Photographs from History that Will Haunt Your Dreams

5. A Haunting Message

The “Lipstick Killer” was a woman named Frances Brown who, upon claiming her second victim, wrote this chilling message on the wall in lipstick. Detectives who found the victim’s body also found a bloody thumbprint on the doorknob, and the newspapers went to town on the message the perpetrator had left behind. Brown claimed one more person before being apprehended, a fate that she wanted if she really believed the writing on the wall. The assumption was that the guilty party was male, but it turns out the perpetrator was a 32-year-old woman.

4. A Haunting Photo of a Woman Tied to a Tree

Do you remember watching cartoons with a damsel in distress tied to the railroad tracks? In the comics, she was always there so that the hero could save the day. But this woman? We really don’t know why or when they took this picture or what it is even about. Perhaps the woman was just engaging in some good-natured horseplay in this historical photo. Alternatively, maybe someone had tied her to a tree with more sinister intentions and decided to take a macabre picture of her legitimately crying out for help. We certainly hope the reason is the former.

3. Another Victorian Ghost Haunting the Photo

This picture is of Lord Combermere, allegedly taken four days after he passed from a blood clot. During his funeral service, which took place four miles away from his study, Sybell Corbet took this long-exposure photograph, which shows the ghost of Lord Combermere sitting in his chair. Is this another picture of a ghost caught on film? Not likely. We know that Victorians were the first to experiment with cameras. Plus, they were fascinated with ghosts and loved to tinker with photographs to make it appear that a spirit was present.

2. This Scary Photo Is From Chernobyl

You may know that Chernobyl was the site of an epic nuclear disaster that was so severe that the rest of the world began to question the use of atomic energy seriously. This picture is of the “elephant’s foot” formed beneath the core that melted down in the nuclear plant. It is a mixture of sand, concrete, and sealing material that melts together with nuclear waste. Today, the elephant’s foot only radiates about 10 percent of the radiation emitted when the disaster first happened, but that is still enough to cause severe radiation poisoning.

Read Too: 16 Disastrous Facts About The Chernobyl Disaster.

1. This Haunting Guy Looks Like the Ultimate Slasher

This photo looks like it came straight out of a horror film, but it is from real life. Decades after Jack the Ripper terrorized London, Edward Paisnel dressed in a woman’s wig and mask and terrorized the inhabitants of England’s Island of Jersey. During the day, he helped his wife run an orphanage, but at night, he allegedly prayed to Satan and committed unspeakable acts. When they caught him, he was convicted of 13 crimes and received a prison sentence of 30 years. Imagine the horror his wife must have felt.