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While most of us are naturally curious and suffer from more or less pronounced FOMO, meaning we have to know, see and hear everything others do, it’s not always best for us.

Some things are better left unknown or at least not put in the nightmarishly dim light like the facts shared on the “Creepy.fact” Instagram account. Followed by 231k followers, the page calls itself “the scariest account on Instagram” so we are about to see if that’s true. We wrapped up some of the most interesting posts shared on this page, so pull your seat closer, as you may want to leave your lights on.

The truth is... nothing beats the enduring appeal of things that fall under the categories of horror, grotesque, and mystery. Just look at the recent craze around gothic and horror TV shows (I refuse to believe there exists a person who hasn’t yet watched Tim Burton’s Wednesday) and serial killer documentaries (Netflix’ spin on Dahmer, anyone?!).

So to find out more about what it is that makes us tick when it comes to horror, we spoke with Lauren McMenemy, a south London-based writer of gothic-influenced folk horror who is currently working on a novel set in the world of the Victorian occult. And she was happy to share some very interesting insights into the topic!

#1

Creepy-Random-Facts

creepy.fact Report

Hailie
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I asked my counselor about these types of thoughts! She said they're completely normal.

3 Owls In A Coat
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“L’appel du vide” is also what I call it when my black cat is shouting at me to wake up and feed him breakfast

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Nothing_To_See_Here_Folks
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I like to think they are happening to remind you NOT to do that

similarly
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are particularly annoying for me because I also suffer chronic suicidal depression.

mentaLilly
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It will get better....you will be happy...don't you ever let this s**t win, okay?! ♡ we are strangers, but in this together. You can DM me if you want...we got this :)

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Pumpkin Spice
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They're called "intrusive thoughts", but "call of the void" sounds way more badass. I'm not mentally ill, it's just the CALL OF THE VOID

BobTDG
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So intrusive thoughts in French?

CalicoKitty
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Intrusive thoughts are repetitive and distressing, and may cover harm to others as well as yourself. The Void is more like "lmao I could totally jump right now".

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EJBWritesBooks
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ohmygods. It's normal. I'm not just losing my mind on a regular basis. I just sighed with relief.

OmBoyGanesh
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My city has a bridge that’s famous for lots of things, one of them being people jumping. They have barricades, nets, phones for emergency counsellors and services and of someone looks like they’re going to climb the railing, you pick up a phone which immediately shuts down traffic, sends out a crisis team and a counsellor speaks over a loudspeaker. Still, people jump regularly. The thing is, most don’t go to visit the bridge with intention to jump. Most have no signs that they’d do this. It’s often a spontaneous act in the same sense as this post. Many have a sudden recognition that life is perfect at the moment & will never be better. They pull a Hairdresser’s Husband. -there’s a film about this bridge called “The Bridge” - https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bridge-2006/

Jacqueline Quackenbush
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is Hairdresser's Husband A Term From The Film Or Does The Euphemism Have Wider Social Traction

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nbfresh
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I needed this clarification. Have had thoughts like this as long as I can remember and thought I was just a messed up individual. Turns out, there's a name for it?! And I'm not the only weirdo?? woot!

Emma Brown
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't find out that this was normal until a couple of years ago. Saying I was relieved was an understatement as mental health issues run through my family

Queen Jackson.
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you’re on the stairs at the water park.

Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aren’t they also called intrusive thoughts? They usually only last a fleeting moment and most people simply dismiss them. Following through is a sign of mental/emotional issues.

Jacqueline Quackenbush
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In My Understanding Intrusive Thought Are a) More Random (No Obvious Association) And b) More Persistent. In This Case The Thought Is a) Preceded By An Obvious Trigger (Heigjts Activates The Split Second Longing Or Desire To Jump Or Fly) And b) The Desire Or Sensation (Not Thought) Completely Goes Away Once The Trigger Is Removed

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Urara Bridge
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex husband's uncle had this uncontrollable urge to constantly jump fall/dive off of things when high up and it was such an over whelming drive, people sometimes would have to hold him back from killing himself. He just always said, I cant help it. I think he had a bad case of this?

Sarah Manuella
Community Member
1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like hailie's counselor needs help

Draga Millani
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have OCD and get these all the time. It gets old pretty quickly :(

Penny Dell
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also known as intrusive thoughts!

Marilyn Russell
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fancy that! That weird feeling has got a fancy name.

Tanya Glover
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I literally just mentioned this to my son. We were talking about the movie The happening and I told him that sometimes I get intrusive thoughts when I'm driving down the road and I'm thinking why don't I just crash my car into that. I know it's normal but it's kind of scary.

Samuel Workman
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And here I thought I was just extra depressed.

Phyllis
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once said to a mental health therapist that a lot of people's problems could be avoided if they could just get outside of their head. The people in the group session laughed at me, said that's what made people crazy... Exactly but if you get outside of those crazy thoughts you're going to be okay. Therapist agreed.

Celtic Pirate Queen
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Snoqualmie Falls in WA state. Not in the least suicidal, but it was just, like - calling to me.

DCwuk
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am so glad that I am not the only one, I just thought there was something wrong with my head.

petersilie
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

thats how the brain works? i like to explain to myself, maybe the brain is treating dangerous situations like a warning, so you feel the void or intrusive thoughts (as i do)

Evol
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's bc we believe we might be the one immortal soul that can survive such catastrophic happenings. And it's just general curiosity bc the majority of us know that we will never know what these things feel like, or live through and be able to describe them anyway.

Tyler
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this happens to me all the time! glad its not just me

Dorothy Stovall
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Knew there had to be a term for that.

Olof T
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What if those call-from-the-void thoughts are actually produced from another part of our brain outside the grey matter that produces our conscience. And that other part is so sick of our s**t that it's trying to make us end it all. Just a split second thought. Go back to scrolling.

Lou Cam
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get these when buses or trucks drive past whilst I'm walking down a street or when I'm climbing stairs. Not just for me but my kids too and because I also have OCD I also imagine the aftermath in horrible detail. Urgh I hate my brain.

Jjh
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My void is more doing/saying something horrific in an inappropriate situation like funerals or if a friend gets really bad news. Apparently it is one way your brain processes highly emotional situations.

Kimberleia
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The literal plot of The Happening.

BasedWang12.7
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I knew there had to be a word or phrase for that

Mike Beck
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok, "the call of the void" makes this sound cooler than it should. They are normal, of course. I feel like it's my mind's way of processing "what if" scenarios.

Mondo Cane
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The Imp of the Perverse" by Edgar Allan Poe

tHeBoRdEsTpAnDa
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Theres a youtuber who did a series called `if we said our intrusive thoughts out loud`. (pt1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k73o6fYj8w . . . pt2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORNaCIgQzU0 . . . pt3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI3apGkf_7I )

Dan Marcus
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good to know. I know this though.

Rianne Alter
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This explains why I imagine jumping in front of a train everytime I hear one pass

Smiley MG
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or having a feeling of cutting your wrist open with a sharp fruit knife... The brain just fires off so randomly, like " wouldn’t it be cool to see the flesh cut open, blood squelching out!!!! Do it! Do it! Do it!" and the next moment is kinda realiziling that i cheated death in a tiny bone chilling triumph... Small yay! But chilling nonetheless..

Misty Grage
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This was a side affect I had from taking Zyban, and within days I got off of it.

the shrimp whisperer
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my intrusive thoughts are (for better or worse) a lot less scary than when they started. i think that may be because i started thinking of them as regular thoughts. anyone else?

Bryn
Community Member
Premium
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I discuss why that would be a bad idea and why we shouldn't do it. Or else I just name it and tell it to shut up. "No Shelia, that's not a good idea. Now be quiet."

LapCat
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Holy smokes, so this is actually a thing and based on the comments, I’m not as loco as I think I am.

Emily Phillips
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was always told it's called idealization of unaliving yourself

Jacqueline Quackenbush
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Intetesting Word Choice. Makes Me Think That It's A Death Free Way Of Getting A New Lease On Life. Kind Of Like Waking Up From A Dream Right Before Dying And Having That Be The Catalyst For An Important Life Change

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Lu
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve read that these thoughts arise to warn you not to do it. Rather than suggesting that you should.

Pat Ucu
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I very pleased to learn this is an actual thing.

Son of Philosoraptor
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Edgar Allan Poe has a story about this called the Imp of the Perverse.

TailsFangirl03
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes that happens when I hold a knife...

Nitka Tsar
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I‘ve read somewhere that even thoughts of harming someone else are totally normal. Apparently (nearly?) everyone has them sometimes, even though only a few would really act them out.

sofacushionfort
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

AKA “the imp of the perverse,” perhaps coined by Edgar Allen Poe. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imp_of_the_Perverse

Anna Tophoney
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow! Didn’t know they had a name. I’m also glad they happen to everyone not just me lol

Anna Tophoney
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow! I’m glad to hear these happen to others too lol

Monica Dean
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've gone through that multiple times. Good thing I've got impulse control, or I wouldn't be here!

Ana Klekijeva
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These thoughts are completely normal. Some studies say that they arrive as a conflict of the sensory feeling of safety and danger. Imagine you are standing on a cliff. You are stable, your feet have hard groind to stand on. If fact, you are just fine. Yet your eyes see the danger, the posibility of a deathly fall. From that sensory dispute a person has those short termed ideas of jumping or pushing someone into the void without actual harmfull tendencies.

Jacqueline Quackenbush
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ahh...So They're Trying To Resolve The Conflict Of (On The One Hand) Feeling Safe But Seeing Danger!! It's Like A Battle Of The Senses Which Can Only Be Resolved By Removing The Conflicting Information aka Stepping Back From The Edge

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Marcellium
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Call of the void! All my family except for my mom experience this. She thinks it's really scary but to me it's just kinda normal

Timbob
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then did a back flip ?

Rosie Red
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was in a deep depression, I would imagine myself driving into a tree or wall. It was a strong urge and I'm glad I never acted on it. Not because I would be dead, but because I could have hurt someone else.

Damon
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get this when I want to criticise my wife’s cooking but stop myself

Peeka_Mimi
Community Member
Premium
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have this so frequently. I'm told it's a product of CPTSD.

Sara W
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Walk down the street and wander what it would be like to play in traffic.

Gøøse
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have those, but sometimes the call is a little too strong.

Imjust jim
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I manage to keep ducking that call. Barely a lot of days.

Ace Girl
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

omg! Glad to know this is a thing and I'm not crazy! It is really disorienting when this happens. It happened even more frequently when I was caring for my babies as a new mom.

A Jones
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought this was part of intrusive thoughts.

Jacqueline Quackenbush
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Intrusive Thoughts (Unlike This) Have a) No Obvious Trigger And b) Can Be Quite Persistent

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Rens
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually feel quite comforted knowing that I'm not the only one who feels this way.

VonBlade
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I cannot put my body in those situations because the call is too strong. "just jump, what's the worst that can happen".

D. Pitbull
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooh. There's a lovely French name for it? Excellent. I shall remember to use this - happens often.

Jane Hower
Community Member
2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get those thoughts now and then - scary!!!!

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“Humans are inherently morbid, whether they like to admit it or not,” Lauren McMenemy, a professional writer, journalist, and experienced writing mentor and coach told Bored Panda. “We are fascinated by death - by avoiding it, by cheating it, by embracing it, by understanding what comes next.”

“And I think the last bit is really why we love the creepy stuff; ghosts and skeletons and vampires and other creepy things help us to explore what comes after death. As for mysteries, well, who doesn't love a good mystery! As well as being morbid, we are also inherently curious creatures,” McMenemy explained.

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    #2

    Creepy-Random-Facts

    creepy.fact Report

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    #3

    Creepy-Random-Facts

    creepy.fact Report

    SydneyGirl
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bloody huntsman. Those dinner plate sized ones creeping out from behind a picture on the wall do tend to create stained undies.

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    #4

    Creepy-Random-Facts

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    Mahayana
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That’s good! I’m going to try that with the next ice cream truck I see!

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    McMenemy argues that it's what marks out humans and has helped us to grow and develop over generations and millennia. “We want to figure out the things we don't understand, and when we can't figure them out then some of us become obsessed by them.” McMenemy still remembers her own childhood obsession with the Bermuda Triangle, and who didn’t have one!

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    When asked whether horror as a genre is becoming more popular lately, McMenemy said that it definitely feels like it. “A large part of that is down to social media and the growth of self-publishing. The 'establishment' publishing houses still don't seem to like much in the way of horror - though serial killer fiction used to be considered horror, once upon a time! - but there is a huge online horror community, and they love to share discoveries,” the writer explained.

    #8

    Creepy-Random-Facts

    creepy.fact Report

    Minath
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Happened in South Africa as well. Two Orcas called Port and Starboard turned up and after they killed and ate the livers of a few Great Whites, the sharks moved out. There were a few years with basically no sightings of the sharks.

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    #9

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    Greta Kolding
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they saw the c**p their laughter is used for now they would be turning in their graves.

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    #10

    Creepy-Random-Facts

    creepy.fact Report

    BobTDG
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I remember rightly he killed himself with a sword instead.

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    Moreover, “Self-publishing has made it easier for people to share their own stories, too. And then we have the visual medium, and streaming services making access to horror much easier. I think the appetite has always been there, but it's just easier to get hold of that ‘fix,’” McMenemy explained.

    We were also eager to find out what makes a book or a film particularly creepy. The academic answer to what makes things creepy, McMenemy argues, lies in the concept of the "uncanny", or the psychological experience of something as mysterious and creepy in a strangely familiar way.

    #11

    Creepy-Random-Facts

    creepy.fact Report

    blobby_grrl
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    hehheehe liddle evil eye buddy

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    #12

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    lovebooksdork
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is it bad that I’m actually am interested to go there ?

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    #13

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    Saint Thomas
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Come on BP, that's at least the 3rd time in 2 weeks that you put this pic in a list...

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    #14

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    “It's the strangeness of the ordinary, the field where we are unable to distinguish between pleasure and displeasure and so we become anxious. Creepiness is about the uncertainty of a threat; you think there's something to worry about, but the signals aren't clear enough to send you into action,” the writer told us.

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    #15

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    Ex Pat
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Locked-in syndrome." Not an isolated event. [Martin Pistorius]

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    #16

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    BobTDG
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Lock your doors people. That simple to avoid this dude.

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    #17

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    Elita One
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Think I'll just stick to pictures from the people who've been there and done that, thanks.

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    Meanwhile, “in books and film, this often takes the form of things just outside of our vision, or of familiar signals such as old and dilapidated houses, cobwebs, the unkempt and unloved. It results in that tingling down your spine, the goosebumps on your arms - you can't quite figure out what's going on, but you are intrigued…” McMenemy concluded.

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    #21

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    BobTDG
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They are creepy looking things aren't they.

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