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Funny Animals Interesting Freaky Pop Culture

23 Vintage Photos That Are So Creepy That They'll Freak You Out While Giving You The Chills

by Maryjane

Yes, there's a time for all things ghoulish and gory. Normally, Halloween is the ideal season for baking delectable fall delicacies and horror movie marathons.

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It's also the ideal time to read through some genuinely unsettling old photographs and relive some of the spooky customs, terrifying crimes, and terrifying fears from bygone eras. It's clear that humans have always been a somewhat peculiar species.

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Some people might believe that the development of the Internet and technological advancements are to blame for the downfall of humanity. But these images are here to prove otherwise.

These antique photos tell a lot about the past, from the practice of "spirit photography," which was a camera trick used to record pseudo-paranormal images, to images that may arouse a variety of phobias. Of course, a journey down memory lane wouldn't be complete without revisiting the very disturbing practice of post-mortem photography, in which families would pose with their departed loved ones.

These spooky old photos catch it all, one spooky frame at a time. So don't be in a rush because these creepy vintage photos are going to nowhere until they send chills down your spine.

Go right ahead and keep scrolling to check them out.

1. Salvador Dali embracing the weirdness we have all felt at one time or another

1. Salvador Dali embracing the weirdness we have all felt at one time or another
Charles Hewitt/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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2. An expertly taken “ghost” photo by a particular enthusiast…

2. An expertly taken “ghost” photo by a particular enthusiast…
FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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3. Some tribes sharpen and file down their teeth…

3. Some tribes sharpen and file down their teeth…
The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images
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4. Horrifying (and nearly fatal) facial injuries to a German soldier in World War I

4. Horrifying (and nearly fatal) facial injuries to a German soldier in World War I
Universal History Archive/Getty Images
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5. A photo from the Victorian era

5. A photo from the Victorian era
Public Domain
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6. That is one huge crab

6. That is one huge crab
Robert W. Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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7. Either some kind of elephant trick…or moments before disaster?

7. Either some kind of elephant trick…or moments before disaster?
ullstein bild / Getty Images
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8. Max Factor takes precise measurements of a young woman’s head and face with his “Beauty Calibrator” (1932)

8. Max Factor takes precise measurements of a young woman’s head and face with his “Beauty Calibrator” (1932)
FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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9. The “human serpent” distracts other soldiers on the front (France, World War I, 1915)

9. The “human serpent” distracts other soldiers on the front (France, World War I, 1915)
Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images

10. A mental hospital’s inmate, lost in his own mind

10. A mental hospital’s inmate, lost in his own mind
BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

11. A photograph of Will Thomas, taken by William Hope (1863-1933), with a ghost in the background (that they apparently really wanted to include)

11. A photograph of Will Thomas, taken by William Hope (1863-1933), with a ghost in the background (that they apparently really wanted to include)
SSPL/Getty Images

12. The New Year’s festival of the Sylvester Klause at Urnasch in the Appenzell region of Switzerland…which is full of its own kind of horror

12. The New Year’s festival of the Sylvester Klause at Urnasch in the Appenzell region of Switzerland…which is full of its own kind of horror
Francois LE DIASCORN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

13. A silent, suffering inmate of an insane asylum

13. A silent, suffering inmate of an insane asylum
Jerry Cooke/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

14. Well, they said this opera singer sounded just like a little bird

14. Well, they said this opera singer sounded just like a little bird
General Photographic Agency/Getty Images

15. When the circus visited a children’s hospital (circa 1930), clown Charlie Smith didn’t exactly make anyone feel better

15. When the circus visited a children’s hospital (circa 1930), clown Charlie Smith didn’t exactly make anyone feel better
FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

16. Victorian portraits

16. Victorian portraits
Public Domain

17. A man proudly sits with his severed head collection

17. A man proudly sits with his severed head collection
Public Domain

18. The ghost wants to grab the man

18. The ghost wants to grab the man
Public Domain / Eugene Thiebault

19. The “giraffe women” of Burma

19. The “giraffe women” of Burma
Harlingue/Roger Viollet/Getty Images

20. Still don't believe in witches?

20. Still don't believe in witches?
Public Domain

21. A clown in a burnt-out house, USA, 1975

21. A clown in a burnt-out house, USA, 1975
Jill Freedman/Getty Images

22. You can be useful even in death

22. You can be useful even in death
Public Domain

23. We'll pass

23. We'll pass
Public Domain via wanganuilibrary.recollect.co.nz

Undoubtedly, the reason why monsters, ghouls, vampires, and ghosts are so unsettling is that they serve as a reminder of the human race. Recall that humans are among the strangest and most depraved species on earth.

Tell us what you think about this creepy collection in the comments section below and don't forget to share as well.

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