Every so often, when I should be getting ready to fall asleep, I enjoy hunting the Internet for nightmare inducers just because my curiosity can't resist what I know is out there. These occurrences are always followed by hours of deep regret as I stay awake with the lights in my room on. But there's definitely a lot of nightmare fuel floating around on the Internet and you'd be surprised to discover the various forms it takes on.
The most common of the nightmare inducers readily available for people's viewing pleasure is surrealistic artwork, often involving macabre and grotesque scenarios. But even creepier than that is seeing crawlies and critters being placed on babies for traumatizing photo shoots. Seeing children's toys with disfigurements and awkward proportions can also be quite unnerving, but I think all of the realistic zombie depictions out there will be the thing to keep me up tonight.
95 Nightmare Inducers
From Tormented Childhood Illustrations to Naughty Fantasy Art:
Jason Soy — Jun 17, 2011 — Art & Design
94
Self-Mutilation as Art
93
Alarming Digitography
Marc Da Cunha Lopes' Enhanced Art is Forged in Nightmares
92
Horror Body Painting
Beautiful Bodied Zombies
91
Mind-Bending Sketches
Alex Andreyev Draws Disturbing Nightmares
90
Children's Nightmare Photography (UPDATE)
Scary Work by Joshua Hoffine
89
Horrifying Surreal Portraits
Jacek Kaczynski Channels the Dark Side in His Illustrations
88
Tormented Childhood Illustrations
Berk Ozturk Creepifies All Your Nostalgic Memories
87
Macabre Figurines
An Ex-Mortician Customizes Custom Creepy Dolls
86
Villain Pumpkin Carvings
Festive Tributes to the Eerie Halloween Season
85
Freaky Forest Photographs
Denise Grunstein Captures Intense Ethereal Images
84
Gruesome Knitted Figurines
The Antigurumi of 'Croshame' is Adorable Turned Disturbing
83
Anti-Gravity Surreal Art
IT Student Xetobyte has a Phenomenal Imagination
82
Nightmare-Inspired Photograpy
"After Dark, My Sweet" by Joshua Hoffine
81
Chilling Ghostography
Helen Korpak's Photography Will Make Your Spine Tingle
80
Sultry Cinematic Spreads
The Ones2Watch Issue 6 Features a Tim Burton-Inspired Shoot
79
Wind-Wisped Sculptures
Vladislav Novikov-Barkovsky Creates Creepy Faces in the Wind
78
Gothic Greetings
Alternative Christmas Cards By Night Moth
77
Eerie Monster Art
Mike Friedrich is a Visual Dr. Frankenstein
76
Stunning Nightmare Art
Loic Zimmerman Paints Horrific Yet Beautiful Portraits
75
Fuzzy Nightmare Toys
Clyde the Angry Bunny is Perfect for Scaring Kids
74
Nightmarish Dreamtography
The Marco Grizelj Dreams Portfolio Torments Sleeping Beauty
73
Cute & Creepy Halloween Decor
The Bunny Vampire Girl by Creepy Dolls Will Give You Nightmares
72
Iconic Director Retrospectives
The Tim Burton LACMA Exhibit Looks Back at a Storied Career
71
Creepy Oil Paintings
These Jonathan Bergeron Works Are Bizarrely Captivating
70
Naughty Nightmare Art
A Sultry Yet Dark Series of Work by Peatree Bojangles
69
Celebrity Zombies
A-List Stars are Made into Creatures of Another Realm
68
Gothic Nightmare Illustrations
Greg Simkins' Macabre Paintings Leave You Wanting More
67
Nightmare Leather Masks
The Modern Borg Mask by Bob Basset Will Scare You
66
Wicked Ghoulish Illustrations
Tatsuya Nottsuo Creates Some Stellar Monstrous Art Works
65
Scary Scenario Plushies
Upsetting and Macabre Children's Toys
64
Pop Culture Icons as Bunnies
Amigurumi Knit Rabbits Inspired by Famous Horror Flicks
63
Phobia Photo Fonts
The 'What Are You Afraid Of?' Typography Set Will Induce Nightmares
62
Dark and Dreary Diaries
The Splash Fashions 2011 Calendar is Artistically Creepy
61
Disturbing Surreal Drawings
Yen Wei Illustrations Turn Reality on Its Head
60
Creepy Urban Exploration
Abandoned Ruins by Tom Kirsch
59
Fantastical Nightmare Art
The Paintings of Véronique Meignaud Are Terrifyingly Dreamy
58
Disfigured Creature Figurines
The 'Ugly Pokemon' Sculptures are Truly Creative but Unattractive
57
Macabre Mixed Media Art
J. Larkin Creations are Kind of Creepy but Very Creative
56
Clown Wig Couture
Kelly Thompson's Photography Plays Around With Circus Color
55
Recycled Zombie Dolls
Barbie of the Undead
54
Nightmarish Sandcastles
Sandlistaverk is Scary, Horrific, and Strange
53
Disturbing Crafty Dolls
The LuckyBoySunday Collection Makes Me Wanna Be a Kid Again
52
Frightening Clay Creations
The Ceramic Sculptures by Caterina Silenzi Raku will Stun You
51
Nightmarish Silkscreens
Jason Cantoro Art Creates Macabre Images That Just Won't Go Away
50
Freaky Joker Shoots
'Why So Serious?' by Fab 5 Channels Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'
49
'Bad Dream' Artwork
'New World Nightmares' by Jesse McCloskey Will Make You Scared to Sleep
48
Disturbing Nightmare Art
Natalie Anne Howard Imagines a Dark, Surreal World
47
Real Life Rapunzels
Time To Cut These Insane Fairytale Hairstyles
46
Eerie Draped Photography
Brendan George Ko Shoots Hidden Models in a Surreal Shoot
45
Charitable Monsterfied Pigs
Boaris Frankenswine by Anthony Kosar Invades Illinois School
44
Terrifying Children's Toys
These Blamo Toys Playthings are Frightening and Freaky
43
Playgrounds from Hell
Slavic Nightmare Park Has Demonic Play Equipment
42
Creepy Clown Couture
The Dark Circus-Inspired Designs of Karen Segall
41
Whip Tailed Headgear
Bob Basset's RP6 Masks are Sinister
40
Hyper-Realist Fantasy Sculptures
Mark Newman Brings His Whimsical Visions to Life
39
Motion Activated Shower Curtains
Bloody "Psycho" Curtain
38
Outrageous Nightmare Art
The Art of Eduardo Diaz Bourgeot Combines Unusual Objects
37
Festive Zombie Pinatas
TomDeadStuff Makes Art You Can Hit With a Stick
36
Abstract Nightmare Illustrations
These Ryan Mcgennisken Cartoons Have an Eerie Dark Side
35
Creepy Recycled Sculptures
Nemo Gould Robots
34
Psychedelic Kitty Illustrations
The Art of Audrey May Erickson Features Fierce Felines
33
Nightmare-Inspired Dolls
Krypt Kiddies
32
Nightmare-Induced Digital Art
Peterio Creates Some Dark and Demented Images
31
Pyschotic Practice Targets
These Horrific Killer Targets Help You Train for Your Worst Nightmares
30
Nightmare-Inducing Dolls
These Horror Movie Plushies will Leave You Sleeping with the Light On
29
Epic Fearvertising
This Print Campaign from Noe Features Our Worst Apocalyptic Nightmares
28
Mechanical Babies
Johnny Hardstaff's Artwork is a Cute Nightmare
27
Sinister Baptism Spreads
Light Dark by Aorta Captures Eerie Images of a Religious Rite
26
Creepy Creature Creations
Ludovic Levasseur Makes Morbid, Voodoo-Like Toys
25
Art to Cure Nightmares
Deranged Digital Mixed Media by Mia Makila
24
Real-Life Vampires
10 Blood-Sucking Beasties
23
Childhood Traumatizing Books
Scare Your Kids With Pat the Zombie
22
Demonic Lighting
The Demon Lamp Gives Me Artistic Nightmares
21
Pausable Art
‘Khoda' is a Psychological Thriller with 6,000 Individual Paintings
20
Garden Zombies are the New Gnome
The Zombie of Montclaire Moors
19
Horrifying Morning Rituals
Serve Your Enemies Coffee in the Scary Mouth Cup by Autumn Higgins
18
Monster Snuggling
Finetra Uses Freaky Bed Monsters to Sell Their Bedding
17
Scary Shrouded Shoots
'Silent Shout' by Sara Berntsen is a Photographic Horror Story
16
Disfigured Dolls
The Loopy Boppy Dolls by Colleen Are Downright Freaky
15
Steampunk Primate Craniums
The Lisa Black Vervet Monkey Skull is Spine Chilling
14
Demonic Freaktography
The Marco Cavalieri Clown Exhibit Will Make You Fear the Circus
13
Creepy Carpets
The Boogie Man Rug is the Luxurious Way to Induce Nightmares
12
Recreating Classic Horror Movies
Billy Bob Thornton As Freddy Krueger
11
Wacky Woodland Creatures
Meet Uli the Ovivore and His Whimsical Cohort
10
Simplistic Nightmaretography
The Interesting 'You Are What You Dream' by Jared Nickerson
9
Skeletal Monster Toys
Gillru-Kun from Bounty Hunter is a Quirky Creature
8
Skeleton Sidekick Shoots
'With Jack' by Anca Varsandan Takes Skellington Through the City
7
Zombie Pets
My Little Pony-Inspired Friends Aren't For The Faint-Of-Heart
6
Nightmare-Inducing Pillows
Skwaks Pillow Creations Encourage Opposite of Sweet Dreams
5
Bad Dreams as Art
'Welcome to My Nightmare' Installation
4
Metro Monsters
Alex Andreyev Shows the Life of Insects & Critters on the Subway
3
Spooky Surreal Animations
The 'Salad Fingers' Video Dishes a Disturbing Experience
2
Creepy Bug Robots
Phasma is the Six-Legged Machine of Your Dreams and Nightmares
1
Terrifying Fairies
Alon Meron's ‘Buba' is a Dark Take on the Friendly Tooth Fai
Related Ideas
Blindfolded Bare Bodies
'Shrouded' by Brenton Parry Exposes the Power of a Mask
Surreal Suspended Photography
'Levitation' by Lovec Snov is Both Eerie and Elegant
Capricious Childhood Characters
Tolagunestro Reinvents Favorite Nostalgic Icons With Whimsy
Punk Pin-Up Pictorials
A Darkened Retro Spread Sizzles in the Candice Boucher A Magazine
Sensual Cartoon Heroines
These Sin City Disney Princess Posters Show Good Girls Gone Bad
Face-Hiding Photography
Aela Labbe Shoots Beautiful Hidden Models in Dark Settings
Haute Halloween Inspirations
The Yuima Nakazato FW 2010 Line Crosses Gender Barriers
100 Intensely Creepy Pictures
From Freaky Eyeball Art to Skeletal Parktography
Horrifying Surreal Portraits
Jacek Kaczynski Channels the Dark Side in His Illustrations
Hidden Model Photography
Haute Couture Meets Pinup in the Andrea Klarin Calendar 2011
Babelicious Calendars
Add a Little Spice to Every Month with the Aleksey Marina 'Allegro' Shoot
Mystically Dreamlike Drawings
The Morgaine Faye Illustrations are Eerily Surreal
Eerie Forest Photography
Jessica Tremp Captures Models in Dark, Haunting Woods
Zombified Blockbuster Art
The Matt Busch 'Hollywood is Dead' Poster Series
Gravity-Defying Photography
Photographer Brooke Shaden Gives a Levitating Look into Her World
Gothic Raven Photography
Natalie Shau 'Fashion Works' Moves Away from Typical Digi-Art
Surreal Pen Pictures
The Joao MT Pen Illustrations are Intricately Inked
Squeezing Solo Shoots
Get Inside the Creative Mind of Photographer Carmen Chan
Mental Patient Pictorials
This Shoot in Prestige Hong Kong May 2010 is Haute Asylum Couture
Sultry Hipster Sketches
Becca O'Shea Seduces With Her Sensually Hip Illustrations
Spray Painted Potraits
David Walker Creates Graffiti Pieces of Complete Strangers
29 Controversial Marketing Fails
Rush Limbaugh Tucson Shooter Ad Sheds Light on Unfortunate Ads
Eerie Monster Art
Mike Friedrich is a Visual Dr. Frankenstein
Eerily Meticulous Statues
These Human Sculptures by Tip Toland Convey Lessons of Beauty
Unnerving Cartoon Embryos
Jason Freeny Continues to Creep You Out with the Hello Kitty Fetus
Surreal Abstract Prints
Amber Isabel's Photographic Imagination Runs Wild with Emotions
Fragmented Fashion Illustrations
Becha ELLE Openers Bring a Mixed Media Twist to Style
Gory Gothic Art
The Illustrations of Tatsuya Morino are Perfect for Halloween
Haute Occult Campaigns
Tom Hines Photographs for the Lake & Stars Ritualize Campaign
Haunting Silhouette Photography
Simon Obarzanek's 'Untitled Movement' Series Hides Faces
Otherworldly Fashiontography
Haruki Horikawa Blends Futuristic Fashions with Creative Angles
Horrifying Cartoon Caricatures
Ralph Consentino Turns Disney Characters into Rabid Animals
Horrifying Muppet Illustrations
Rhys Cooper Re-Imagines Sesame Street
Disembodied Kitchenware
The Joseph Barbaccia 'Integration' Collection of Unusual Tools
56 Creative Calendar Choices
From Charitable Naughty Rugby Calendars to Couture Calendars
Eerie Transparent Nudetography
The Levi Wintering 'O2' Project is Creepily Unique
Hacksaw Surgery Shoots
Peter Kemp Captures a Crazed Cosmetic Surgeon in the Act
Fashionably Eerie Emotography
Mathew Guido Fashion Photography is Dark and Captivating
Glittering Gown Proptography
Antonio Anuk by CSS Studios Flaunts Female Male Accessories
Muppet Heroes
These Evan Cheng Cartoons Combine Sesame Street Characters & Superheroes
Boldly Surreal Illustrations
Jerome Meynen Creates a Colorful and Wacky World
Undead Digital Portraits
These MigleG Zombies are Seriously Creepy & Grotesque
Bold Graffitography
San Francisco's Valencia Street is Donned with Awesome Graffiti
Cardboard Paintings
Theo Altenberg Creates Artisic Works While Recycling
Cartoonified Portraits
Eye-Catching Illustrations by Sergio Saucedo
Trippy Drippy Art
The Work of Jung-Yeon Min is a Fantasy Infestation
Bewitching Noir Editorials
The M Magazine Spread Features Shapeless Dark Silhouettes
Hyper-Realistic Couple Paintings
Eric Zener's Art Work Seems Like Photographs
Hyperrealistic Human Sculptures
Bert Simons' 3D Paper Portraits Reflect his Artistic Skills
Celebrity Charity Calendars
the L'Oreal 2011 Hairdressers Against Aids Pushes Awarenes
Cartoon Miniature Cities
These Vesa Sammalisto 'Identity Illustrations' are Creatively Unique
Surreal Faceless Photography
The Peculiar World of Maia Flore
Darkly Daring Designs
The Digital Illustrations of Anton Semenov are Marvelously Macabre
Illuminating Typography Books
'Cultural Connectives' Links Arabic and Latin Languages
Peculiar Peeping Sculptures
YHWH Vinyl Figures by Mark Ryden are Fantastically Deformed
Creepy Cosplay Couples
These Corpse Bride Cosplay Pictures Will Chill You to the Bone
City Sign Graveyards
The Neon Museum is Where Las Vegas Lights Go to Die
Buff Celeb Paintings
'A Portrait Of Marriage' is a Controversial Madonna Painting
50 Eerie Photography Shoots
From Creepy Fashion Duos to Mysteriously Dark Lookbooks
Crayontastic Musician Caricatures
Amanda Grazini Colors Music Celebs Crayola-Style
French Revolution Editorials
Andy Julia Shoots a Perfectly Peculiar Spread for Lush Magazine
Eerie Fashiontography
Grant Thomas Creates a Dark Tone in His Photographs
Dismilly Disturbed Illustrations
Michal Dziekan Shows Us the Dark Side
Musical Alphabet Illustrations
The Ana Gomez Octave Artwork Fuses Typography With Musicianship
Artsy Jabberwocky Exhibits
The Tim Burton Art Gallery from MoMA has Arrived!
Demonic Picture Books
The Ivinca Stevanovic Banished Demons Book is Devilishly Dark
Powerhouse Toon Pairings
These X-Men Mario Mash-Up Illustrations Are Next Level Awesome
Trippy Floatography
The Work of Franck Bohbot Will Have You Doing a Double Take
Insect-Inspired Bicycles
The Grass Chopper by Mateusz Chmura is Buggy but Beautiful
Human Canvas Paintings
Ah Xian Creates Intricate Designs on Faces and Shoulders
Trippy Word Illustrations
'Release Emotions' by Stefan Chinof is a Mesmerizing Series
Piercing Prayer Pictorials
Marcelina Sowa Poses for 'Being Bathory' in Fashion Gone Rogue
Creepy Undead Celebrations
The Sydney Zombie Walk is a Festering Festival of Blood and Guts
Eerie Glam Editorials
'Dreaming of Another World' by Tim Walker has a Bizarre Beauty
Cloudy Confection Captures
The Petite Cupcakes SS11 Campaign is Sweetly Surreal
Catastrophic Classic Canvases
These Impressionist Travelart Ads Encourage Cultural Excursions
Anatomical Evil Baby Art
The Jason Freeny Stewie Pieces is the Artist's Newest Creation
Metal-Sculpted Scenes
Frank Plant Twists Steel into Works of Art
Creative Cat Portraits
Theresa Knudson Takes Her Feline Friend on a Photographic Adventure
Ghostly Tribute Photography
Markus Klinko and Indrani Honor Alexander McQueen
$3 Million Advent Calendars
The World's Most Expensive Advent is a Brilliant 81 Carats
Typography Guessing Apps
Fontagious is a Thrilling Font Recognition Game
Serene Watercolor Paintings
Ben Tour Art Captures a Beautifully Eternal Note of Sadness
Hyperreal Artist Portraits
James Birkbeck Transforms into Vincent Van Gogh
Digital Gamer Art
Miroslav Petrov Portraits Channel Virtual Influences
Vibrantly Morbid Illustrations
Jesse Fillingham's Works Present an Eerie Perspective on Life
Abstract Fantasy Illustrations
Laura Bifano Brings a Wonderful World of Imagination
Deceptive Cut-Out Art
Debra Hampton Reuses Magazines for Her Unique Collages
Journeying Friendtography
The Leonard Miller 'Childhood Friend' is Nostalgically Lovely
Electric Superhero Pictorials
These 'Dark Knight'-Inspired Digital Artworks are Spectacular
Desolate Head Paints
Artwork by Julian Kimmings is Creatively Sad
Iconic Cartoon Typography
The Simpsons Alphabet by Fabian Gonzales Morphs Popular Characters
Alien Cat Illustrations
Casey Weldon Paints Four-Eyed Felines
Sewn-Up Typography
David Schwen Uses Real-Life Ligature to Bring Letters Together
Eerie Levitation Imagery
Louis Lander-Deacon Captures Intriguing Shots of Floating Bodies
Plywood Paintings
Robert Romanowicz Uses Wooden Canvases for His Mischievous Works
Dunk Tank Advertising
The ‘Canon: Cheesy Targets' Marketing Campaign is Humorously Sub
Intricate Gamer Illustrations
These Grand Theft Auto Artworks by Patrick Brown are Ultra Vibrant
Zombified Cartoon Characters
These 'The Simpsons by Kidrobot' Pieces are Super Spooky
Undead Target Practices
Zombie Ammo Targets Give You Reason to Pull the Trigger
Bewitching Kid Couture
Sandra Freij Photography for Milk Magazine is Enchantingly Dark
TV Cartoon Vinyl Toys
These Fantastic Kidrobot Family Guy Figurines Are Straight Out of Quahog
Tormented Cartoon Campaigns
La Fabbrica di Nichi Ads Promote an Improved Urban Environment
Masochistic Health Marketing
The Cancer Society of Finland Army Ad Aims Where it Hurts
Imaginative Sci-Fi Illustrations
These Nook Artworks are Eclectic Futuristic Compositions
Terrific Gamer Typography
Video Games Characters Alphabet Turns Icons into Type
Deathly King Illustrations
Yana Moskaluk's 'Russian Fairy Tales' Series is Dark and Dramatic
Dream-Filled Photography
Michal Giedrojc's 'Colours of Illusions' is Simply Surreal
Badass Skeletal Illustrations
Johnathan Bergeron Expresses His Love of Skulls Beautifully
Google Toys
The Android Mini Collectible Shows Your Operating-System Allegiance
Storytelling Illustrations
Tomer Hanuka Captures Drama in Still Moments
Firing Range Photography
Johnathan Minster's 'Targets' Shoot Makes a Statement on Violence
Obscure Fantastical Illustrations
These Works by Ken Wong are a Must-See
Macabre Asian Art
Toshio Saeki Brings Back Traditional Japanese Shunga Illustrations
Skeletal Rabbit Statues
'Silly Pink Bunnies' by Jeremy Fish Adds to Lower Haight Murals
Hazy Grayscale Photography
Broken Manual by Alec Sloth is a Journey Through the Unknown
Vintage Human Typography
Jenny Shipper Takes Stills from Films and Turns Them into Type
Animal-Bodied Typography
Llama Font Allows You to Create a Story Out of Flexing Llamas
Pixelated Canvases
Enda O'Donoghue Transforms Low Quality Phone Pictures into Paintings
Coin-Operated Calendars
The Space Invaders Calendar is a Retro Gamer Date Tracker
Reporters as Shooting Targets
'Journalists Are Targets' by Ryan Teixeira Shows Inherent Danger
Intestine-Spewing Toys
The Franciscanus Lobulo Toy is Anatomically Reversible
Anatomical Monkey Toys
The Kaws Milo Toy is a Collaboration Between Two Designer Giants
Crystallized Botanical Calendars
Makoto Azuma Creates Sparkly Floral Sculptures
Feline-Friendly Apps
The 'Game for Cats' is Exactly What it Sounds Like
Oriental Ora Calendars
The Miffy 2011 Calendar Glows in Solid Gold Casing
Ghoulish Store Sites
The Zombie Sears Website Will Get You into the Halloween Spirit
Trigger-Happy Timers
Wake and Wield with the 'Gun Shooting Alarm Clock'
Sharpshooting Joysticks
Sony Releases the New Sharpshooter Assault Rifle Along With Killzone 3
Faceless Feline Icons
The James Jarvis Hello Kitty Toys Remove the Face from the Iconic Kitty