Explore 142 31 days of halloween Collections - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place
31 Days Of Halloween

31 Days Of Halloween

A smattering of beings described as monstrous in medieval times, including a blemmye (second from right).
31 days of halloween

The Modern Lives of Medieval Monster Scholars

It's an interesting time to see the world through the eyes of blemmyes and demons.
Cara Giaimo October 31, 2017
Spiderwebs help catch pesky fruit flies.
31 days of halloween

The Heritage Beer Brewed With Some Help From Spiders

When fruit flies love your beer, you don't mind a few webs in the brewery.
Anne Ewbank October 31, 2017
Louise Huebner, Official Witch of Los Angeles County, making turtle soup for her family in the 1970s.
witchcraft

A Look Back at America's Psychedelic Countercultural Witch Music

Occult albums in the '60s and '70s combined ambient tunes and spoken spells.
Alison Fensterstock October 31, 2017
A 16th-century anatomical lecture in London.
mummies

European 'Corpse Medicine' Promised Better Health Through Cannibalism

“Take the fresh, unspotted cadaver of a redheaded man..."
Natalie Zarrelli October 31, 2017
Lilias Adie's face, reconstructed from century-old images of her skull.
31 days of halloween

Meet a Scottish 'Witch' Who Died 300 Years Ago

Digital reconstruction gives a face to a sad tale.
Natasha Frost October 31, 2017
A Parisian inspects mushrooms growing in the tunnels underneath the city.
31 days of halloween

The Secret History of Paris's Catacomb Mushrooms

In the 1800s, farmers cultivated mushrooms in abandoned quarries underneath the French capital.
Emily Monaco October 31, 2017
31 days of halloween

Welcome to Your Worst Nightmares

We asked you to tell us about them, and they are chilling.
Sarah Laskow October 30, 2017
Into the Veil 2017.
31 days of halloween

Revisit the Enchantment of 'Into the Veil'

A short film for those who missed this year's big event in New York—or want to relive it.
Natasha Frost October 30, 2017
"Shelley" is an artificial intelligence bot who writes stories inspired by a subreddit of aspiring horror writers.
31 days of halloween

An Artificial Intelligence Bot Writes Stories of the Macabre

"Shelley" conjures tales of disembodied mouths, surprise male pregnancies, and a house full of dolls.
Natasha Frost October 30, 2017
Edvard Munch's <em>Love and Pain</em> (1895), often referred to as <em>Vampire</em>. Munch is reported to have said it depicts a woman kissing a man's neck—nothing more.
31 days of halloween

The Myth of a Medical Explanation for Vampirism

The problem is that real people suffer from these conditions.
Kelsey Kennedy October 30, 2017
The complete Odd Fellows skeleton studied by Alapisco.
31 days of halloween

Stumbling on Skeletons in Old Odd Fellows Lodges

The fraternal organization has literal skeletons in their closets—and cupboards, back rooms, and attics.
Cara Giaimo October 30, 2017
Don't be afraid. It's just science.
31 days of halloween

Why Do People Paint Skeletons on Live Horses?

It's about education, not scares.
Eric Grundhauser October 27, 2017
Daisy-Wheels inscribed with a pair of compasses or dividers found in Saxon Tithe barn, Bradford-on-Avon.
witchcraft

The DIY Carvings Designed to Deter 17th-Century Witches

Apotropaic marks were simple patterns with a serious purpose: to keep evil and mischief out.
Kirsten Amor October 26, 2017
You’re awake now, don’t worry.
31 days of halloween

Tell Us About Your Most Terrifying Nightmare

What haunts your sleep?
Sarah Laskow October 23, 2017
<em>The Nightmare</em>, Henry Fuseli, 1781.
31 days of halloween

The Original ‘Nightmare’ Was a Demon That Sat on Your Chest and Suffocated You

Maere, mara, mahr, mahrt, mårt—by any name, it was and still is a terrifying visitor.
Sarah Laskow October 23, 2017
A scene from <em>Driveway Follies</em>.
31 days of halloween

Every Halloween, an Oakland Man Stages Spooky Marionette Shows in His Driveway

Larry Schmidt has been offering the free performances at his California home for over a decade.
Rick Paulas October 20, 2017
A 1716 portrait of Catherine I by French painter Jean-Marc Nattier.
objects of intrigue

What Happened to the Severed Head of Peter the Great's Wife's Lover

Don't believe the hype.
Natasha Frost October 20, 2017
Mulian confront his hungry ghost mother in the Kyoto Ghosts Scroll, late 12th century.
haunted

In China, Ghosts Demand the Finer Things in Life

The Hungry Ghost Festival provides them with paper effigies of money, food—and iPhones.
Vittoria Traverso October 19, 2017