Bryce Edsall Manipulates Pictures in Nightmare-Inducing Ways

Looking at these Bryce Edsall photo manipulations, you may be tempted to cover your eyes while peering through the slits made by your fingers. After all, not everyone enjoys subjecting themselves to images of frightful demonic creatures as a recreational activity. Featuring blood-splattered rooms, cannibals and mountain-sized monsters, Edsall’s work seems as though it wouldn’t garner any fans, but the appeal of these images is actually more reasonable than you’d think.

Each Bryce Edsall photograph appears centuries old and is super gritty, adding authenticity to her work. Viewers will, therefore, subconsciously empathize with these pictures. The problem is, once this cognitive connection is established, Edsall depicts warped scenarios that viewers would rather not want to experience in person. The thrill of engaging with something they’re completely terrified of is what keeps audiences coming back to Edsall’s work.