Exploring Nightmarish Pictures: A Close Look At Terrifying Images

By: Ene Ayegba | Last updated: Oct 16, 2023

Sometimes, our minds can play funny tricks on us in the form of nightmares. We’ve all had them, and they can be frightening. Usually, after a period of fast-pumping adrenaline, we can eventually relax and find the same horrifying nightmares also funny and entertaining. 

Sometimes, just viewing a weird image online can be the trigger for a scary nightmare. In this post, we’ve compiled some images that have given us nightmares a couple of times! Enjoy.

Freaky Visuals: Something Smells Fishy

This is not an image from a movie where anything is possible with a green screen or a scene from a game where developers can create almost anything. This is a real-life photo. The image is confusing, but a few scenarios can be deduced.

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Source: Retrobeutes/Facebook

One take is that the fish is not real, the car was probably already damaged, and a person took the picture to give puzzle solvers a run for their money. Another scenario is that the fish fell on the car from a fish truck. Guess we’ll never know.

Scaling Through the Ceiling

No matter how good the carpentry, there are bound to be holes in almost every house. It could be the holes created for plumbing or holes for fitting in appliances and other house essentials. However, some openings can lead to more problems.

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Source: WTF/Reddit

For instance, burrowing animals can find their way into a house that has uncovered holes. The worst nightmare is to have a hole that houses a lethal reptile not just anywhere but on the ceiling.

From Movie to Reality: Snakes On a Plane

Australia is not the only country crawling with snakes—many others are also full of the reptiles. The picture below was taken in Manitoba, Canada. It looks like all the garter snakes in the country came together for an annual festival. 

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Source: Reddit

Even if you don’t have a phobia of snakes and know this particular genus is not very harmful, this image can still trigger fear and prompt nightmares.

Jump Scare: Monsters in the Dark

Everyone at one point in their lives must have seen an imaginary monster staring at them; a black-faced beast with bulging white eyeballs and maybe shiny white teeth.

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Source: ScaryPeople/Reddit

This imaginary monster might be staring through the window or looking down from the ceiling. It can also be like a translucent picture on the wall or an image in your head when you are washing your face in the bathroom. But guess what? It might not even be imaginary.

Sea Lions Hitch a Ride

Sea animals have the best natural features to live, swim and breathe underwater. So who would have thought that two sea lions would want to hitch a ride on a small boat?

Source: Reddit

The picture might look funny, but imagine you were inside the boat on the verge of sinking into the water because of two colossal sea lions that have no care in the world. It is a terrifying thought that can cause sleepless nights.

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An Arachnid Tent Fly

Whether it’s a normal house spider or big tarantula, spiders are a common phobia. In fact, more than 15% of the world’s population has a fear of spiders. The arachnids in this image have many names. Some call them daddy long-legs, but they are also known as carpenter spiders and skull spiders. 

Source: OddlyTerrifying/Reddit

They are one of the most poisonous spiders, but fortunately, their fangs are too small to bite humans. Harmful or not, imagine coming across this many spiders in the woods—or worse, waking up to it at the top of your tent!

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The Bizzare Side of Creativity

A man on Facebook said he saw a pair of gloves online and decided to buy them. Oddly, the gloves were made with a chicken thigh skin.

Source: ThanksIHateIt/Reddit

Why would anyone want to have chicken hands? Or maybe a better question, why would anyone create it in the first place? Imagine coming home and seeing a friend’s hand looking like a chicken. Oh, the horror!

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An Unbelievable Scene: Moooooove!

Cows are not scary animals, but when you see a herd of cows in your new house, there’s no doubt about how scared you can be. This photo came to be when a small herd of cows found their way into a newly built home in Montana and decided to become the new inhabitants. 

Source: ShidandFard/Reddit

Apart from the sight of the cows, the owner would definitely have nightmares thinking about how to clean the whole mess and get rid of the stench.

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A Mannequin That Doubles as a Scarecrow

Mannequins are supposed to look good enough to entice anyone to buy what is displayed on them. This picture shows a scary mannequin that looks like something straight out of a horror movie.

Source: Reddit

The dummy has a child’s body with no arms and a big head with a frowning face. If the owner wanted to keep people and even animals away, they did a very fine job.

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A Different Kind of Sonar

The feeling of something crawling against your skin can induce a mind-crippling fear. On a workday, a man in his office was about to start work. After he put on his headset he felt a furry movement against his ear. 

Source: Reddit

It turned out that a bat was hiding from daylight in his headset. How the bat got into the office is a scary thought on its own. But how it settled into the headset, waiting for nighttime, is oddly terrifying.

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Chillingly Real: Horrific Statue in the Woods

Filled with nature, the woods can be a wonderful place to relax and ease the mind. But this feeling of serenity can instantly turn into a feeling of pure horror when anyone sees these two terrifying figures in the woods:

Source: Reddit

This monster and its pet were made out of cat hair. Anyone who comes across this in the woods would think it can spring to life and chase after them.

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Scary Possibilities: Do Vampires Exist?

How else can anyone explain a pack of leftover raw ground beef on a seat in a movie theatre? People are not allowed to bring anything into a movie theater, but when someone sneaks in this kind of treat, one can do nothing but wonder.

Source: Reddit

You might think, “What if the person mistakenly bought it?” However, what can be seen in this picture looks like a deliberate action because it does not look untouched—someone ate part of it.

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A New Blend: Spider-Flavored Coffee

Many offices were shut down during the Covid pandemic between 2020 and 2021, and were opened after the quarantine. Upon returning to the office, the person that took this picture decided to brew a pot of coffee.

Source: Reddit

When they lifted the pump lever of the coffee maker, they were greeted with a massive, scary-looking spider web—the office spiders had made the machine a new home during quarantine.

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Punctured Palm

Most people try with all their might to avoid being hurt, even when they know they cannot totally escape it. Looking at this picture, you can feel the person’s agony. It must have been a traumatizing day for this person who fell on a gusset plate. 

Source: WTF/Reddit

Every time the person sees their marked palm or a gusset plate, they might cringe—the same goes for anyone who views this image.

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A Very Fashionable Skeleton

Have you ever seen a skeleton draped in fur? Well, feast your eyes on the photo below. Someone decided to do something funny and crazy, and they ended up covering up a skeleton in pink fur.

Source: Snoffler/Imgur

He might have aimed for something funny but created something terrifying instead. Can you imagine being pranked with this furry skeleton in a dark room? It is definitely a frightening thought.

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One Horrifying Life Hack

There are some life hacks we should be grateful for, and there are others that should be avoided at all costs. 

Source: WTF/Reddit

This image has raised a lot of questions. How will the owner pour the hot water out? How will the water stay long enough in the kettle to boil when it has two unregulated outlets? What advantage does this hack have over the normal water heater? The question goes on and on.

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Stilt Houses Taken To a New Extreme

Architecture is an essential profession in our society. Without architecture, there would be boring-looking, dangerous houses everywhere. This dwelling, however, should make anyone who sees it curious. 

Source: WTF/Reddit

Was the house uprooted from its foundation, or is it an illusion? Living in this house would be terrifying because its occupants would be too afraid to do a lot of things, like jumping or running or using too many house decorations.

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Mysterious Advertisement

It looks like the agents of the underworld are now operating in the open because there can’t be any other explanation for the sign pictured below.

Source: WTF/Reddit

The crippling fear of seeing this sign on a quiet street would be second to none. One can only wonder what will happen if anyone calls the number on the signpost.

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A Scene Right Out of Final Destination

Many people have seen the movie Final Destination. This image would definitely remind anyone of the part in the movie where there was a scene just like this—this image shows the height of recklessness.

Source: Reddit

There’s no way anyone, pedestrian or driver, would see this and not be scared. Anyone can sense the danger in the picture without even being in the real scene.

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A Shopping Reptile

When a bird or a cute little kitten enters a shop and starts acting like it is shopping, typically there would be people around the animal murmuring “oohs” and “aahs” with hearts in their eyes. 

Source: Funny/Reddit

The total opposite happened when a huge Komodo Dragon casually walked into a convenience store and nimbly climbed the shelves. We are sure most people would guess it to be Australia, but this happened in Thailand.

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A Scary Influencer

There are many approaches to marketing a business. Many business owners use eye-catching signboards, well-known people to influence consumers, or even billboards with nice pictures and maybe a discount offer. 

Source: Reddit

A motel owner, however, decided to use a weird-looking clown to promote his business and even gave the joint an odd name. With scary clown movies like The Joker and Pennywise, this motel owner can rest assured that he won’t have many patrons. 

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Fear Factor: Looming Doom

If this pillar collapses, so will the bridge, and if the bridge falls, everything on it will fall with it. Seeing this load-bearing pillar about to collapse is a nightmare no one wishes to have. 

Source: Reddit

Although the visible iron bars are supposed to give a little more assurance that the pillar can hold out before help comes, fear is not an emotion that anyone should underestimate.

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Creepy Crawly Mushrooms

Mushrooms are found on decaying wood, and the ones in this picture are growing out from under a wooden shelf. They look like the hands of people coming out of the underworld. Imagine trying to lift a bookshelf, and seeing this at a close range, mind-numbing fear.

Source: WTF/Reddit

The person who shared the image captioned it, “I wish this weren’t real.” This image can give recurring nightmares.

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Beyond the Surface: Mind-Bending Art

This image is one of the most confusing images we’ve seen. At first glance, it looks like a weird-looking owl which could be the store’s mascot. At a second glance, it looks like a deer behind, decorated to look like something with a face. 

Source: Reddit

No matter what it looks like, the reason why it is in a store is confusing.

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A Frightening Knockoff

Another creepy advert is shown in this image. This image shows a creepy-looking Ronald McDonald knock-off. The only thing recognizable about this scary mascot is its outfit, color, logo, and the fact that it is directly outside the establishment it is supposed to represent. The figure looks like a weird clown. 

Source: OddlyTerrifying/Reddit

The only reason people would overlook this nightmarish figure is that McDonald’s has a fair reputation.

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Fear At First Sight

This picture was taken by someone who was skiing in the area. The fact that the picture was taken in broad daylight is the only thing that made it less horrific. 

Source: MildlyInteresting/Reddit

An image of this figure at night would have been a different case. It is bizarre how trees sometimes take the form of humans. Imagine stumbling upon this in the woods at night!

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Muscle Man That Doubles as a Kitty Condo

Entering a person’s house at night and seeing what looks like a very strong man crushing or squeezing a cat would trigger a heart-shattering fear. The next thought would be, am I next? 

Source: WTF/Reddit

This product is another bizarre thing people create. Even though it looks weird, it seems to be a very comfortable cat bed.

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Bath Fizzers Gone Awry

Bath fizzers are single-use spheres that can be used when a person wants a soothing and relaxing long bath. These bath fizzers are often pleasant-looking balls that come in different colors. 

Source: WTF/Reddit

The problem comes when a bath fizzer looks like something ugly and dangerous. The fizzer in this image looks like a rotten tooth, and it even came with a screw as a gift.

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Circle Of Life, Reversed

It is one thing to watch predators feeding on their prey, but it is an entirely different thing to find the predator remains in the belly of the prey. The fish in this picture is known as a lingcod. It usually looks terrifying with its bulging eyes and sharp teeth.

Source: WTF/Reddit

A fisherman caught this fish for dinner, and when it opened its mouth, he found an octopus. Another thing to watch out for in the water is calamari-eating fish.

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