We’ve all been there. You’re half asleep, the lights may not be on yet, and you see a shape out of the corner of your eye.
In a horror movie, it would be a ghost or a serial killer about to attack, but in real life we just end up with a tiny heart attack. If we’re lucky, it passes in a moment. If not, we squeal loudly and anyone within earshot will never let us live down the embarrassment.
Um, dude, the body in your closet slipped free…
It took me far too long to realize that this wasn’t a leg, but rather a roll of brown kraft paper that had slipped down and was stopped by the shoe.
There’s no good way to air dry a comforter, unless you happen to have long banisters.
Still, there has to be a better option than like tossing it on a chair and leaving it for your spouse to jump out of his skin when he sees it out of the corner of his eye.
After Hurricane Sandy, someone thought they’d found a head on the beach.
I wonder how long they put off getting a closer look before realizing that it was actually the head of a mannequin.
It’s The Grim!
Apparently, the dog just keep sitting there perfectly still, even as their owner grabbed their phone to snap a pic. The red eye just makes it scarier.
I’d nope right on out of there.
You’re not seeing a reenactment from Birth of a Nation . Those are actually just white patio umbrellas closed up for the night.
Those big umbrellas can cause a lot of confusion.
Like when this guy called 911 thinking that someone was about to jump to their death dressed as a handmaid. Which seems sadly plausible these days.
This was probably a prank.
I could see myself freaking out when I glanced in the mirror, though I could also see this having dangerous consequences.
It also made me jump the first time, when I opened the larger version.
“Oh hello, human.”
This person put an inflatable cat on their roof for Halloween and thought nothing of it until a windy night resulted in walking up to this.
Cardboard cutouts can really surprise you.
At least this one is Spock. I’m usually the first person in the Diply office each day, and last Halloween, I turned a corner to find a moving, cackling witch standing in front of the light switch.
Well, my coats are staying in the closet from now on.
Though, admittedly, they have a tendency to just end up piled on the nearest chair, so instead of a dementor, mine would just look like a passed out drunk.
Okay, this is a pretty good prank.
This dad’s son taped a toy right in front of the rearview camera, complete with ketchup “blood” and got exactly the startled squeal they were looking for.
This plastic bag really looks like a cat.
Now imagine if the room was dark, you were tired, and you didn’t actually have a cat. Yeah, I’d freak out.
This is actually on purpose.
At least, it’s meant to look like there’s a person in the window to deter burglars, but it has the side effect of creeping out your neighbors.
If you have repair technicians or something coming to your home, warn them.
Not everyone expects to find an ultra-realistic tiger plush just chilling in the middle of the living room.
No matter how many times I tell myself it isn’t a spider, I still feel creeped out.
If you don’t recognize it, it’s a hair clip. The owner put it there temporarily, but promptly forgot and nearly pissed themselves.
There has to be a better, less-terrifying way to do this.
Like, I get that the truck needs to be towed, but imagine being the person that does a double-take on the highway when they think a truck is on the wrong side.
If you’re going to throw out baby dolls, please use a black bag.
I mean, if the bag breaks open, the visual may end up worse, but it’ll at least be less likely to result in the cops being called after a cursory glance.
See also: adult mannequins.
While I agree that modern, headless mannequins are kind of tacky, at least they don’t look just human enough to cause heart attacks at the dumpster.
The photographer of this pic said they have a tiny heart attack every time they use this.
Why? Because of the spider on the label.
I’d have scribbled over that with a Sharpie right away.
I usually appreciate hotel staff with a sense of humor.
But perhaps leaving the towel animal hanging right in front of the door was a step too far.
The pattern is unfortunate.
Another scrap of fabric may have gone unremarked, but this one looks enough like a snake (or shed snake skin) to cause a minor panic when glimpsed in passing.
Also snakelike: garden hoses.
You’re unlikely to confuse a bright green hose for a snake, but when it gets faded and bleached by the sun, it can cause a good startle.
“Watcha doin’?”
Apparently, that dog is only eight months old. So by the time it’s full grown it won’t just startle you at that window, but it can bust right through it. Great.
Found in a nine-year-old’s backpack.
Turns out that it’s just a bag of rocks, but could you imagine being the parent in this situation? You’re looking for a misplaced permission slip and instead you find what looks like drugs?
Kill it with fire!
Sadly, you’d be burning the house down for nothing in this case. What looks like a giant spider is actually just the inner workings of the lampshade.
This is part of why I hate glue guns.
The threads end up everywhere and can easily be mistaken for the webs of massive spiders if you forget about your recent crafting.
Cotton swab nightmare.
This guy thought he’d caused the ear damage we’ve all been warned about, but he actually just grabbed his wife’s make-up applicator by mistake.
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The worst way to dry a snuggie.
Or maybe the best way, if you’re the kind of person that likes terrifying the other members of your household.
He knows what you did last summer.
Those are actually just wet boots left outside to protect the interior floors, but it definitely looks like a serial killer is just about to knock.
Dude, your rug is possessed.
Firstly, I love that blue color and want one of these rugs for my own home. Secondly, maybe stop letting your kid rib his face in it.
Night vision cameras add extra terror.
I think video is a great upgrade to the classic baby monitor, since not every dangerous situation will involve sound, but that doesn’t make this less creepy. Add the usual sleep deprivation on top and it’s terror city.
Can I use this as evidence in an insurance claim?
Because you can be damn sure that I’d risk slamming on the gas in shock when I spotted this.
More fun with night vision!
This isn’t a demon zombie. It’s actually the newspaper delivery person. They accidentally tossed the paper on the roof and were trying to knock it down with a stick.
“I need to find the Lady who hanged this freak. Gave me a heart attack…” said the person who spotted this.
The rather austere setting — which I assume is an apartment building with exterior hallways — just makes this illusion so much freakier.
