# Is this the creepiest photograph in the history of the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905 "2012-12-23T06:56:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/21 "2012-12-23T15:37:24Z")
I don’t have the link and don’t really want to see the picture again - but not long ago there were some photos of lynchings of black men in the USA. One photo that creeped me out showed all these people at a lynching and in the foreground are a young, white couple - holding hands and all grins and giggles as they look at the camera - as if they are there having a grand old time at the county fair. That couple just disgusted me beyond all belief. They just represented all that is wrong with this world in one snapshot. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/22 "2012-12-23T16:00:07Z")
Not even moving my creepy meter. A zero on the scale. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/23 "2012-12-23T16:07:12Z")
The Small World ride at Disney is full of those dolls, but they move and sing at you in tongues. Horrid. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/24 "2012-12-23T16:09:22Z")
I have a photo here somewhere that was in my father’s belongings. He is not in it, so he may have taken the photo. It’s a fellow US soldier in Korea. He’s kneeling down and holding up the head of a Korean soldier. The head apparently wasn’t just cut off. Looks like it was blown off as strands of skin and stuff is hanging from the head and there is a noticeable wound at one temple. Might be a toss-up for creepiest between that one and one I saw of a fire scene. Firefighters were holding a hose. Nearby on the sidewalk, there were a few charred bodies. They were in the position of people sitting at a desk. Makes me wonder if a flash fire killed them while they were seated. Stiff, charred bodies lying on their backs with knees bent and arms extending upward. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/25 "2012-12-23T16:16:24Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I don’t have the link and don’t really want to see the picture again - but not long ago there were some photos of lynchings of black men in the USA. One photo that creeped me out showed all these people at a lynching and in the foreground are a young, white couple - holding hands and all grins and giggles as they look at the camera - as if they are there having a grand old time at the county fair. That couple just disgusted me beyond all belief. They just represented all that is wrong with this world in one snapshot. Yeah, the capacity that humans have for enjoying the suffering of others as entertainment is pretty sickening. I remember being very disturbed when I found out [burning cats to death used to be a form of public celebration/entertainment in France](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat-burning). I find that I have to try not to think about this kind of stuff if I want to have any faith in the decency of humanity. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/26 "2012-12-23T16:25:13Z")
> [@Obeseus](#): > > Nearby on the sidewalk, there were a few charred bodies. They were in the position of people sitting at a desk. Makes me wonder if a flash fire killed them while they were seated. Stiff, charred bodies lying on their backs with knees bent and arms extending upward. I’m not sure if mentioning this will make you feel better or worse, but most likely the reason they were bent in that way is because the heat of the fire caused their muscles to contract into those positions. Exposure to heat causes the muscles to shorten. Pathologists refer to this characteristic posture of a fire victim as “pugilistic” because it is reminiscent of the posture a boxer might take. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/27 "2012-12-23T17:08:46Z")
Weak as piss. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/28 "2012-12-23T17:19:40Z")
Can we please get some genuinely creepy photos in this thread? Not some photo that requires some context to understand (like one snapped by a serial killer right before he killed his victim). Where are some straight up creepy photos? ---
**Author:** ![Anise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anise/32/21721_2.png) [@Anise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anise)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/29 "2012-12-23T20:06:23Z")
There are more doll photos… quite a few more. I was sent a bizarre catalog from a doll auction. There are no online photos of any of them. I checked the auction house’s website repeatedly and did a Google search. The only way to get this online was to scan it in and then post it on the blog. That’s where I post things. There was no online photo to link to, so that was not an option. I would have been more than happy to post the photo here directly, but that hasn’t been permitted in a long time. If anyone has any ideas about where else I should have posted it (without going through ten times more work, and STILL not being related to any blog… so Tumblr is out, too), please do share with the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/30 "2012-12-23T20:20:02Z")
There used to be a site that posted pix of creepy stuff being sold on eBay. It went from managed, to user-uploads, to dead a number of years ago but might still be around. There are things on that site that still make me shudder. Many were dolls, not a few were clowns. Brrrr. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/31 "2012-12-23T20:24:57Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Can we please get some genuinely creepy photos in this thread? Not some photo that requires some context to understand (like one snapped by a serial killer right before he killed his victim). Where are some straight up creepy photos? I’m not overly impressed with the entire collection, but some of [these](http://www.cracked.com/article_19512_16-real-old-timey-photographs-that-will-give-you-nightmares.html)are quite creepy. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/32 "2012-12-23T20:31:18Z")
> [@Anise](#): > > Y’all… I’m still in shock. I honestly think that this has to be one of the creepiest pictures of anything I have ever seen. But I don’t know if I’m right or wrong. Is this subject just plain intrinsically creepy? Are there some photos of it that might not be so creepy? Am I imagining it all? I scanned it in and posted it [right here.](http://www.deathtrainthenovel.com/?p=608) > > Don’t be afraid to take a look. Totally safe for work, and G-rated, actually… so is it just me?? Not even mildly creepy. Banal, actually. Certainly not creepy enough for me to be tempted to buy the book. :dubious: The shot by the serial killer? Creepy. Sad. I googled and found the same article that **lavenderviolet** posted a link to. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/33 "2012-12-23T20:42:05Z")
There’s a great blog called [Black and WTF](http://blackandwtf.tumblr.com/) that’s a collection of strange, funny, and creepy black and white photos. Here are two that kinda freak me out: [One](http://blackandwtf.tumblr.com/post/265560594/thanks-hailey) [Two](http://blackandwtf.tumblr.com/post/227328172/via) ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/34 "2012-12-23T21:40:02Z")
There’s a photographer, whose name escapes me now, who created elaborate macabre B&W still life photographs. Including some corpses. Real ones. I can’t remember his name, and frankly I’m not about to go googling anything specific enough to remind me. Maybe someone knows who I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/35 "2012-12-24T01:06:48Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > There’s a photographer, whose name escapes me now Joel-Peter Witkn. No links; google if you must. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/36 "2012-12-24T01:32:14Z")
The OP loses the internet. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/37 "2012-12-24T04:01:28Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I’m not overly impressed with the entire collection, but some of [these](http://www.cracked.com/article_19512_16-real-old-timey-photographs-that-will-give-you-nightmares.html)are quite creepy. I like [these too.](http://www.cracked.com/article_18711_19-unintentionally-terrifying-childrens-album-covers.html)Fucking diddymen ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/38 "2012-12-24T06:04:29Z")
[The Hands Resist Him](http://www.stuffbypaulbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/hands_resist_him.jpg) (Okay, it’s a painting, not a photograph, whatever) ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/39 "2012-12-24T06:25:35Z")
I think that painting was taken as creepier immediately in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, given the kid’s supposed resemblance to Timothy McVeigh. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905/40 "2012-12-24T06:29:39Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > That is _exactly_ the photo I thought of when I read the title of this thread. In fact, I thought the OP was going to be about that picture. > > I’ve seen a lot of creepy stuff, but that one takes the cake. > > The doll one doesn’t even come close. Ditto and even if you don’t know the back story the unbuttoned dress and heels still on along with the body language and you know really something bad is about to happen. But I would vote for momento mori photos [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-creepiest-photograph-in-the-history-of-the-world/644905.md?page=3)