The world is scary enough without people still adding to it with their creepy and unsettling pics. But here we are… For some reason, human beings seem to have a bit of an obsession with stuff that makes the hair on our neck stand on end.
Experts put it down to us wanting to experience fear and thrill from the safety of our own homes or environments. It’s a complex mix of mix of psychology, biology, and evolution, they say. We actively seek out the thing we don’t really want to see. If you’re sitting there thinking, “even me,” you’ve come to the right place – but you probably already know that.
We has put together a list of unsettling images that might earn you a badge for the “No Sleep Club.” Many are ordinary objects that somehow took an eerie turn, as if auditioning for a horror movie. From a yam shaped like a hand, to a headless woman performing on stage, there’s enough here to leave you feeling more than a little on edge. Note: these images are best viewed in the dark.
#1 This Yam Shaped Like A Human Hand
What on earth is wrong with us? In a world filled with bad and depressing news, we could be using the little bit of free time we have to reset our nervous systems. Hot bubble baths, long walks on the beach, browsing through dreamy photos of faraway places, that kind of thing.
But here we are, scrolling through creepy, unsettling, and scary photos – by choice…
It’s human nature, say the experts. According to researchers from Harvard University, one of the reasons we seek out horror is to experience stimulation.
#2 This Halloween Decoration
#3 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 rest in peace.
Exposure to terrifying acts, or photos, can stimulate us — both mentally and physically, positively and negatively. We get scared or anxious (negative) but also excited or joyful (positive).
“For instance, watching a horror videosimultaneouslyactivates both types of stimulation, with the most pleasure experienced at the most fearful moment,” explain the researchers. “The biochemical inside our bodies also changes when we consume horror. Fright can trigger the release ofadrenaline, resulting in heightened sensations and surging energy.”
#4 Scientist Holding A Basketball Covered With Vantablack, The World’s Blackest Substance
#5 The Way This User Censors Faces
#6 Woke Up To Find An Ear Print On My Back Door. I Will Be Buying Home Security Cameras Immediately
Psychologists say that at its core, fear is an adaptive survival response.
“When we sense danger, the amygdala activates, triggering the body’s fight-or-flight system. Heart rate spikes, adrenaline floods the system, and our senses sharpen,” explains Dr. Melisa Arias-Valenzuela,founder and clinical director of Uprise Psychology & Wellness.
Arias-Valenzuela goes on to say that unlike real threats, spooky experiences are “safe dangers.” Basically, we can enjoy the physiological thrill without actual risk. Harmless fear, if you will. In psychology circles, this paradox is called benign masochism.
#7 Someone Wearing A Full-Face Prosthetic Mask To Avoid Being Identified By CCTV And Facial Recognition
#8 Hello There
#9 Noticed This Face In The TP Holder While Washing My Hands
A few things need to be in place for us to be able to actually enjoy watching horror movies, reading scary stories or scrolling through creepy photos like the ones featured here.
In their paper, The Psychology Behind Why We Love Or Hate Horror, the Harvard researchers note that we must possess what’s known as a psychological “protective frame”to be able to derive pleasure from being horrified. These frames fall into three different categories.
#10 Found A Message In The Clouds
I was taking pictures of the sunset and noticed the Text Selector was activating on this picture. Used the “Add to note” button and found it was some Chinese characters that translate to “Waiting for you”.
#11 A Wasp Colony Constructed Their Nest Around A Mask That Was Being Kept In Storage
#12 Found This And Feel Like It Fits Here. Looks Like A Ghost Ship
The first is the safety frame — we need to believe that we are physically safe.
“For example, although the evil entity in a movie might be committing terrifying acts in front of our eyes, we can derive pleasure from the horror as long as we believe that the evil entity is physically distant from us and hence cannot cause harm to us,” say Harvard’s Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang.
However, they add that if we start to believe that the evil entity is coming out of the screen to hurt us, then the experience stops being fun.
#13 Travis, A Chimpanzee Who Eventually Went On To Horrifically Maul His Owner’s Friend, Holding A Baby
#14 Gasped When I Saw This Hoodie Drying In The Garage!
#15 Rabbits In Colorado Spotted With Tentacle-Like Growths On Their Heads From Rare Virus
The second category is all about detachment, or whether we’re able to psychologically “remove” ourselves from something scary.
For example, say the experts, when we see a psycho hunting down their already-injured victim in a movie scene, we can activate psychological detachment by reminding ourselves that they are just actors. Or, when we see an image on this list, we understand that it’s just a photo.
Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Follow on Google News
#16 The Passer-Through-Walls (Le Passe-Muraille) Sculpture In The Paris Catacombs
#17 The Stairs In Peru
#18 A Factory Farm
“The third category of protective frame involves our confidence in controlling and managing the dangers we encounter,” say Yang and Zhang. “If we visit a haunted house, for instance, and a realistic-looking, blood-thirsty zombie charges at us, we can still derive pleasure from the encounter if we feel confident about overcoming the danger.”
They add that if any of the three protective frames are missing, it changes how we feel about consuming scary content, which could be why certain people love a good, terrifying thrill while others stay far away.
#19 This Guy Made Himself A Custom Mask During The Pandemic
#20 This Man And His Child Are Riding Around In My Town At Night In Canada
#21 Took This Photo While Walking The Dog Tonight. We Don’t Have A Cat
The researchers say that people with a highersensation-seekingtrait, like thrill seekers or adrenalin junkies, tend to seek out and enjoy horror or scary content than those who don’t like to live life in the fast lane.
“Relatedly, the trait ofopenness to experience(or the need to engage in imaginative activities) is also a predictor of horror consumption,” notes the paper. “A stronger openness to experience trait is associated with increased affinity towards horror.”
#22 My Nephew Refuses To Go To Our Local Park Because He’s Terrified Of This Thing
#23 In 2019 A Mysterious Individual Wearing A TV Head Mask Was Caught On Camera Leaving Old Television Sets On People’s Porches At Night In Virginia
#24 Baby Getting Their Passport Picture Taken
You might not associate fear with love. But interestingly, research shows that watching a scary movie or going to a horror theme park with your date can trigger feelings of romance. That’s because co-experiencing horror (with two hearts pounding fast as one) can add to the excitement we feel toward each other.
That said, if any of the pics on this list made the hair on your neck stand on end, why not look at them again with your crush, the next time you’re together? Who knows, you may just be browsing bridal magazines in a few months’ time.
#25 This Snowman
#26 My Pupils Are Rectangular
#27 Someone Has Been Living In The Basement Of Our Student Complex
In our building, we have been dealing with several break ins these past few months, so yesterday when it happened again we finally called the police. We live in a really old building with several weird entrances and a creepy basement. When the police came, we investigated all the entrances, and found one that leads to a hidden area in our basement. Then, we found this secret room hidden behind some curtains. The person even made their own improvised heating system tapping into our power.
#28 These Roaches Living In Our Oven Clock
#29 Statues At Vezio’s Castle In Italy
#30 Noticed These Faint Differently Sized And Aligned Footprints On My Toiletseat, I Live Alone
Prints are facing away from the bathroom door, I’ve had no visitors in 4 months…. and I’d think I’d remember someone standing on my toilet….
#31 Why Are My Photos Printing Like This!!!
It is a brand new HP Envy 6100e series. I am using HP everyday photo paper and the ink that came with the box for setup. I tried having the paper face both sides.
#32 Should I Call The Cops?
My bf thinks they were just trying to be funny but I truly don’t know…
#33 Mossy Mannequin In The Forest
#34 My Dog Looks Like A Paranormal Creature
#35 I Was Walking Out In A Corn Field This Morning, It Was Foggy And Overcast, And I Thought This Was Pretty Creepy. No Wind. Silent
#36 Found This Weird Photo Of Little Me And Some Unknown Child In A Penguin Mask
#37 This Was Fun To See On The Front Door Of My Airbnb
#38 Weird Object In The Sky?
#39 Moving Out Of House. Left Something In The Crawlspace For When The New Residents Start To Snoop
#40 This Mask Someone Put On The Free Table At The Local Dump (That Is Now Hanging Up On My Back Porch)
#41 Driving Down A Side Street And Glanced Down An Ally And Had To Do A Double-Take
#42 How My Sister Dries Her Hair Extensions
#43 Reflection Of Light That Shows Up On My Wall
#44 I Was Getting Ready To Leave Work When I Looked At The Security Cameras
I almost fainted. I work alone. That’s MY car. The store had be closed for almost an hour at this point.
#45 Laptop Nailed To A Tree In The Woods
I moved to a new house a few months ago and was exploring the woods on the property and came across this laptop nailed to a tree.
#46 Found A Tombstone Marker In My Yard
Found underneath a fallen tree. 1976-1980.
#47 Abandoned Hospital With The Power Still Running
#48 Picked My Car Up From The Mechanic Only To Find This In My Back Seat
#49 Headless Woman Performing In A Coney Island Sideshow In 1945
#50 Found This Note Taped Under A Panel In This Storage Cabinet, Previous Owner Just Trolling Me?
#51 45 Night Shifts As A Lone Security Officer In One Of The Permanently Closed Cinemas In UK
#52 This Guy Sitting In Front Of My Car With A Camera On The Steering Wheel, Just Staring At Me
I go to the grocery store this morning and I’m just sitting smoking a cigarette, and this dude pulls in directly across from me (in an otherwise empty lot since it was 5:30am) and he has a very obvious camera attached to his steering wheel, pointing directly at me. And he just sits there, and stares, for like twenty minutes. I finally work up the strength and courage to actually go into the store, and when I came back out after a very quick shopping experience, he was gone.
No, this is not a joke. No, I don’t know him. Yes, the pictures aren’t great. Have you ever tried to inconspicuously take a picture of someone, over your steering wheel? Mine is pretty high, but not high enough that I could take pictures through it, so I had to put my phone right in my face and act like I couldn’t see my screen, so I could have the camera high enough to take a snap of him. I ended up getting more of my dash than anything, but I did what I could.
This is just so weird.
#53 Hotel Room Escape
#54 Was Gonna Fix A Cable To An Accesspoint On The Top Floor In My Old House And Found This Behind The Wall???
#55 This Specimen For Sale On Fb Marketplace
My friend and I were looking up “dolls for sale” on Facebook to try and find the weirdest ones. We found a lot of creepy looking dolls but this has got to be one of the weirdest-scariest things I’ve seen for sale online.
#56 My Local Production Of Frozen Fashioned This Little Number For Sven
#57 Setenil De Las Bodegas In Spain
#58 I Found This Red Target In My Basement
The people who lived in my house before were really strange. They were talking about a ghost in the basement who’d come out if we were to close up the old well in the basement. It’s probably something they put on the wall.
#59 Left Home For A Couple Months, Came Back To Find Tiny Hand Prints
#60 Any Idea What Made These?
Bushwhacked for miles behind a farm house i’m renting… found these circles in the snow above a frozen pond, deep into Green Mountain National Forest. Oddly immaculate.
#61 For Almost 2 Months Now This Trash Can On My Route Has Been Filled With Unmarked VHS Tapes. I’m Afraid Of What’s On Them
#62 I Woke Up And Found This Weird Dark Green Stain On My Pants. No Where Else Just There
#63 I Forgot To Grab My Watch Before Work This Morning
