John Lennon meets a fan
Legendary Beatle John Lennon was a truly beloved musician and activist and was known for being friendly and patient with fans who wanted autographs.
Tragically, this autograph turned out to be one of the last that Lennon would ever sign. Even more chillingly, this photo shows him signing a record for Mark David Chapman, the man who would later shoot and kill him.
A chilling group photo
This WW2 era photo depicts a group of people having a great time, laughing and fooling around. Look closer at their uniforms however, and the sickening truth becomes clear.
These men and women were actually staff and guards at Auschwitz enjoying a day off - before going back to work to commit some of the most evil atrocities in human history.
Hello Kitty mermaid doll
While this grubby Hello Kitty mermaid doll looks pretty gross, the reason for its griminess is far from the usual wear and tear of a child's toy.
The doll was found at a grisly Hong Kong crime scene where the body of young nightclub worker Fan Man-yee was found in pieces - some of which were sewn into the doll.
A horrifying hike
In 2015, a young Hawaiian boy named Daylenn Pua embarked on a solo hike in Moanalua Valley Park. During the day, he texted his grandmother photos of the lush scenery.
Pua never returned home, and was never found. On inspecting the photos sent to his grandmother, a man can be seen among the bushes - who to this day has never been identified.
An adventurer takes a rest
To those unfamiliar with the tragic fate of adventurer Chris McCandless, this photo of him relaxing by an old bus looks like a calm and peaceful picture of free living.
The truth is much more tragic; this is one of the photos found in McCandless' camera after his body was found starved to death. The exact cause is still unknown.
A hiker's worst nightmare
In 2014, 22 year old student Darsh Patel and friends went hiking in West Milford, New Jersey, where they encountered every hiker's worst nightmare - an angry black bear.
Tragically, Patel lost his life after being attacked and mauled by the ferocious beast, but not before he managed to snap this terrifying photo of it running towards him.
Blonde locks
To the ignorant eye, this photo of blonde hair looks like a picture taken accidentally. The truth, however, is much more terrifying. This is one of the photos found on the camera of Lisanne Froon, a Dutch student who went missing in the jungles of Panama with her friend Kris Kremers.
Parts of their bodies were found months later, as was the camera, containing this chilling photo of what appears to be the back of Kremers' head.
Class of '99
This high school photo from 1999 shows a group of happy students having the time of their lives. But look closer at the top left corner.
This is a photo from Columbine High School, mere months before Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their killing spree. In this photo, they can be seen pointing imaginary guns at the camera.
The "too cute" criminal
Yuka Takaoka, the young woman seen in this photo, looks like butter wouldn't melt. Her big eyes and sweet smile hide a sinister and violent personality that led to her becoming an Internet sensation.
In 2019, Takaoka was arrested for brutally attacking and almost killing her boyfriend. She soon developed a wide fanbase of men who believed she was too cute to be such a vicious criminal.
Steven Weber's tragic proposal
This romantic note was written by Steven Weber, whose proposal to his girlfriend Kenesha Antoine went horribly, tragically wrong.
Weber recorded himself diving underwater with a note and ring intended to ask Antoine to marry him. He drowned before he could ascend to hear her answer: a resounding 'yes'.
The green barrel
Blurred faces aside, this photo taken at a birthday party in Wales looks totally nondescript. But the green barrel on the left hand side makes this photo far more sinister than celebratory.
At the time the photo was taken, the barrel contained the body of Edwina Boyle, who had been shot and killed by her husband Frederick.
A final breakfast
In this photo, a group of astronauts and scientists enjoy a pre-launch breakfast. Nobody could have predicted just how terribly the rest of the day would go.
You might not recognize them outside of their suits, but this is one of the last photos taken of the Challenger crew, all of whom perished in the 1986 space shuttle disaster.
Ghostly gymnastics
To the untrained eye, this picture just looks like a young girl captured in the middle of jumping around her bedroom. But according to Janet Hodgson, the subject of the photo, she was not jumping, but levitating.
Janet and her family were supposed victims of the Enfield poltergeist, an alleged haunting that took place in London in 1977. While many remain sceptical of the case, it was the subject of the terrifying horror movie, The Conjuring 2.
A CEO shares his design
This photo, taken during a 2022 CBS broadcast, shows OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush showing off the controller that was used to navigate the Titan, a submersible that explored the wreck of the Titanic.
In 2023, Rush was among four passengers of the Titan who tragically lost their lives when the submersible imploded.
An unsuspecting smile
This photo from the 1950s depicts hiker and adventurer Igor Dyatlov in his favorite environment - covered in snow and exploring Russia's Ural Mountains.
Dyatlov would sadly lose his life in what has become known as the Dyatlov Pass incident, an event that saw Igor and his team die in terrifying and mysterious circumstances.
Moments before a deadly descent
This photo from 1972 shows smiling members of the Old Christians rugby club as they embark on a flight from Uruguay to Chile.
After a devastating and fatal plane crash, the survivors were forced to eat the remains of their friends and co-passengers - a decision none of us should ever have to make.
Lipsync lies
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, 7-year-old Lin Miaoke stunned audiences around the world with her beautiful singing voice. The truth behind the video is far uglier.
Miaoke was actually not singing at all, and was in fact lipsyncing to vocals sung by another child, Yang Peiyi. Allegedly, little Peiyi did not meet the "very cute" standards that Chinese officials wanted to represent them on the global stage.
A final elevator ride
This grainy CCTV capture shows a woman in an elevator, seemingly waiting for someone to enter before the doors close. In reality, this photo depicts some of the last moments of Elisa Lam, a young woman who would meet a tragic end in Los Angeles' Cecil Hotel.
The CCTV footage of Lam is thoroughly disturbing; she appears distressed, and performs odd motions with her hands and arms. The circumstances around her death remain mysterious.
The disturbing case of Genie
This photo depicts a young girl looking fascinated by a small object. The reason for her fascination is because, until she was 13 years old, Genie was kept bound and restrained in a small room by her abusive father.
Genie quickly became one of the most studied cases of feral children in history, with a team of scientists and linguists chronicling her stunted development. Despite her disturbing past, these days, Genie reportedly lives happily in Los Angeles.
A moment that changed history
While the photos on this list have eerie meanings, not many of them have captured moments before a change in the course of human history quite like this one.
This photo depicts Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie about an hour before their assassination. This kickstarted a series of events that would eventually lead to the start of the First World War.
A dangerous dating show
This photo taken from the 1970s gameshow The Dating Game features something truly terrifying (and it's not just the wallpaper).
The contestant seated on the left is serial killer Rodney Alcala. By the time of shooting the show, he had already committed a number of heinous crimes. He ended up winning the show, but thankfully, the female contestant did not end up going on a date with him.
Radium Girl
This vintage photo of a factory worker delicately painting a watch face looks pretty nondescript, but would go on to become a symbol of worker's rights. The woman in this photo is a 'Radium Girl', a woman working in one of three factories across the States painting watch hands and faces.
After a number of the women became gravely sick and even died, it came to light that - despite being told it was harmless - the paint they were using contained fatal levels of radium. By 'pointing' the brushes (placing the painted tip in their mouth for a finer point), the woman had accidentally ingested the deadly chemical.
The last photo of Abigail Williams
In 2017, two young girls, Abigail Williams and Liberty German, never returned home after a hike on Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Indiana. Tragically, their bodies were found the next day.
What makes this case even more chilling is that German was updating her Snapchat throughout the hike, uploading this photo of Williams walking on the bridge. German also recorded the presumed voice of her killer commanding the girls to go "down the hill." The murder remains unsolved.
A monstrous mass
This amorphous blob looks like it could be the monster in an 80s horror movie, but the truth is even more terrifying. Known as the 'Elephant's Foot', this chemical mass is a run-off of incredibly dangerous corium lava from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Even a few unprotected minutes near the Elephant's Foot would cause an incredibly painful death. This photo was taken 10 years after the accident, and was still taken with a remote camera to ensure the safety of the people operating it.
Tyler Hadley's killer party
This blurry photo shows teen Tyler Hadley and a friend posing coolly for a photo in the middle of a party at Hadley's place. Hours prior, Hadley had committed a truly heinous crime.
Before announcing the party to his Facebook friends, Tyler killed his parents, Blake and Mary-Jo, in cold blood. Tyler's friend Michael Mandell took this photo after finding out the sickening news.
A tragic selfie
This photo of teenagers Essa Ricker, Kelsea Webster and Savannah Webster looks like a normal, silly selfie of a group of good friends. That is, until you notice the bright light in the background.
The light belongs to an eastbound Union Pacific train that was hurtling down the tracks towards them. Tragically, by the time the girls were noticed, it was too late for the driver to stop.
Ravishing Radiana
Admittedly, this photo of a lifesized doll is already pretty darn creepy. But what makes it even creepier is the fact that the doll, known as Radiana, contains actual human bones.
Radiana was the project of Dutch savant Professor John Popjie, who used Radiana to demonstrate the conduction of electricity back in the 1920s. Gulp!
The Street Survivors album cover
Legendary rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd's fifth album Street Survivors' original cover depicted the band surrounded by a flaming landscape.
Three days after the album was released, a devastating plane crash killed a number of band members, as well as some of their crew. This album cover quickly became a shocking case of unhappy coincidence.
The truth behind Afghan Girl
Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl is one of the most famous photographs of all time, symbolic of the struggles of refugees around the world. However, the truth behind the photo is even darker.
In 2002, Sharbat Gula, the girl in the photo, expressed her anger that her face had become so famous. She claimed McCurry had never gotten permission to take her photo, as her cultural beliefs restricted her from showing her face to men outside of her family.
A hair-raising hike
In this photo from 1975, Michael McQuilken and his younger brother Sean can be seen grinning as their hair stands on end. The usually-harmless charge of static energy was actually a warning sign that neither brother knew to take seriously.
Moments later, the pair were struck by lightning. Thankfully, both survived, with Sean suffering third-degree burns to his back and shoulders. The photo serves as a reminder to hikers to be careful in increment weather.
The meaning behind a famous meme
You've almost certainly seen the popular meme of Antoine Dodson, who went viral in 2010 for his "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" comments on national news. But the actual terrifying reason for his comments has been long forgotten.
Dodson was interviewed after his sister Kelly was attacked and assaulted in her own bedroom. While the memes might have been hilarious, the meaning behind them certainly wasn't.
Walrus attack
Despite their size and giant tusks, walruses are generally docile animals. They have, however, been known to attack humans. One of these unlucky people was Jia Lijun, a vistor at China's Xixiakou Wildlife Park.
In 2016, Lijun visited the park and updated his social media throughout the day, sharing photos and videos of the animals. After an ill-advised selfie with this 1.5 tonne walrus, the massive marine creature pulled him into the water where he tragically drowned.
Omagh car
This 1998 photo shows Spanish tourist Gonzalo Cavedo and a young girl on his shoulders, enjoying their vacation to Omagh, Northern Ireland. What they didn't know at the time the photo was taken is that the red car next was rigged with explosives by the IRA, and would shortly claim the lives of 29 innocent people.
Thankfully, both Gonzalo and the young girl survived, with this photo a chilling reminder of just how close they came to joining the tragedy of the others who lost their lives.
A paranormal peek
This grainy photo of a little boy peeking out from behind a door frame is undoubtedly creepy in any situation, but the backstory takes it to a whole new level. This picture was allegedly captured by photographer Gene Campbell, who was working with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The subject of the investigation? The legendary Amityville house, where Ronald Defeo Jr. killed his entire family due to (in his words) the influence of demonic voices. Many believe the boy captured in this photo is the restless spirit of Ronald's younger brother John.
Kim Wall's final journey
In 2017, Swedish journalist Kim Wall boarded the submarine UC3 Nautilus to interview its owner, entrepreneur Peter Madsen. Kim can be seen on the right in this photo, the last time she was ever seen alive.
Despite claiming Wall died accidentally due to a gas leak, Madsen later admitted that he had murdered her and thrown her body overboard. Knowing the truth behind this sickening case, this photo is truly terrifying.
Hotel horrors
This seemingly innocuous CCTV footage shows New Zealander Jesse Shane Kempson wheeling luggage into a hotel elevator. The shocking truth of what the luggage contains is tragic and terrifying.
Inside the suitcase was the body of British backpacker Grace Millane. Her untimely death sparked an international discussion on victim blaming and violence against women.
Courtside criminals
This photo of basketball player Mark Jackson was immortalized in card form, but he's not why it's so sought after. The reason this card is so sinister is because of the two boys in the left hand corner - two boys attending a basketball game after committing a bloody crime.
In 1989, Lyle and Erik Menéndez shot and killed their parents, and before they were caught would spend $700,000 of their parents' money on holidays, expensive dinners, and court-side seats to a New York Knicks game.
Shadow etched in stone
This nondescript dark shape on a set of concrete steps could be mistaken for nothing more than a stain, but the reality is far more tragic.
Found on the steps of Sumitomo Bank in Hiroshima, Japan, this shadow is actually all that is left of an unknown person who was sitting there when the atomic bomb was dropped on the city at the end of WWII.
David A. Johnston's final smile
In 1980, Washington's Mount St. Helens volcano erupted causing devastating damage and a number of tragic deaths. Among these deaths was volcanologist David A. Johnston, who can be seen relaxing and smiling here during his work at the eruption site.
A mere 13 hours later, Johnston would lose his life in the blast. This image has remained a reminder of just how normal life can seem before a natural disaster forever changes things.
A red lake of death
The red water of Cyprus' Mitsero Lake is creepy enough, but that's not why this photo of vlogger Sarah Funk is disturbing. During a 2017 trip to the lake, the travel YouTuber uploaded a video of herself and her partner exploring the area.
At one point, a mysterious bag-looking object floats past in the water. It is thought to be a suitcase containing the grisly remains of murders by serial killer Nicos Metaxas, who dumped his victims' bodies in the lake.