Humans seem to have an innate fascination with everything creepy. Many people live for the release of the spookiest horror film, which would give the average viewer nightmares for days. Some even take on professions that involve paranormal activity.
It’s also the likely reason for the Oddly Terrifying subreddit, which has more than two and a half million followers as of this posting. This side of the internet contains images that may leave you with a few uneasy emotions. It’s also the source of today’s story.
Whether you’re looking for that jolt that caffeine can’t give or are simply a fan of everything morbid, scroll away. But do proceed with a little bit of caution.
#1 A Street In Amsterdam, Netherlands
Image credits: Slygirl997
#2 A Camera. There Are Even Smaller Versions
Image credits: Gainsborough-Smythe
In a previous piece we published, we spoke with Dr. Kevin Corstorphine, a lecturer in American Literature at the University of Hull. As he explained, people who enjoy horror films find solace in them.
Media psychology expert Cynthia Vinney, PhD, provided a different explanation in an article she wrote for Very Well Mind. She mentioned the excitation transfer theory, which, in a nutshell, suggests that people find enjoyment in the negative effect of a horror film followed by the positive upswing upon the resolution of the threat.
#3 Light Blew Out On A Canadian Wendy’s Sign
Image credits: lauraintacoma
#4 Extreme Close-Up Of A Wolf Spider. Photo Credits: John-Oliver Dum
Image credits: j3ffr33d0m
#5 A Dead Whale On The Brink Of Exploding
Image credits: neapolitanbby
#6 Saw The Full Mirror In My Hotel Room Randomly Shake And Discovered This Space In The Wall Behind It
Image credits: Schlower288
#7 A Missing Person's Page From An Old High School Yearbook
Image credits: Trashpit996
Dr. Vinney also mentioned a 2023 study by Murray State University entitled "Exploring the Dark Side of Humanity: Motivations of Morbidly Curious Individuals." The study delved into people's motivations for consuming morbid media, particularly films.
The study found that morbidly curious individuals find more enjoyment in horror films with prevalent themes of gore and violence and if they can turn it into a learning experience.
This supports the theory Dr. Vinney noted in her article, suggesting that humans live vicariously through these movies. It allows us to "grapple with the darkest parts of humanity in a safe environment."
#8 This Was A Machine Patented In 1965, To Deliver A Baby Using Centrifugal Force. The Machine Would Spin The Woman Until The Baby Came Out, Which Would Be Caught In A Net
Image credits: silvercatbob
#9 What Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Looks Like
Image credits: Educational-Eye9518
#10 The Folds In This Curtain Creating The Illusion Of A Face
Image credits: justadair
#11 What Did Someone Else Know That We Don't?
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 Protective Mother Guarding Her Babies
Image credits: Rogue_Patriot13
#13 This Guy Did Something Crazy. This Is What He Looks Like Before & After 2,000 Miles From Georgia To Maine
Image credits: truenub12
#14 These Twins
Image credits: Lucidlarceny
Finding a learning experience isn’t one of the top reasons people have for consuming creepy images, moving or otherwise. But apparently, there is research to support it.
Behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner, specializing in horror and morbid curiosity, published an article in 2021 entitled “The Psychology of Morbid Curiosity: Development and Initial Validation of the Morbid Curiosity Scale.” He argues that the fascination for the macabre “drives individuals to learn about aspects of life that are perceived to be dangerous.”
“When a dangerous phenomenon is perceived to be near or impending, curiosity may spike in order to gather information about the dangerous phenomenon. By learning about the threatening factors associated with death, one can learn to avoid the negative outcomes associated with those factors,” he wrote.
#15 Creepy Mould That Formed From A Plate Of Left Out Cat Food
Image credits: reddit.com
#16 The Sleek, Sexy, And Somewhat Sinister Razorbill
Image credits: 25QS2
#17 The Stomach Contents Of A Psychiatric Patient Who Suffered From Pica Disorder, A Disease Characterized By An Appetite For Inedible Objects
Image credits: LewiRock
#18 This Suburb Built On Top Of A Shopping Mall
Image credits: DeeperIntoTheUnknown
#19 These "Sunglasses"
Image credits: Donthurtmyceilings
#20 A Lone Scientist Descending Into The Radioactive Darkness Of Chernobyl In 1986
Image credits: my_vision_vivid
#21 On The Set Of Godzilla (1954)
Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom
Bored Panda’s previous article also mentioned a Washington Post interview with director Mathias Clasen. He classified horror fans into three types: adrenaline junkies, dark copers, and white knucklers.
Psychology professors Haiyang Yang and Kuangjie Zhang identified another personality type: someone who lacks empathy. Here’s an excerpt of their piece for Harvard Business Review in 2021.
“Those who are not so empathic can enjoy horror more. This is because those with a higher level of empathy tend to feel more negatively about the distress situations others experience, like people being tormented by a devious murderer in a film.”
#22 Statue Of A Child At The Bottom Of This Pond
Image credits: wersh
#23 Final Self Photo Of Kayaker Andrew Mccauley Recovered From His Memory Stick After His Disappearance. Credit : Jamesishere
Image credits: AamirKhan7
#24 Took A Couple Dozen Photos Of This Girl Outside My House And This Was One Of Them
Image credits: Ivyleaguevilan
#25 My Lemon Tree Grew One Huge Mutant Leaf To Better Absorb TV Radiation
Image credits: BaronVonBroccoli
#26 Kidney Stone....i Passed Out
Image credits: ZippyMcLintball
#27 I Woke Up To Loud Tapping On My Window
Image credits: DontHailHydra
#28 Scientists Grew 'Mini-Brains From Stem Cells. Then The Brains Sort Of Developed Eyes
Image credits: greymanbomber
#29 The Great Gorge Ruth Glacier In Alaska Is The Deepest At 3700 Feet
Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#30 King Cobra Loose In My Neighborhood
Image credits: mcnuggetfarmer
Author G Neil Martin, an Honorary Professor of Psychology at Regent’s University of London, supported the “lack of empathy” theory. He published an article in 2019 entitled “(Why) Do You Like Scary Movies? A Review of the Empirical Research on Psychological Responses to Horror Films.” Here’s an excerpt:
“Low empathy and fearfulness are associated with more enjoyment and desire to watch horror films but … specific dimensions of empathy are better predictors of people’s responses than are others.”
#31 Passengers Boarding A British Airship For Its Last Voyage Killing 48 Of 53 On Board
Image credits: Granted_reality
#32 Just How Deep Oil Rigs Are Scares The Living Shit Out Of Me
Image credits: IdkWhatImEvenDoing69
#33 This Photo In My Doctor's Office
Image credits: ChocoGoodness
#34 Portrait Of A Man Affected With What Is Now Believed To Have Been Congenital Syphilis C. 1820
Image credits: TheFlagMan123
#35 The Hands Of German Serial Killer Fritz Honka
Image credits: KobraKay87
#36 The Surface Of Comet 67p, A Jupiter-Family Comet Originally From The Kuiper Belt. Filmed By The Rosetta Space Probe
Image credits: freudian_nipps
Gender also plays a role in the fascination for anything morbid. As Martin noted in his article, men are more likely to get a kick out of horror films than women, and here’s his explanation:
“Men and boys prefer to watch, enjoy, and seek our horror more than do women and girls. Women are more prone to disgust sensitivity or anxiety than are men, and this may mediate the sex difference in the enjoyment of horror.”
#37 The Crime Scene On The Night Of Nov. 11, 1974, That Inspired The Amityville Horror
Image credits: my_vision_vivid
#38 Apparently, This Was Someone's Wisdom Tooth:
Image credits: Brent_Fox
#39 Woke Up This Morning To These Prints On My Back Yard Deck Came Right Up To My Glass Door
Image credits: Tall-Magazine335
#40 A Bacteria Colony In A Snow Globe That Wasn't Properly Sterilized
Image credits: DeficiencyWomb
#41 Workers Polishing The Gateway Arch 630 Feet Above The Ground In Saint Louis, Mo 1965
Image credits: Spiritual_Ear_3456
#42 Oddly Unreal Looking Side Of The Road
Image credits: BaronVonBroccoli
In his article, Martin also pointed out that children handle scary moments better. He wrote, “Physical coping strategies are more successful in younger children; priming with information about the feared object reduces fear and increases children’s enjoyment of frightening television and film.”
This rings true with eight-year-old Aubriella Lopez and her younger brother, six-year-old Dominic. Both are fans of the Michael Myers character from Halloween. Their mother, Kayla, spoke to CNN, saying, “I don’t really know of anybody that likes horror as much as them, honestly.”
#43 The Gun That Started Ww1
Image credits: SirSenSej
#44 I Am Pink Underneath
Image credits: jjazure1
#45 My Mom's Boyfriend Has These In His Hallway. Says There His Ex-Wives. Idk Why He Still Has Them
Image credits: dontfluffingtouchme
#46 Stairway In Hotel Goes Forward 13 Floors Without Any Switchbacks
Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom
A child, of course, processes fear differently than an adult. And in the case of gravitating toward horror films, it could be more about proving something to themselves. This is according to Purdue University professor Glenn Sparks, who also spoke with CNN.
“Some children may be more willing to expose themselves to potentially scary things, perhaps because of the gratification they think they will experience from being able to conquer those things."
#47 Staircase To Nowhere In The Woods
Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#48 Today My Car Was Marked With Duct Tape On The Windshield And Handle. No Idea Why
Image credits: Letbutt
#49 I Had To Stop For Gas Around 1 Am
Image credits: kromaly96
#50 What Looks Like A Locked Cage Under My Hotel Shower. View From The Toilet, At My Most Vulnerable
Image credits: _AttilaTheNun_
However, watching horror films doesn’t always sow terror in a person’s psyche. Sometimes, it may bring two people closer together to spark a romance. This is according to NYU professor John Montgomery, PhD, who published an article on Psychology Today.
According to Dr. Montgomery, it’s the anxiety that draws attraction. He wrote, “Something about the state of fear or anxiety, in other words, appears to make many of us more likely to experience feelings of sexual attraction towards other people.
“Such a tendency may have originally evolved to encourage us to connect with or attach to other people when our survival is at risk.”
