30 Chilling Photos That Show More People Than There Were While Taking The Pic
Interview With ExpertEven if you are not particularly superstitious, there are certain images or places where you might always feel a little bit haunted. In the 21st century, photo manipulation technology is reaching new heights every year, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t images out that are the perfect vibe for Halloween.
We’ve gathered some allegedly “haunted” photos, where some netizens swear they can see ghosts. We got in touch with behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner to learn more. So get comfortable, maybe leave the lights on as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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I'm A Student Nurse And One Of Our Clinical Instructor Sent This To Us During Her Night Shift At Hospital
Rented A Cabin A Few Years Back For A Birthday Party. Just Looked At This Pic And Thought It Was Strange. Anyone Else See It? It Was Night Time And Pitched Black So I Had The High Beams On
Saturday, January 14, 2012 Granny's Ghost
Somehow this lady's husband managed to appear in this photo despite passing away seven years before.
Denise Russell took this photo of her grandma, who lived alone at the time, on 17 August 1997.
Bored Panda got in touch with behavioral scientist and spooky-stuff enthusiast Coltan Scrivner to share some thoughts on “ghost” photos and why some folks love them. We wanted to know why some folks insist that these images are “real” despite the fact humans have been editing pictures ever since there were pictures.
“If you already believe that ghosts exist, it might actually require more cognitive work to believe that someone took the time to manipulate a photo and fake one than simply believe that what you're seeing is a ghost,” he shared.
The Ghost Dog Of Tingewick
The story behind this picture dates back to 1916 when retired Scotland Yard Inspector Arthur Springer took this picture in Tingewick, Buckinghamshire, England. At the moment he captured the photograph, there was reportedly no dog in the frame at all.
Brown Lady
This photo of 'The Brown Lady', is considered by many to be actual photographic evidence of ghosts. It was taken at Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England in 1936.
A Friend Of Mine Sent Me This Picture From His Group Of Friends In Chile
So we wanted to hear his thoughts on why some people jump to paranormal conclusions when there may be mundane explanations. “The human mind is built to look for intention in actions. This bias allows social interactions to flourish with ease. However, it also means we sometimes attribute intention to actions that have more mundane explanations, which often leads to a paranormal explanation.”
Ex GF Sent This Photo To Her Family Chat To Announce She Reached The Hotel Safe And Chilling. Brother Replies, Who Is That In The Mirror?
The question shouldn't be "who's that in the mirror", but "what's that in the mirror?", and the answer will likely include "pareidolia".
But it’s a TV, not a mirror. The brand name is in silver letters, and the “FOX” bug is in the upper right. Did she just forget it was a TV? Or Am I looking at the wrong object? I don’t understand the second photo at all.
Load More Replies...If you up the brightness and lower the contrast you get this - oddmirror-...d239bf.jpg
Yeah, that's a tv, not a mirror. You can almost make out "Samsung" on the bottom edge. The actual mirror is that curved piece to the left.
Umm, it's about the mirror to the left. Look at the second picture
Load More Replies...An Unexpected Guest - 1950s
Looked Up My Deceased Mother's Home, And She Is In The Pic
My mom has been dead since 2012. The other day, I looked up her old home address on Google, and she is in the picture! Google lists the pic taken 2 yrs ago.
If you are really committed to believing in the validity of these photos as evidence of ghosts, more power to you, but you should probably stop reading now. As spooky as these images look, the vast majority of them are altered to create this effect. We might think of photo manipulation as a very modern phenomenon, but the truth is that people have known how to composite and combine images since the Victorian era. There are edited photos out there that are older than many countries out there today.
Amityville Ghost - 1976
This is the famous photo taken inside what is now known as the Amityville horror house. This photo supposedly shows John DeFeo's ghost peeking around a door.
My Friend Took This Pic Of His Kid In Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It Appears To Show The Ghost Of A Samurai Soldier Standing Behind A Little Girl
Nobody was around when the photo was taken. And certainly nobody was behind her. He took about five photos of her at this spot over a period of about two minutes. The photo was supposedly taken near tombs of soldiers who died in battle.
This Image Was Taken By Sir Victor Goddard, Of His Squadron In 1919
This image was taken by Sir Victor Goddard, of his squadron in 1919.
The ghostly image behind the fourth sailor from the left, at the top, is believed to be of Freddy Jackson. Jackson died a few days before the photo was taken by walking into a moving propeller.
The technique is so simple, it seems like it was almost discovered by accident. If you have an analogue camera, you would simply open the shutter twice (or even more) so the film gets exposed multiple times. Have a person be in one of the “openings” and then not in the other one’s and now you have a lovely diy ghost pic!
The House Where Latoya Ammons Lived With Her Family. This Is A Photo Taken By The Police. A Figure Appears To Show Itself In The Window At Right That Is Believed To Be Demonic
Austin, a 36-year veteran of the Gary Police Department, said he initially thought Indianapolis resident Latoya Ammons and her family concocted an elaborate tale of possessions by demons as a way to make money. But after several visits to their home and interviews with witnesses, Austin said simply, "I am a believer".
Furthermore, the family's story is made only more bizarre because it involves a DCS intervention, a string of psychological evaluations, a police investigation and, ultimately, a series of exorcisms.
It's a tale, that started with flies.
The Watcher Of Corroboree Rock
In 1959 (sometimes noted as 1956) Adelaide Presbyterian minister R.S. Blance was visiting Corroboree Rock, when he took a photo of the seemingly empty scene. When the photo was developed, he found the image of a person standing amongst the scrub, surrounding the clearing.
Mary Todd Lincoln With Abraham Lincoln's "Spirit"
Elderly Couple With A Young Female Spirit
Ghost Sighting At The Pirate House In Savannah, Ga.
My family and I went there to eat at the Pirate House and we were told that it was haunted so after dinner we decided to walk around a little bit and take pictures just to see if anything would pop up. We didn't expect much of anything but thought it was fun either way. When I looked through my pictures of the trip I found this photo. It was taken in a hallway... A completely empty hallway. I used a Motorola Droid. This photo has been unedited other than a little bit of cropping.
This Typical Early 20th-Century Postcard Claims To Reveal Catherine Howard, ‘Captured’ On Film In The Horn Room At The Palace
This image purports to show Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII who was executed for adultery in 1542. She is said to haunt the Horn Room at Hampton Court Palace.
The Ghost Pilot - 1987
In 1987, Mrs Sayer was visiting air airfield in England with her friend. She thought it would fun to take a photo of her sitting in the cockpit.
When the image was developed, there was a man sitting in the pilot's seat who hadn't been there when the photo was taken. A long lost pilot? No one is sure.
This Photograph Of The Library In Combermere Abbey Was Taken By Sybell Corbet In 1891
This image taken of the library at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire, England by Sybell Corbett clearly shows a figure sitting in the chair on the left. It's believed to be the ghost of Lord Combermere, a British cavalry commander in the 1800s.
The White Figure In This Photo Is Believed To Be Some Sort Of Angel, Overlooking Rose Benvenuto, Who Was Involved In The Car Crash
... yeah, and all those savings by ghosts, whyever it is so, appear to have only tweaked the severity of injuries a little bit, while just hitting the brakes a second earlier than a distracted driver (or so) would have prevented it altogether. Those ghosts always seem to arrive too late to prevent stuff, but only to limit the results into non-lethality. That doesn't sound too credible - they arrive, of all places on earth, at the right one, almost at the right time, but miss by a few seconds. They make the bullet penetrate the pope slighty aside his heart, but don't manipulate it to not hit him at all? Why that? Cos fake.
The Specter Of Newby Church
Worstead Church, 1975
Another church, another ghostly visitor. This ghost has been reported as being seen before in this location too.
Peter Berthelot took this picture of his wife, Diane, sitting on a pew at the Worstead Church in Norfolk, England in 1975. When they had the film developed, they noticed a ghost sitting on the pew behind Diane.
A Ghostly Pooch
This photo shows a tale of two four-legged friends. The dog on the left had a much larger pal (pictured on the right). When the little one died, he was later photographed seemingly appearing with his friend from beyond the spirit world.
A Ghost Petting A Deer On The Side Of A Road / Original Photos + Filters
Toys 'R' Us - 1978
The Toys 'R' Us store in Sunnyvale, California is allegedly haunted by the ghost of Johnny Johnson, and this image shows a silhouette leaning up against the shelves.
And why are people sitting on the floor in the middle of a toy store?
William Barrett Spirit Photograph
A Photo Taken In 2009 On My Fathers Nokia. Wasn’t Until Years Later That He Upgraded To An iPhone And Found This While Sorting Pics (Brightness Up)
This Image From 2015 Was Captured On An iPhone And Seemingly Shows A Ghostly Apparition
This figure could be that of the ghost of dame Sybil Penn, a lowly servant of the Tudors who has haunted Hampton court palace since 1829
She was a lowly servant with a dame title? And how tall exactly was she? (Did she have Marfan syndrom?) And did she do all her hard work with her hair hanging to her knees? Hmmmm...
Polaroid Picture Of A Fried, Face Seems To Be Peaking Out Behind Her. Everybody Was Behind The Cameraman
Most of these are double exposures. I have like a dozen of photos like this from the 80's, 90's...
Many of the older ones were double exposures, which was quite easy to do as the film had to be moved on manually. The very old ones could easily have been done deliberately, to exploit the new medium; some of the modern ones are bits of fluff, small animals or light flares the the lens can't focus on properly. Some are just the old pareidolia. Given how a photograph is created, it's pretty hard to envisage how a non-corporeal entity could impart enough photons to register.
Especially the 'we saw nothing when the picture was being taken' ones. If it's not visible to the naked eye it won't be visible to a camera, because eyes and cameras work on the same basic principle of capturing light reflecting off a solid object.
Load More Replies...I love the ones where people insist, "No one else was there." This is especially ridiculous to claim in public places. People aren't as observant as they think they are. Memories aren't the best. Most likely people WERE there and you weren't paying attention. This is even more likely with old pictures where you had to wait to get the film developed. You don't remeber who was all at the oceanside why you were snapping photos. But you can swear no one else was there? No you can't. Or, "the TV was definitely off." It clearly wasn't and you misremembered.
I literally wanted to comment this on most of them that purported that "no one else was around". It seems like such a generic excuse lol
Load More Replies...Film photography, Double exposure. But makes a great story for night-outs nevertheless.
Question.. Why do some 'Ghosts' seem human (Ex: you can see their face etc) Number 7 Granny Ghost and Number 5 Catherine Howard. Other 'Ghosts' are a blur, Number 8 Brown Lady for example? Why do some photos have so much negative space (Ex; A wall) next to the person with just enough room for the 'Ghost' to fit in the picture? In this day and age, if Ghosts were real, we (with advanced cameras that can do all sorts of shots) would be able to catch a good picture. It's all fake. Does anyone really want to spend their afterlife (If there is one) floating around watching people, unable to do anything. Also, why can Ghosts walk through walls and furniture but not fall through floors?
There is a theory (aka excuse) that they are perceiving the surroundings as they were when they were alive. Quite how they then interact with modern appliances (eg turning lights on) is something of a mystery.
Load More Replies...Guys, we know most of them are fake, its still fun to look and imagine their real. Its awfully hard with your self-important comments at the bottom of every. Single. Post.
I almost screamed, every photo. My husband thought I was dying and he ran in, all scared.
Film photography. Double exposure. But they make a great story for a night-out nevertheless.
my house is apparently haunted i have lived there for over a hundred years and have never seen or heard anything
Okay, so I like looking at these because it's fun....but all those party-poopers in the comments. Lame.
That's perfectly fine. I'm a die hard skeptic. But LOVE ghost videos and pictures and scary movies because it's fun. The issue is when people propose these things are proof or facts.
Load More Replies...None of these are terribly convincing, but some people want to believe in this stuff. I once posted a trick picture I took to FB on Halloween, just for the fun of it and not thinking anyone would take it seriously. But, oh boy, people I didn't even know commented on it.
I've watched enough Nukes Top 5.... Is it a ghost caught on camera? Or is it all just an elaborate hoax? You decide
Every single “ghost hunting” show. “Here we are in a 14th German Castle, looking for the ghost of an eleven year old Baroness.”…(in English)…”Are you there, Tiffani? Can you give us a sign?”…”I think I saw some dust move in the shadow?!”…”Run away! And do NOT point the camera behind us!!!”
I used to love watching Derek Acorah on whatever the British ghost hunting programme was called. Every now and then he'd suddenly have the 'ghost' start speaking through him, but whether it was a Bristolian pub landlord from the Georgian era or a Victorian Cockney chambermaid, they all spoke with a strong Liverpudlian accent. He was such an obvious fraud that he was hilarious.
Load More Replies...Most of these are double exposures. I have like a dozen of photos like this from the 80's, 90's...
Many of the older ones were double exposures, which was quite easy to do as the film had to be moved on manually. The very old ones could easily have been done deliberately, to exploit the new medium; some of the modern ones are bits of fluff, small animals or light flares the the lens can't focus on properly. Some are just the old pareidolia. Given how a photograph is created, it's pretty hard to envisage how a non-corporeal entity could impart enough photons to register.
Especially the 'we saw nothing when the picture was being taken' ones. If it's not visible to the naked eye it won't be visible to a camera, because eyes and cameras work on the same basic principle of capturing light reflecting off a solid object.
Load More Replies...I love the ones where people insist, "No one else was there." This is especially ridiculous to claim in public places. People aren't as observant as they think they are. Memories aren't the best. Most likely people WERE there and you weren't paying attention. This is even more likely with old pictures where you had to wait to get the film developed. You don't remeber who was all at the oceanside why you were snapping photos. But you can swear no one else was there? No you can't. Or, "the TV was definitely off." It clearly wasn't and you misremembered.
I literally wanted to comment this on most of them that purported that "no one else was around". It seems like such a generic excuse lol
Load More Replies...Film photography, Double exposure. But makes a great story for night-outs nevertheless.
Question.. Why do some 'Ghosts' seem human (Ex: you can see their face etc) Number 7 Granny Ghost and Number 5 Catherine Howard. Other 'Ghosts' are a blur, Number 8 Brown Lady for example? Why do some photos have so much negative space (Ex; A wall) next to the person with just enough room for the 'Ghost' to fit in the picture? In this day and age, if Ghosts were real, we (with advanced cameras that can do all sorts of shots) would be able to catch a good picture. It's all fake. Does anyone really want to spend their afterlife (If there is one) floating around watching people, unable to do anything. Also, why can Ghosts walk through walls and furniture but not fall through floors?
There is a theory (aka excuse) that they are perceiving the surroundings as they were when they were alive. Quite how they then interact with modern appliances (eg turning lights on) is something of a mystery.
Load More Replies...Guys, we know most of them are fake, its still fun to look and imagine their real. Its awfully hard with your self-important comments at the bottom of every. Single. Post.
I almost screamed, every photo. My husband thought I was dying and he ran in, all scared.
Film photography. Double exposure. But they make a great story for a night-out nevertheless.
my house is apparently haunted i have lived there for over a hundred years and have never seen or heard anything
Okay, so I like looking at these because it's fun....but all those party-poopers in the comments. Lame.
That's perfectly fine. I'm a die hard skeptic. But LOVE ghost videos and pictures and scary movies because it's fun. The issue is when people propose these things are proof or facts.
Load More Replies...None of these are terribly convincing, but some people want to believe in this stuff. I once posted a trick picture I took to FB on Halloween, just for the fun of it and not thinking anyone would take it seriously. But, oh boy, people I didn't even know commented on it.
I've watched enough Nukes Top 5.... Is it a ghost caught on camera? Or is it all just an elaborate hoax? You decide
Every single “ghost hunting” show. “Here we are in a 14th German Castle, looking for the ghost of an eleven year old Baroness.”…(in English)…”Are you there, Tiffani? Can you give us a sign?”…”I think I saw some dust move in the shadow?!”…”Run away! And do NOT point the camera behind us!!!”
I used to love watching Derek Acorah on whatever the British ghost hunting programme was called. Every now and then he'd suddenly have the 'ghost' start speaking through him, but whether it was a Bristolian pub landlord from the Georgian era or a Victorian Cockney chambermaid, they all spoke with a strong Liverpudlian accent. He was such an obvious fraud that he was hilarious.
Load More Replies...