travelling partner that the plane had fuked off. Within about 1.5 seconds there was 500 people who heard me and started legging it down to the gate going effing mental (we were told to wait in the bar/resto bit for some reason). It kicked off big time. I found out that the pilot "forgot to tell anyone when to board". so he left!! After hours of karens screaming i asked the chap behind the desk if i could have a cigarette and he said follow me. We smoked as i could see he needed it as much as me. He returns to work. I got a 5 star room for the night and then the next day i flew out. Thank you Stephen. Free pina coladas as well. True story i just don't understand how anyone on the flight crew didn't notice anything. !!!
The City Of Detroit - The Largest Of Liminal Spaces
World Trade Center Interior
Took This In A Gym, Close To Where I Work
Schools In Our Dreams
The Metropol Parasol In Seville, Spain
Family Mart
My Absolute Favorite
I Dreamed Of This Place And Recreated It On Source Engine
Recurring Dream Location
I Don't Feel Safe Here
Reminds me of when we lost our dog at a recreation park. Searching miles of woods at night in the dark was bad.... but then we also had to sleep in our car overnight for serveral nights to keep refreshing baits that would otherwise freeze and not do the job. Creepy as s**t when you've got a tiny bit of moonlight, complete silence (other than your crunching footsteps), and an eery feeling that something is definitely watching you. There were plenty of coyotes in those woods, so I'm sure something(s) truly was watching...
You Can Hear The Faint Sound Of Dripping Water
Pass This Every Day While At Work. Always Wondered What’s Inside
Took This From My Window At 2 Am
A Place I Walk Past Regularly
I Like To Take Some Photo, Remodel It In 3D And Relight It In Some Uncanny Dreamlike Way. Familiar, Yet Alien. (Done In Blender)
huh. blender seems really cool! i just downloaded it (it's free :D)
Took Some Pics Of My Weird School Using An Old Nokia Phone And Didn't Expect Them To Turn Out This Way
Workspace
The Field Across From My House
My Town Late At Night Is Terrifying
Am I The Only One Who Thinks Looney Toons Backgrounds Are Really Creepy
Choices
My Depressing Visit To Chuck E Cheese Back In 2020
Looks Like After Some Extinction Event
The Void
Empty Laundry Room At 2 Am
I’ve had a dream something like this. I remember being really irritated that the dryer would leave my clothes a little damp. So pretty similar to irl
Happy Birthday
Dream Bathroom From Fb People Are Losing It Over
Looks like the public restrooms in my dreams - curved halls, stalls without doors, hidden toilets everywhere, most of them not flushed. It usually means I need to get up and wee.
Imagine this but in an automated voice: "Congratulations, you have reached the end. There is no more path for you to walk. You may either: A. Turn back, and forget this place, or B. Stay here for eternity like all the others. Remember, once you have made your descision, you can't go back. Thank you, and once again, congratulations."
these all gave welcome to night vale vibes. like, if you saw them, you'd live in night vale forever
Imagine this but in an automated voice: "Congratulations, you have reached the end. There is no more path for you to walk. You may either: A. Turn back, and forget this place, or B. Stay here for eternity like all the others. Remember, once you have made your descision, you can't go back. Thank you, and once again, congratulations."
these all gave welcome to night vale vibes. like, if you saw them, you'd live in night vale forever
