This article was originally published on For What It’s Earth and has been republished to Popular Everything with permission.
In today’s day and age, it’s easy to be won over by fake images. Anyone can become a Photoshop wizard, and everyone uses filters and edits to change their photos in one way or another. But editing software didn’t exist 20 years ago… and all of these creepy photos were taken way before then. That’s why there are so many questions surrounding them. They just don’t make sense.
From creepy paranormal activity to spontaneously combusting humans, these creepy photos plumb the depths of history’s dark side. And while some people will claim that these photos are all fake, experts from countless different fields have examined these photos at length… and they still don’t have any answers. Yes, these are disturbing and creepy photos that still can’t be explained, even to this day.
Nobody Knows What the Hook Island Sea Monster Could Be
There are many photos in this world that just can’t be explained, and questions are still burning around this photo of the “Hook Island Sea Monster.” This photo was snapped back in 1964 by French photographer Robert Serrec, who couldn’t believe the giant creature he spotted off the coast of Queensland in Australia. It was a 90-foot tadpole-like monster with small teeth and eyes at the top of its head.
When the photo was developed, Robert sought help to identify what he really saw. But even to this day, nobody knows what this creature could have been. Some critics have suggested that the dark mass below the surface of the water was seaweed or rocks, but others aren’t so sure. Rumors of a shadowy, monstrous creature have continued to plague the waters around Queensland for decades.
Despite Extensive Research, the Hessdalen Lights in Norway Still Can’t Be Explained
Seeing lights in the sky isn’t exactly uncommon in Norway. After all, people in Scandinavian countries are lucky to look up and see the Northern Lights on a regular basis. But the Hessdalen lights aren’t the same as the aurora borealis. These lights have been spotted floating above the Hessdalen Valley every week since the 1940s, and they are normally formed of white or yellow lights… but what are they?
Although these Hessdalen lights have reduced in frequency over the past few years, they’re still seen around 10-20 times a year – and between 1981 and 1984, they were seen up to 20 times per week. Naturally, scientists have been extremely interested in these seemingly extra-terrestrial lights, and extensive research has been done to uncover their origins. However, there is still no explanation of what they are, or where they come from.
The Ghostly Figure in the Coopers’ Family Photo Is Still a Mystery
Everyone has their own opinions on ghosts and paranormal activity. While there are some who wholeheartedly believe that ghosts and spirits do not exist, there are others who can’t help but think that they do – especially when they see famous photos like this one. Yes, this photo of the Cooper family from Texas has made the rounds for decades, despite the fact that it was taken back in the 1950s.
This photo was taken shortly after the Coopers moved into their new house, and when they posed for the camera, everything seemed normal. They couldn’t see anything untoward, and in their eyes, they were in the house by themselves. However, when the photo was developed, it was clear to see that they weren’t alone. This ghostly figure was hanging from the ceiling, and many speculate that it was the spirit of the previous owner of the house.
Edna Cintron’s Mysterious Final Photos Are Even More Chilling
Today, Edna Cintron is remembered as “The Waving Woman.” But the circumstances around this name are both chilling and terrifying. That’s because Edna Cintron worked as an administrative assistant for Marsh & McLennan, an insurance company that was occupying the 97th floor of the World Trade Center 1 building on September 11, 2001.
Like thousands of others on that fateful day, Edna didn’t survive the terror attack. But shortly after her death, video footage of the event went viral as it seemed to show the still-alive Edna waving from a hole created when Flight 11 crashed into the tower. This is thought to be the final photograph ever taken of the woman, and the terrifying reality of this photo has confused New Yorkers ever since.
The Bizarre Falcon Lake Incident Still Just Doesn’t Make Sense
Back in 1967, a man by the name of Stefan Michalak claimed to have seen an unidentified flying object flying over Falcon Lake in Canada. In fact, he claims that he got so close to the object that he could have reached out to touch it if it hadn’t quickly flown away from him. But in its haste to fly away, the object knocked him over and burnt him with its exhaust vent… leaving Stefan with unusual burn marks on his body.
As if the burns weren’t enough, Stefan also suffered bizarre side effects after the incident. Doctors suggested that he was suffering the symptoms of someone who had been exposed to radiation, but they didn’t have any more answers. To this day, nobody knows what Stefan saw, how he came to be burnt, or whether he really did encounter an unidentified flying object.
We Still Don’t Know Whether the Creepy Solway Firth Spaceman Was Real
The Solway Firth spaceman photo is extremely famous today, and you might have even seen it before. But do you know its backstory? In 1964, a loving father by the name of Jim Templeton decided to take a picture of his daughter playing in a meadow in Solway Firth in Cumbria, England. At the time, he was alone with his daughter, and he assumed the developed photo would show that.
However, when the photo was developed, it was clear to see that Jim’s daughter was not alone. Behind his daughter’s head was a strange spaceman-like figure that just didn’t make sense. While some have suggested that the figure depicted Jim’s wife, standing with her back to the camera, this theory has been debunked. Right now, there’s still no plausible explanation.
The Freddy Jackson Photo Forces Us To Believe Ghosts Are Real
What happens to us after we die remains a mystery, with everyone coming up with their own hypotheses. Some believe that we often don’t realize when we are dead, and they think that Freddy Jackson is a prime example of that. After all, when Freddy was pictured in this 1919 squadron group photo, he was actually dead.
Air mechanic Freddy Jackson was killed a few days earlier, which meant that he couldn’t have posed for a photo with the rest of his squadron. However, they confirmed that the ghostly figure hiding in the background was indeed Freddy himself – despite the fact that the photo was taken on the day of Freddy’s funeral. They believe that Freddy’s spirit was unaware of his death, so he turned up to take the photo as he had always intended to.
The Case Surrounding Elisa Lam’s Strange Death Still Raises Questions
Dark tourism is on the rise, with many people traveling to macabre destinations around the globe – like the Hotel Cecil in Los Angeles. This hotel was the location of Elisa Lam’s strange disappearance and death back in 2013, when the 21-year-old student was eventually found in the water tank on the roof of the hotel. While the questions surrounding her death are confusing, the CCTV footage is even more bizarre.
In this footage, Elisa can be seen riding the hotel elevator the day before her disappearance, and it’s clear to see that she was behaving erratically. While many people have suggested that Elisa was hiding from someone looking to harm her, there are others who believe that her strange behavior and her subsequent death was the result of a psychotic episode. However, what really happened in the Hotel Cecil still remains a mystery.
We Still Don’t Know if This Man Was a Time-Travelling Hipster
The idea of time travel has long intrigued people around the world, but is it possible? Some certainly believe so, and they believe that this famous photo proves it. This photo was taken in 1941, at the re-opening of the South Fork Bridge in British Columbia. And while the crowd looked relatively normal, the photo has since gone viral due to the man in the sunglasses on the right.
In fact, many people are convinced that this man is a time traveler. They believe that his sunglasses and his overall style and clothes are too modern for that period, and that’s before we mention the seemingly modern camera he seems to be holding in his hands. He’s since been dubbed “the time-traveling hipster,” but others have rejected this theory.
The Possible Extraterrestrial Black Knight Satellite Still Cannot Be Identified
In 2022, there are 4,852 active satellites orbiting the Earth. Amazingly, a whopping 2,944 of them belong to the United States. And while the rest are all accounted for, there is one satellite orbiting our planet that has long confused scientists and technology experts alike. They’ve named it the “Black Knight Satellite” but that’s about all they’ve been able to find out about it.
The existence of this unidentified satellite was first discovered during the 1998 STS-88 mission, and while a call was put out to claim the satellite, no one has yet to do so. This has led to many conspiracy theories. Some believe that the satellite has extraterrestrial origins and that aliens are spying on us, while others believe that it’s a secret government satellite… also up there to spy on us.
We Still Don’t Know Who the Babushka Lady Was, or What She Wanted
The Babushka Lady is still an enigma in history, with many people questioning who she is, and what her intentions were. After all, she was present during the 1963 assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy, and many wonder whether her strange presence had something to do with his death. She even managed to take photographs of the event.
Although the Babushka Lady may have just been a woman who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, authorities have tried to locate her over the years. She seemed to stay put while other witnesses ran away and took cover from any flying bullets, meaning her camera footage could help put the pieces of that day together. However, she has never been positively identified.
The Death of Evelyn McHale Still Shakes Many to Their Cores
The Empire State Building is considered to be one of the most iconic buildings in the world, but it has also been the location of tragic events. In May 1947, a 23-year-old woman by the name of Evelyn McHale made her way up to the 86th-floor observation deck of the building before throwing herself off the edge. Instead of hitting the ground, Evelyn landed on a limousine parked below.
While her tragic death shocked those in the Big Apple, this picture of her corpse proved to be even more of a talking point. Taken by photography student Robert Wiles, this photo shows the young woman perfectly intact and looking extremely beautiful after such a horrific fall and landing. Today, many call her death “the most beautiful suicide” of all time.
Despite Going Extinct, This Photo Seems To Show a Civil War Pterodactyl
From a young, we are taught about the former existence of dinosaurs. We’re taught that they roamed the Earth millions of years ago and went extinct – with just a few fossils left behind to teach us about their existence. And while most people believe this, there are some people who can’t deny that the photo below doesn’t raise questions.
This photo has been traced back to the Civil War era, and while the get-up of the soldiers seems fitting to that period, the creature they’re standing behind certainly doesn’t. According to what we know about dinosaurs, they’re standing behind a pterodactyl. But how? While some people have claimed that this photo is fake, it seems almost too strange to be fake.
The Spontaneous Combustion of Mary Reeser Has Left Experts Stumped
One thing you might not realize is that there have been around 150 cases of spontaneous human combustion over the past two thousand years. And while it’s extremely rare, it has happened – and it may have happened to Mary Reeser back in 1951. The St. Petersberg, Florida native was found by her landlady in a pile of ashes in July of that year, with just a leg and a shrunken head left behind.
Of course, the authorities originally shunned the idea of spontaneous combustion. They investigated her apartment and ran the necessary tests to determine the cause of the blaze, but they couldn’t find anything. Her apartment had largely been spared any fire damage, which led the FBI to come to the conclusion that she really had spontaneously combusted. Why this happened, though, nobody knows.
The Amityville Ghost Boy Has Still Not Been Positively Identified
On the grounds of 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island, is a house that has long been associated with paranormal activity. It’s been the subject of books, television shows, and movies – but often, people keep coming back to the real stories and photos from the house itself. One previous owner of the house, George Lutz, even enlisted the help of paranormal investigators in 1976 to try and take pictures of the strange goings on.
During the night, the automatic camera they set up on the second floor of the house went off and captured this horrifying image. While George and his wife had sons, they looked nothing like the demonic boy in the photo. This led many to believe that this image showed the ghost of John DeFeo, who had been murdered (alongside five other members of his family) in the house by his brother in 1974.
The Mystery of the Salem UFO Remains Unsolved
Many people around the world believe they have seen unidentified flying objects over the years, and while society is reluctant to believe them, it’s hard to ignore hard evidence like photographs. That’s why this photo of the Salem UFO has caused such a stir over the years. This photo was captured on August 3, 1952, and it seems to show four UFOs flying above the city of Salem, Massachusetts.
This city is already associated with witchcraft, but many believe it also to be the home of extraterrestrial activity. And while many other witnesses claim to have seen lights just like these ones around the same time, claims of UFOs have been shunned by critics. They believe the lights to be reflections in the window, but the truth is still not known.
The Mysterious Death of Hannelore Schmatz Still Horrifies Everest Climbers
Hannelore Schmatz will be remembered for many reasons, both impressive and terrifying. First and foremost, she is celebrated for being the fourth woman in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest. However, her achievements have been shrouded by the fact that she was also the very first woman in history to die on the summit of Mount Everest. And her death still remains a mystery.
The German mountaineer’s body was never recovered but instead left for years after her death to serve as a warning to other climbers who passed her. And while it was clear to these climbers that the woman had succumbed to the cold, her shocked face, blowing hair, and wide-open eyes left these people with a sour taste in their mouths. After all, it seemed as though her eyes followed them on their trails.
This Creepy Photo of the Dyatlov Pass Incident Makes It Even More Confusing
The Dyatlov Pass Incident is one that has confused experts for decades. This incident saw nine young hikers mysteriously disappear while trekking through the Ural Mountains in Russia in February 1959, and when their bodies were ultimately found, serious questions were raised. That’s because the hikers were found dismembered and grotesquely disfigured.
This creepy photo was taken just a few days before they disappeared, and while it was clear that they encountered problems in the form of snow, the photo didn’t show any signs of distress. To this day, the cause of death of these hikers hasn’t been confirmed, and only rumors now exist. Some believe that they were the subject of secret government experiments, while others have suggested the Yeti was involved.
This Creepy Picture Seemed To Foreshadow the Columbine Massacre
While school shootings are sadly not uncommon in the United States, the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 is by far one of the most shocking of all time. This event saw students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 12 of their fellow classmates and one teacher before they ultimately killed themselves. Of course, the world had questions after the event, but one picture taken prior to the massacre seemed to foreshadow the whole thing.
In a chilling discovery found after the horrendous act, investigators came across this school photo taken just a few short weeks before the shooting. And while this photo looked pretty normal at first, a quick look at Eric and Dylan suggested otherwise. This photo shows the students, found at the top left of the photo, pretending to shoot the camera with their hands posed like guns.
This Unknown Figure Dancing on a Patient Still Hasn’t Been Identified
Hospitals give many people heebie-jeebies. They’re cold, clinical, and the location of countless deaths every single day. Because of this, many people try to avoid them as much as possible… but nurses don’t get that privilege. They have to keep track of their patients, they have to visit different rooms, and they even have to keep an eye on the cameras inside the rooms. However, what one nurse saw on this day threw her for six.
On a fateful day, a nurse reportedly saw a strange black figure seemingly dancing on a patient on the CCTV monitor. But when she turned away and then looked back, the figure was gone. This struck her as extremely unusual and terrifying, but what made things even worse was the fact that, just a few hours later, that same patient passed away.
This Photo Might Actually Show Big Foot in All of His Glory
Everyone has their own opinions on folklore and anecdotal claims. There are some people who believe that these stories must stem from real-life incidences, while there are others who don’t believe them at all. Because of this, stories surrounding Bigfoot – also known as the Sasquatch – are often contested. But does this photo show the ape-like creature in all of his glory?
This photo was taken in Big Otter, West Virginia. And while it looks like a pretty normal photo of some fields and woodland at first glance, when you look closer and towards the middle of the photo, you start to see something that doesn’t quite make sense. It looks like a giant humanoid creature walking into the woods. And while critics state that it’s simply a shadow, there are others who are convinced that it’s Bigfoot.
The Changing Landscape of Mars Has Raised Questions About Extraterrestrial Life
For decades, scientists have been keen to explore other planets in our solar system to see whether these planets could be habitable. And while 60% of all Mars missions have been unsuccessful, the successful missions have suggested that there isn’t life on the planet. It’s regarded as a desolate and empty landscape, but these photos have thrown a spanner in the works.
As Mars rovers continue to take pictures of Mars, not much has come to light. But during one particular mission, scientists noticed an anomaly. On day 3,528 everything looked normal, but they could see on day 3,540 that the rocks in one particular area had moved. One rock in the middle had even appeared out of nowhere. If there’s no life on Mars, how did it get there?
This Strange Cave Creature Still Has Many People Questioning Its Authenticity
Most people have come across things that have left them scratching their heads, but probably not as strange as a creepy alien creature in a cave. That’s exactly what happened to a pair of explorers in Ras al-Khaimah in the 1990s. As went into a cave to check out its contents, they stumbled upon a mysterious creature – and they snapped a photo before running away.
Before they left the cave, however, they heard the screams of a young boy. This photo immediately went viral and stumped experts across the globe. Many believed the creature to be extraterrestrial in its nature, while other critics suggested that it was just a poorly planned prank designed to cause a stir on the internet.
The Discovery of This Alien Spacecraft in the Baltic Sea Got Everyone Talking
Modern technology has allowed us to uncover more than ever before, and in 2011 Swedish treasure hunters used side-scan sonar to investigate the depths of the Baltic Sea. 91 meters below the surface of the water, they stumbled across a “Baltic Sea Anomaly” that looked just like an alien spaceship. But what was it?
Well, we still don’t know. And what makes this strange discovery even more bizarre is the fact that the treasure hunters noted that their equipment stopped working when they got close to it: “Anything electric out there, and the satellite phone as well, stopped working when we were above the object.” Some believe this to be proof of alien technology.
This “Yeti” Footprint Discovery Has Divided Opinions
Many believe that stories of folklore come from real life, which is why stories of the Yeti – or the “Abominable Snowman” – have been taken so seriously over the years. Many believe this ape-like creature roams the Himalayan mountains, and countless people have taken fuzzy photos in the past. But this explorer found a footprint.
This footprint and photo were taken in 1951 when the British explore Eric Earle Shipton was trekking through the mountains. He claimed that the giant footprint had to belong to the Yeti, judging by its size and the number of toes. Many other people believed him, as this photo was auctioned off for $5,000 back in 2014. But there are some who aren’t convinced.
The Horrifying Last Photo of Regina Kay Walters Just Raises Even More Questions
Robert Ben Rhoades is infamous in the United States of America. Often dubbed the “Truck Stop Killer” this serial killer murdered over 50 women throughout the 1970s and ’80s, before finally being caught in 1990. 14-year-old runaway teenager Regina Kay Walters was thought to be his last victim before he was arrested, and this photo found in Rhoades’ home left prosecutors asking many questions.
While it’s clear to see that Regina looks terrified of the truck driver in front of her, the details surrounding her death are still unexplained today. Investigators suspect that Regina was kept in the cab of Robert’s truck while she was abused and tortured, but it’s not known how long he kept her or what exactly he did to her.
This Creepy Seance Photo Still Cannot Be Explained
Many people are drawn to the paranormal and the macabre, and this was especially true during the Victorian era. Instead of being scared of death, many were intrigued by it – so much so that seance ceremonies became extremely popular. This photo shows a seance in action, and it seems as though the event was successful…
As you can see at the bottom of this photo, it looks as though the seance attendees were able to summon a spirit. It looks as though a hand is crawling up the table and clutching onto the table leg. And while many people believe that this is a real spirit, there are others who have questioned whether this photo is simply the result of some ghostly trickery and photo editing.
This Old Photo Has Raised Serious Questions About Ectoplasm
The paranormal and spirits have long stumped experts, with many unable to answer specific questions that have arisen as a result of strange and mysterious circumstances. This picture is the perfect example of that. This photo shows a medium spewing out “fat slabs of curdled plasma – what the Nobel laureate physiologist Charles Richet would call ‘ectoplasm.'”
It’s been suggested that the expulsion of ectoplasm is a physical representation of a spirit coming through into the real world, but nobody really knows what it is. Photos like this still remain a mystery, and the specifics surrounding spirits and their authenticity are still unknown. Of course, some believe… while others don’t.
The McMinnville Unidentified Flying Object Still Remains Unidentified
Over the years, many people have claimed to have seen UFOs flying around our skies. And while the large majority of people haven’t been able to capture these moments on camera, this event from back in 1950 is still considered to be one of the most famous photos within the UFO community. This photo was taken on May 11, 1950, in McMinnville, Oregon – and seemingly shows a UFO in the sky.
While the object itself still remains unidentified, those in the town and UFO followers believe it to be an extraterrestrial object. In fact, this event has become so famous that the town now holds an annual UFO festival it. Of course, there are some people who don’t believe it to be what everyone else does.
Nobody Knows Who This Creepy Crawling Ghost Could Be
They say that children often have the ability to pick up on ghostly presences, and many people have suggested that the child in this photo saw the ghostly figure in front of her. However, her father didn’t. He thought he was just taking an innocent and totally normal photo of his daughter playing in their living room.
When the photo was developed, though, he soon discovered the strange ghostly figure crawling in front of his daughter. Since the photo went public, many believers thought the light energy belonged to the spirit of the young girl’s late mother. Others have suggested that it’s all a hoax and that the “ghost” was just a reflection of the light.
Nobody Really Knows Where This Time-Traveling Watch Came From
Archeologists spend their lives uncovering new finds and piecing together the past, but sometimes their discoveries just don’t make sense. This was the case in 2008 when archeologists in Shanxi, China opened up a tomb from the Ming dynasty that was over 400 years ago. Although the tomb was 400 years old, a small Swiss watch inside the tomb was just 100 years old.
Of course, watches weren’t invented until centuries after the Ming dynasty ended, which suggested that someone had visited the sealed tomb before the archaeologists… but who? There was no sign of trespassing, and there was no sign of life in the tomb. Even more intriguingly, the time-traveling watch was stuck at 10:06. To this day, experts still don’t have any answers to this mystery.
This Ghostly Church Spectre Has Left Many People Divided
While we’re all familiar with the mask from the Scream movies, most of us wouldn’t like to come face to face with it in real life. However, before these movies were even a twinkle in the filmmaker’s eye, a reverend in North Yorkshire, England, seemed to come across an apparition that just looked just like it.
This photo was taken in 1963 inside the Newby Church, and the reverend was convinced that the apparition he was seeing was a spirit from the other side. He released the image and hoped that people would believe him, but the photo was met with skepticism. Some believe that it was a result of double exposure in the photo, but the reverend maintained that the photo hadn’t been manipulated in any way.
This Mysterious Pentagram Park Still Has No Real Explanation
Sometimes the best way to really see something is to see it from a birds-eye point of view, and Google Earth images can often uncover things we didn’t even know were there. This has been the case in a remote part of Kazakhstan, as many believe that this country has been hiding a strong connection to the occult.
This mysterious pentagram can be seen from space, and in the park, it’s been linked to devil worship, religious sects, and denizens of the underworld. After all, it’s at least 12 miles away from any kind of human civilization and doesn’t seem to make sense. However, some have stated that it’s a park that was simply designed to look like a star.
The Mysterious Fire Ghost Can Apparently Be Linked Back to History
Normally, fires are caused by fluke accidents and rarely have any deeper meaning. However, the mysterious photo below can apparently be linked back to history. That’s because this photo shows the Wem Village Hall in Shropshire, England in the midst of a fire on November 19, 1995. But the mysterious photo apparently shows a young girl who was alive in the 1600s…
Jane Churn was arrested in 1677 when she was accused of being responsible for countless fires in and around her town of Wem. And while she obviously would have passed away well before the 1990s, her apparition at the 1995 fire led many people to believe that her ghost was continuing her reign of terror. But nobody knows whether this would even be possible or not.
This Unexplainable Husband and Wife Photograph Shouldn’t Even Exist
The death of a loved one can have a major effect on a family, but many people believe that their loved ones stay with them for the rest of their lives. The Russell family certainly believes this. When Denise Russell’s 94-year-old grandmother was placed in a nursing home in 1998, her family rallied around her for a picnic at the end of her first week. And while Denise’s grandfather was there… he shouldn’t have been.
Denise’s grandfather passed away in 1984, and so he couldn’t have attended this picnic. But when Denise developed the photos taken at the picnic, she was astounded to see a man who looked just like her grandfather standing over her grandmother. She believes that he was there to look after her during this transitional period into the nursing home.
The Case of the San Mateo Jane Doe Remains Unsolved
There are many unsolved police cases around the world, but one of the most bizarre to come out of the US is the case of the San Mateo Jane Doe. On June 6, 2006, a woman was found dead in a tent along the service trail of San Pedro Avenue. She was surrounded by books, and a sign on her tent read “No go, no eat, no drink, murder.” And while the police ran her fingerprints, she came up as someone who had previously given false information…
To this day, the circumstances surrounding her death are still unknown. Nobody knows whether she was murdered or even a victim at all, but the police believe that her death was ultimately self-inflicted. In the books found in her tent, she had left writings that seemed to hint towards the idea that she was going to starve herself to death. We still have no idea who she was, though.
This Seemingly Innocent Photo Features an Extra Thumb From Nowhere
In today’s day and age, photos are everywhere. People spend their days snapping photos of their lunches or their nights out and post them on social media for the world to see. And while this photo below looks just like something we’d see on Facebook or Instagram, it’s taken the internet by storm due to the phantom thumb that’s made an appearance.
If you look at the boys and where their hands are, it’s clear to see that the thumb next to the boy sticking his tongue out doesn’t belong to any of them. All of their other hands and thumbs can be accounted for, except for that one – and nobody has any idea who the thumb belongs to or where it’s come from. So, it’s pretty creepy.
