Since the invention of photography in the mid-1800s, and continuing into the present day, modern history has been filled with chilling photographs—many more disturbing than scenes from the scariest horror films.
These haunting images capture a wide range of terrifying moments, from encounters with dangerous wildlife to the final seconds before tragedy strikes in natural disasters.
Dennis Rader (BTK) walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding in 2003—a chilling image of a seemingly ordinary moment, made unsettling by the knowledge that Rader was secretly living a double life as one of America’s most infamous serial killers.
Genie Wiley, The “Feral Child”
In 1931, psychologists Winthrop and Luella Kellogg launched a unique experiment to explore whether a chimpanzee could adopt human behavior if raised alongside a human child. They brought a young chimp named Gua into their home and raised her alongside their infant son, Donald. The goal was to see if Gua could learn to walk upright, speak, and mimic other human actions through shared upbringing and environment.
1800s family photo
“Charlie No-Face”
Lon Chaney as a clown, 1928.
The tools of Ted Bundy
Jail cell used during the Salem Witch Trials
The start of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
The last moments off a man who jumped in a tiger enclosure, 2014.
The nuclear shadows of Hiroshima
An early version of Ronald McDonald
Vintage Halloween Costume
John Wayne Gacy as a child
John Lennon pictured with Mark David Chapman, the man who took his life.
The last moments of Keith Sapsford
Omayra Sanchez trapped after an earethquake.
The Hilo Tsunami, 1946
The Amityville Horror House
Shell-shocked soldier during WWI.
Ted Bundy in various family photos.
Unsettling vintage Halloween costume
Mount Sakurajima erupts in 1914.
Ted Bundy’s yearbook photo from 1965
The last photo taken by Daylenn Pua before he disappeared.
A selfie from James Holmes
The last photo before The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Ted Bundy playing with his ex-girlfriend’s daughter.
Knife thrower and child in 1940s
A Mickey Mouse gas mask for American Children during WWII, 1942.
Max Schreck relaxes behind the scenes of Nosferatu, 1922
Leon County Sheriff Reading the Chi Omega Sorority indictment to Ted Bundy.
