What makes your humble abode special, pandas? Is it the garden you’ve spent hours tending to ensure that each flower is perfectly cared for or the kitchen you renovated to create your dream cooking space? Perhaps it’s the creepy basement that looks like it was once a medieval torture chamber!

We’ve taken a trip to the Oddly Terrifying subreddit to find photos of some of the creepiest and surprisingly disturbing things people have ever come across in their homes, and apparently, there’s no shortage of this spooky content. So enjoy viewing these pics, and be sure to upvote the ones that would have you immediately running to a realtor if they had been taken in your home!

#1 Silent Hill Type S**t

Image credits: JokinglyLay

#2 Built In The 18th Century, This Is One Of The Oldest Buildings In Hattfjelldal Municipality In Norland, Norway

Image credits: Photon_Pharmer

#3 When You Go Into Your Attic For The First Time And Find A Recently Discarded Snake Skin

Image credits: ok_board_4331

We all find different things scary. Some of us couldn’t stand being in the same room as a clown, while others might consider having to touch a snake their worst nightmare. But aside from the obvious things that are widely considered scary, such as ghosts and the dark, there are also many things that sneak up on us and are unexpectedly pretty frightening. The Oddly Terrifying subreddit is a catalog of all of those things that are “not the ordinary type of terrifying,” but still freak us out.

The community has amassed an impressive 2.6 million members since its creation a decade ago, and among all of the unsettling posts people share there are plenty of strange pics from real life homes. Creepy basements, disturbing ice formations, snake skin found inside homes and fungus that looks like toes all come together to create the perfect list of strange items that might make homeowners assume their houses are haunted. And according to evolutionary psychologist Frank T. McAndrew, there’s a simple reason why we find haunted houses to be so frightening.   

#4 Ceiling Water Bubbles

Image credits: DustWorlds

#5 Xylaria Polymorpha, Commonly Known As Dead Man’s Fingers, Is A Saprobic Fungus Growing From The Bases Of Rotting Tree Stumps And Decaying Wood. It Has Elongated Upright Stromata Poking Up Through The Ground, Much Like Fingers

Image credits: EldestGriever0219

#6 These Scratches On The Inside Of The Door To My Basement. It’s An Old House Too

Image credits: delikkah

“From a psychological point of view, the standard features of haunted houses trigger feelings of dread because they push buttons in our brains that evolved long before houses even existed,” McAndrew writes for The Conversation. “These alarm buttons warn us of potential danger and motivate us to proceed with caution.” Haunted houses aren’t scary because they are actually posing a threat to us, but we find them frightening because we can’t actually determine whether they’re threatening or not. “This ambivalence leaves you frozen in place, wallowing in unease,” McAndrew explains.

We don’t want to overreact by running out of the house screaming, but we do sense danger, so it can be difficult to ignore our intuition and continue towards it if we’re going to later regret it. But we can often feel the same way in our own homes too, when we stumble upon something that doesn’t seem quite right. We don’t want to freak out because we know, logically, that our home should be the safest place in the world. However, when you find something oddly terrifying, it can be hard to shake the feeling that someone or something is out to get you.

#7 Reflection In A Steam Iron

Image credits: bookishRoc

#8 Body-Sized Shallow Hole/Grave Behind My New House. Authorities Came And Looked At It And Said It’s ‘Odd, But Probably Nothing’ But They Don’t Know What It Is. Said Not To Touch It Just Yet And They Will Check Their Records (Which They Said They Already Did). So Now I’m Just Waiting Until They Come Back

Image credits: camelvendor

#9 Pulled Up The Carpets In Newly Purchased House To Find This

Image credits: adampowers22

There are also certain types of homes that we find particularly terrifying, and for some reason, Victorian homes always fit the bill. What is it about these houses that are gorgeous during the daytime that seem absolutely menacing and fear-inducing once the sun goes down? Well, according to Rachel Kurzius at The Washington Post, there are a variety of factors contributing to the reputation Victorian homes have, including pop culture and architecture. When it comes to the construction of these homes, Kurzius notes that they’re “as far from an open floor plan as a house can get.” There are typically many rooms, many doors and long, narrow hallways. Ample opportunities for jump scares and creaking doors!

#10 Bathroom Over An Abandoned 15 Story Lift Shaft

Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom

#11 Saw This During A Virtual Tour Of A House. What Are The Chances We Buy This House And A Week Later The Doll Is Back In That House?

Image credits: stardust_kid

#12 Found This In My Apartment While Living In Japan. They Are Fast!

Image credits: Saucy_Lemur

Lauren Kelsey, production designer for the Netflix thriller The Midnight Club, shared with The Washington Post how her set utilized “long hallways and creepy hallways” with big round arches with enough space for characters to hide behind them. Building materials used during the Victorian era also can’t help but give off a macabre feel, Kurzius noted, pointing out the use of dark wood. “The era’s characteristic stained glass and thick draperies added to the ominous vibe, but they actually had a utilitarian purpose, too: They protected elaborate furniture and decor from the sun. In urban dwellings, the curtains helped insulate interiors from street odors,” she explained.

#13 Hive

Image credits: Fullypremier125

#14 A Black House In Germany

Image credits: Monsur_Ausuhnom

#15 Last Night I Hear A Tapping And Snaps. Looked At The Window And..this Is On The Outside. Not The Inside.(I Am In A Two Story House, Second Floor. Under The Window Is A Roof Above The Front Door)

Image credits: talonsandtoast

And if you ask Adam Lowenstein, author of Horror Film and Otherness, he’ll tell you that Victorian houses don’t age well. “The image of the haunted Victorian house probably has real reference in all kinds of American neighborhoods where these ornate houses lost their wealthy tenants and became sort of neglected, derelict houses that looked haunted because they weren’t being taken care of,” he told The Washington Post.

#16 Found This In My Girlfriends Loft. She Only Moved In 3 Months Ago And Says She Has Never Been Up There. Guess What My Name Is

Image credits: n515o

#17 Opened The Breaker Box In My Shed To Find This

Image credits: jadbronson

#18 This Tree Being Entirely Covered In Caterpillar Webs

Image credits: morningperzon

Krystal D’Costa at Scientific American has even explored the topic of creepy Victorian houses, and she points out that Victorian houses were perceived as gross symbols of wealth during the latter part of the 19th century in the United States. Following the Civil War, the Southern states were devastated economically, and the memories of those they lost in the war weighed heavily on them. So when wealthy Northerners lived in massive Victorian homes, these houses were seen as tone deaf and offensive.  

#19 Mowed My Yard And Came Back The Next Day To Find A Yellow Garden Spider Had Made A Human-Shaped Pattern In Their Web

Image credits: deleted

#20 This Mushroom That Broke Through My Wall The Same Night I Restarted The Last Of Us

Image credits: lachary1234

#21 I’m Not Going Near This Chandelier, I’m Already Imagining It Falling

Image credits: CroakyPyrex

“Critics such as Hamlin Talbot decried the [Victorian] style as a blight upon the American landscape, labeling them ‘wooden monstrosities,’” D’Costa explained. “This sentiment grew into the 1920s, following the aftermath of WWI where numerous disillusioned veterans and their families saw things in a new light: The cost of technological and economical advancement was dirty factories and poorly made mass produced goods. The world had become a corrupt, dirty place, and Victorian-style houses were a physical manifestation of this stain; they represented the persistence of corruption and thoughtlessness that was thought to have originated in the Gilded Age. Where they were once a symbol of material wealth, these homes were now a weight on the progression of the American soul.”

#22 The Ice Made Me Do It

Image credits: remotelyInvolve60

#23 You’ll Love Our Bathroom, They Said

Image credits: CroakyPyrex

#24 Found This In The Basement Of My New House

Image credits: franco-noce

There was then a movement attempting to portray Victorian homes as creepy, unsettling and unwelcoming, and it seemed to work. Artist Charles Burchfield released House of Mystery, which depicted a “dark and unsettling” home through pictures, and many critics agreed that it looks “ghostly and murderous.” In 1925, Edward Hopper continued the trend by releasing House by the Railroad, which looked uninviting, despite the elaborate architectural style it had. “Critics found it desolate, ominous, inhuman, and haunted–responses that echoed the perception of the Victorian legacy overall,” D’Costa continued. So it seems like Victorian homes may be more likely than many others to wind up on lists like this!

#25 Small Circuit Board Mailed To Me With No Return Address, Taped To A Piece Of Paper With The Coordinates To My House Printed On It. That Was The Only Thing In The Envelope. No Clue What This Is Or What It Might Be For, I Definitely Didn’t Order It And I’m Not Sure Why It Has No Return Address

Image credits: navyac

#26 There Is This Line In Our Basement Our Dog Doesn’t Want To Cross And Will Anxiously Wait At The Entrance

Image credits: crunchybumble

#27 First Month In My New Apartment, And I Noticed Someone Wrote ‘I’m Watchin” In My Doorway. I Never Noticed It Before, Prob A Prank. Definitely Freaked Me Out

Image credits: socalfordays

Are you the type of panda who would jump at the opportunity to live in a haunted house, or would you be running for the door if you encountered any of these things? Regardless, we hope you’re enjoying these pics. Don’t worry, they can’t hurt you! Keep upvoting the ones you find most bizarre or shocking, and then if you’re interested in checking out another list from Bored Panda featuring unsettling things people have come across in their homes, prepare to be spooked right here! 

#28 I Feel Like I’m Living In The Overlook Hotel

Image credits: arkol3404

#29 Was Playing Video Games When I Heard A Sounds To My Left. Looked Over And Saw This

Image credits: JulesGirth

#30 That Thin Line Just Below The First Floor Window. That’s How High The Water Rose During The 2023 Flooding In Italy

Image credits: s0nCff

#31 A Mother Centipede Protecting Her Babies

Image credits: JerkilyRaise734

#32 My Mom Found This While Raking Leaves In The Yard Of Our New House. Does Anyone Know What This Is? We Named Him Geneva. Help

Image credits: swampwitch_69

#33 Found This Behind A Piece Of Furniture In Our Bathroom

Image credits: deltawarza

#34 Roots Of A Plant Growing On The Rooftop Descending Through The Walls

Image credits: always_cold90

#35 Someone Random Person Put A Dining Set In My Front Yard???

Image credits: The_Shrine

#36 Basement Wall Of A Home For Sale In My Neighborhood. Only Two Families Have Occupied This Residence Since 1817

Image credits: rogu2

#37 “Contractor” Gave Up Halfway Through The Job

Image credits: Penetratorofflanks

#38 I Came Home To Find A Skull In My Bathroom Sink

Image credits: lamno1

#39 This “Turkey” Being Cooked

Image credits: Magnetron85

#40 Basement Entrance In A Bathroom

Image credits: keyboardwarrior2

#41 Spider Chilling By My 3D Printed Terminator

Image credits: 808adams

#42 Neighbour Lost His Shed In The Tantallon Wildfire. This Halloween Mask Was All That Was Left

Image credits: i_never_ever_learn

#43 When You (Hear A Bang And) Discover An Aircraft Engine Lodged In The Wall Of Your House

Image credits: CroakyPyrex

#44 Sign In Front Of Our House For 3 Days Now. Work From Home. No Funerals With Any Neighbors. No Cemetery Nearby Either

Image credits: wai_bother

#45 This Bedroom On Airbnb In A Place Called “Stabbin Cabin”. Sounds About Right

Image credits: beenzthemagicalfroot

#46 Apartments

Image credits: LucidCunning

#47 This Windowless House

Image credits: BernardMHM

#48 Woke Up This Morning And Noticed A Very Poorly Patched Hole Drilled From The Outside Of My Apartment Building Into My Bedroom

Image credits: hellspawnarborist

#49 Found On Front Porch At 4am

Image credits: Ambitious_Cobbler100

#50 Cave “Wall Vent”, Home To The Illustrious Wolf Spider…

Spider corpses all around, this is where they’re coming from ?

Image credits: TrueTbone

#51 My Apartment In Venice Has This Clown In Their Lobby That They Dress/Undress/Reposition According To The Time Of Day. I Never Saw It Happen But It’s Right In Front Of Our Room And It Gave Me The Creeps When I First Saw It

Image credits: quelair

#52 Someone Explain To Me My Irrational Fear Of Sprouting Potatoes Please

Image credits: Moochingtiger182

#53 Ghost Light

Image credits: TheLastTsumami

#54 Toilet Views To Kill

Image credits: CroakyPyrex

#55 This Lovely Wall Hanging My In Laws Have Of My Wife And Her Sister

Image credits: amccune

#56 This “Doll” On The Self In My Grandmothers Basement

Image credits: SpeeGee

#57 A Note On My Apartment Buildings Door This Morning

Image credits: FuntCungus

#58 Husband And I Found This ‘Mask’ In Our Bedroom’s Closet Wall About Eight Years Ago. It Had Been Placed In A Gap In Between The Two Walls

Image credits: wilteddandelion

#59 I Watched Slither Last Night And Invasion Of The Body Snatchers And Found This Thing Growing In My Yard. It’s 7 Inches And It’s Bright Orange

Image credits: homeschoolprom

#60 Just Bought A House, Then Found This In A Wall In Our Master Bedroom Bathroom

Image credits: emutricky4721

#61 Homemade Flies Trap After One Week Outside

Image credits: Tulpah

#62 The All Viewing Tree

Image credits: creepthekid_

#63 I Don’t Know If This Counts, But I Don’t Know Where Else To Turn…these Sealed Buckets Of Rotten Meat In My Yard

The basement freezer lost power for a week or so. My mother-in-law (who is awesome, and whose meat it mostly was) cleaned it out and the house reeked for a day or so…it finally smells okay inside. All the food went in these buckets and I closed them with a rubber mallet. That was last night. Meant to take care of them today but they are…well you can see. The lids are normally flat. Two of them are just filled with blood.

Image credits: SignificantYou3240

#64 I Peeked Inside The Maintenance Room At My Apartment Complex Today And I Think It’s Time To Move

Image credits: lugubriousmoron

#65 The Views From My Dad’s House All Look Like B Horror Movies At Night

Image credits: Castlevoidz

#66 Umm

Image credits: dawgstarr73

#67 My Step Mother’s Family Home In Laos That Tried To Burn Down

Image credits: lonely_talon

#68 Middle Of The Day In My Apartment. I Can’t See What’s Hiding At The End Of The Hallway

Image credits: grilld-cheez

#69 Room In My Girlfriend’s Basement That She Has Never Been In

Image credits: splattabox

#70 Why Are There So Many Vultures Here

Image credits: CitrusNightmare

#71 The Reflection Of The Light Through A Coca Cola Glass Looks Like A Skull With Teeth. Made Me Jump For A Sec

Image credits: DeezNutshell

#72 Saw This In A Back Alley Last Night While Walking

Image credits: Hipvanman

#73 Bought A New House Plant. The Branch Touching The TV Died

Image credits: Fast_Concept4745

#74 My Brother And I Used To Be Big Spongebob Fans. Today 13 Years Later I Visited Our Old Bedrooms And Found These

Image credits: ThePingPlant

#75 Found This Sticking On An Old Book, Something Is Inside There, Might Be Some Kind Of Insect Hatching

Image credits: MickyDerHeld

#76 These Spindly, Brittle Root Like Things On This Piece Of Fruit From My Fruit Cup This Morning

Image credits: Error404_Idontcare

#77 How My 3yo Daughter Sets Her Stuffed Animals Up To Watch TV

Image credits: ClaymoreJohnson

#78 This Rusted Piece Of Metal I Found Inside My Malfunctioning, Not-Haunted Kitchen Faucet

Image credits: johnofa

#79 A Strange Wooden Crate In An Alley, Is How Horror Movies Begin

Image credits: wederservebetter

#80 Fat Earthworm? Unknowingly Squished Under My Garage Door

Image credits: Wasdcursor

#81 Random House That I Had To Get A Picture Of

Image credits: DillysRevenge

#82 I Found This In My Attic

Image credits: letsdietogetherback

#83 Tried To Bake A Sweet Potato

Image credits: vasDcrakGaming