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Dominyka Proškėnaitė

81 People Share The Scariest Posts That Made Them Question Reality

Ever since cameras came along, people have been trying to capture spooky moments or trying to prove that the supernatural exists.

Some photos can be accidental — for example, you spot a shadow, a reflection, or a shape that just looks weird. Others can be intentional — like when an abandoned building or empty corridors give off haunted vibes.

No matter how creepy or terrifying an image is, we all know that mix of feeling scared but also hooked at the same time. You just can’t look away sometimes.

The r/Scary subreddit is full of creepy images, and we’ve narrowed down some of best snapshots that show the scariest, the most bizarre, and the strangest side of real life.

Some of these are bound to make you shiver and once you start scrolling, you won’t be able to stop.

#1 Your Mother Knits Socks In Hell

#2 Guillermo Del Toro’s House Is My Dream Home

#3 Somebody Edited A Teletubbies Episode And Made Them Black And White, And They Look Like Something Out Of Some Freaky Horror Movie

The horror genre is huge — from movies, TV shows to even just scary images on your phone, it is one of the most popular entertainment forms. But fear isn’t exactly a positive feeling, so why are we so attracted by content that make our skin crawl and send a shiver down the spine?

Fear isn’t necessarily negative either — one of the reasons we love horror is that it gives us a major rush. Seeing something scary or even anticipating it acts as a stimulation for the brain.

Psychologically speaking, your body gets filled with adrenaline when something scares you, making you more alert and full of energy.

Fear triggers the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, sharpens our senses and makes us notice things we might otherwise ignore. In a way, it helps us react faster in real-life situations.

It is one of our oldest survival tools — fear helped our ancestors stay safe in dangerous situations, and even today it guides our decisions and protects us in ways we often don’t notice.

Research says we have a mental “protective frame” that lets us enjoy scary experiences, turning fear into fun — as long as our brains believe that we are safely sitting at home, while scrolling through these images, it can help us enjoy the thrill.

#4 Bonnie Aarons' Transformation Into ‘The Nun’

#5 That’s Definitely Not Good

#6 In 2013, A Scuba Diver Placed A Jason Voorhees Statue At The Bottom Of Crystal Lake In Crosby, Minnesota As A Prank For Other Divers. It’s Still There To This Day

#7 A Wasp Colony Constructed Their Nest Around A Mask That Was Being Kept In Storage

The horror genre also has a solid fan base among Americans.

In a recent survey, about half of Americans (50%) said they like or love horror movies, with most popular subgenres being comedic horror and psychological horror. Other popular styles include paranormal, vampire, monster, and witchcraft horror.

On the other hand, some types of horror that don’t sit well with most people are straight-up gore that feel too violent or disturbing.

According to the survey, age and gender also play a role in how much people are drawn towards scary or creepy content.

Younger adults are more likely to enjoy horror than older Americans, and men tend to be bigger fans of the genre than women.

#8 One Of The Masks I Made

#9 Well, That's Unsettling

#10 The Lenin Lamp Must Be Fed

#11 Took Advantage Of A Foggy Night

The love for horror goes beyond just movies and many people engage with horror media more broadly — including images, stories, books, games, and other scary content.

Research by Penguin Random House found that many kids enjoy horror books —about one in four kids reported they read or enjoy scary stories.

“Horror allows us to confront our anxieties in a controlled space, where the boundaries between reality and fiction are firmly drawn,” Dr Steven Gerrard, a scholar of horror cinema, told Dazed magazine.

#12 I’ve Been Told My New Painting Is Scary/Spooky?

#13 My Hometown In A Misty Night

#14 Wait, Before You Go To Bed, Here's The Mouth Of An Arctic Lamprey

#15 An Old Chuck E Cheese Animatronic Robot Sitting In The Desert

Looking at these images makes you wonder one thing — are we actually more drawn towards real-life creepy stuff than to fictional horror stories?

Stories that feel true might stay with us more than made-up ones because they connect with our personal beliefs and emotions. It also taps into our imagination more.

Such types of pictures can also make us feel that there is something beyond our own world, helping us make sense of our mortality and making us feel that life goes on.

Which means while ghost stories or images can be terrifying, to some it can also provide a sense of comfort.

Experts say that people often try to find meaning in things, even when there isn’t any, and that’s a major reason why ghost stories or photos can feel convincing.

#16 Laura Loomer Mask On Is Just As Unsightly As Mask Off

#17 Someone Tried To Get Into My Hotel Room Overnight

#18 Jennifer Tilly Does Her Traveling With A Small Chucky Doll At Her Side

#19 Sears Tower While It's In A Blackout/Powercut

#20 John Franklin, Who Played Isaac In Children Of The Corn, Was Actually In His 20s

#21 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 Die

#22 Stomach Contents Of A Psychiatric Patient Who Passed Away From Pica Disorder, A Disease Characterized By An Appetite For Inedible Objects

#23 This Abandoned Hospital Had A Visitor In The Middle Of The Night

#24 Just Moved Into A 190 Year Old House

#25 Every “Cute” Photo My Mum Sends Me Of Her Dog Looks Like A Scene From A Indie Horror Film

#26 Look At This, Not A Cell Phone In Sight, Just A Family Enjoying Quality Time Together

#27 Jacob Elordi And His Stunt Double For Frankenstein

#28 Pregnant Pigs In A Modern Farm

#29 Dark Hallway Of Caged Hens In A Factory Farm, Where ~80% Of Eggs Come From

#30 Gen Z Will Never Understand Why Millennials Have To Pass This Truck As Quickly As Possible

#31 An Abandoned Daycare

#32 Can Someone Explain What This Is Used For?

#33 Russian Sleep Experiment's Infamous Image Of A Smiling Test Subject Is Actually A Prop Called "Spazm”

#34 These Are All Brown Recluse

#35 Can Someone Tell Me The Use Of This Thing? In The Wall?

#36 This Giant Moth Found In Australia (The Largest And Heaviest Moth Ever Found)

#37 This Is The Scariest Picture I Have Ever Seen I Think. It Terrifies Me And It Is Just A Picture!

#38 Throwing Out Grandma’s Old Rug … 😳

#39 The Mascot Of My Local Grocery Store (Piggly Wiggly)

#40 34°03'17.6"N 118°13'32.7"W On Google Maps

#41 This Is A Stain Left In A Lunatic Asylum By A Woman Called Margaret Schilling In 1978. Numerous Efforts To Eliminate The Stain Have Proven Unsuccessful. It Is Still There To This Day

#42 This Santa I Saw At A Liquidation Sale, Just Casually Bleeding From The Mouth

#43 Witch's Hat Pavilion This Semi-Spooky Remnant Of An Abandoned Hotel Provides Fantastic Views

#44 Tarnished, Oil On Canvas, By Me [davidking] •2024•

#45 A Schizophrenic Inmate Drew This. What Does It Mean, If Anything?

#46 Procreate: Charcoal Creature

#47 Picture I Took Of My Reflection 🙉 Didn’t Know I Was Going To Look Like A Demon 👹

#48 Someone Just Ran Into This While Walking On The Beach, What Could It Be?

#49 Why Would Anyone Want This Thing Staring At Them At Home

#50 Found This About 5 Miles Away From The Nearest Road

#51 A Creepy Photo I Found In A Family Album

#52 This Random Family Picture I Saw At Goodwill…

#53 Found This “Angel” At An Estate Sale

#54 I’d Die Instantly

#55 My Grandmother Told Me That In My Town There Are Nahuales (They Change Shapes Into An Animal) I Didn't Believe Her But One Day I Was Returning To My House, They Shouted My Name Very Loudly, I Turned To Look And I Saw This

#56 I Could Have Probably Been Never Heard Of Again If I Dediced To Keep Exploring This Corridor…

#57 My Mri Scan Results

#58 Came Across This At A Abandoned Mall

#59 Someone Should've Burned This Thing Long Ago

#60 Whoever Decided To Add Detailed Eyes On A Baby Mannequin…

#61 The Narrow Hallway Seen From The Attic

#62 Accidental Photo Of My Lamp Very Spook

#63 Markings In My Airbnb Wardrobe

#64 Ah!

#65 An Actual Spa I'm Currently Staying In

I'm coming to the end of a week's trip with my Dad and brothers.

We've been to Turkey (where my dad's side is from) to see family, friends, relax and get in touch with our roots.

At the end of the trip my Dad had a geothermal pool spa stay planned for us all.

He told us about it from the very start and had vouched for it the past few years as he's been with my sisters, or with his fellow brothers from his Muslim community.

It's REALLY secluded, up in the mountains, probably closest to like a small village or two but not much else.

Upon arrival we found out it had massively gone downhill and stopped being maintained.

Now I want to make it clear there are plenty of areas that look normal, and the facilities that are still functional are lovely (geothermal pool, chilled pool, Turkish bath).

But I came across a few questionably scary/liminal looking spots in the resort that just gave me the heebie jeebies and I had to share them here, because these photos together look like something straight out of a terrifying horror film (I'm a huge horror fan so maybe I'm biased).

Add to that, the fact that it's Ramadan currently, so most people arent travelling to these sorts of places and as a result there are like a total of 6 other guests staying here at the moment leaving the whole resort mostly empty, bar a few staff here and there.

The first photo is the hallway to our rooms, the end lights don't even turn on as you walk down into that dark abyss. shudders

The (definitely abandoned) children's play area is highly unsettling. (I didn't snap a photo of it but there's one sole tiny ride machine hidden in a dark corner, with a huge duck head with a massive beak and eyes staring at you from the darkness and it's f*cking terrifying).

The geothermal pool area - whilst VERY relaxing and therapeutic - looks like a summoning chamber.

The staircase area is liminal af and something about it just doesn't sit right with me.

Again, lovely stay despite it's lack of maintenance, but the vibe of these areas was too good not to share.

Would make a great spot to shoot a found footage horror for sure.