5 Creepy Photos That Have Been Debunked

There’s nothing that brings in the clicks, views, and follows more than creepy photos. Since the dawn of photography, there have been anomalies that have made even the smartest of men scratch their heads. While Photoshop wouldn’t be invented until 1987, the art of photo editing is as old as the camera. Just because the photo didn’t exist while Photoshop became the norm, it doesn’t mean that there were no other ways to edit a photo. The history of photography and what people did to edit photos by hand back then is truly fascinating.

Yet, some photos managed to slip through the cracks of scrutiny…until now. Here are some of the most famous creepy photos that have been debunked.

Wem Town Hall Ghost

This is my favorite ghost photo, even though it has been debunked. This photo came into prominence in the nineties after the building burnt down in 1995. Tony O’Rahilly took the photo while standing across the street, and didn’t seem to notice the girl until after he developed the film. In the photo, we can see the girl standing amongst the flames. It’s both fascinating and unsettling. Andrew Homer, along with ASSAP and Parasearch did further analysis on the photo, including finding the original photo (with no ghost girl), and declared it fake. It was also determined that O’Rahilly had fabricated the photo. The girl seen in the blaze is the same girl seen in a 1922 postcard for Wem. Since O’Rahilly died in 2005, so he was unable to speak of the accusations.

The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

The Brown Lady Raynham Hall is one of the first ghost photos that really makes people start to wonder about the existence of the afterlife. I covered this photo as a Christmas ghost story, and its origins are truly sad. If you want to read the details of the backstory, check out my Christmas blog. Short version is that in the 1700’s, a husband became suspicious and jealous that his wife may have been cheating. He locked her away and told her friends and family she died. The poor wife never saw the outside again. The wife’s ghost was spotted on Christmas 1835 and this photo was snapped. Skeptics have analyzed this photo and proclaimed it cannot be debunked, which is why this photo rose to such prominence.

However, Alan Murdie found out that the Brown Lady in the photograph was caused by light leaking on the photographic plate. He managed to find the information from an old dusty manuscript in the Cambridge University library.

Cooper Family Photo

The Cooper Family Photo was one of the first spooky photos that actually freaked me out. When I first saw it in 2013, I really didn’t know what to make of it. The way that the family is sitting smiling and happy, unaware of the terrifying image to their right. Then, you have what looks like a body hanging upside down. The story behind this photo is that it the Cooper family was celebrating moving into their new home in Texas. However, we have to look at this photo with a critical eye, as it shows signs of being digitally altered. The symmetrical vignette is the biggest red flag. Plus the pixelation of the body is much different from the family, showing that there are layers in the photo. Here’s a more extensive breakdown of the debunking of this photo.

Patterson-Gimlin Film

This particular photo is truly the granddaddy of creepy photos. You could say this is the photo that started it all when it comes to conspiracy theories and cryptids. This photo of Bigfoot is tied to the Patterson-Gimlin film from 1967. The story goes that filmmaker Roger Patterson signed a contract to make a film about Bigfoot near Bluff Creek. This still is from frame 352, while others say it was shot by a hunter nearby. I still know folks today who swear that the footage is real.

Solway Spaceman

There are so many paranormal photos out there that seem…weird. I know, it’s weird to say this about this area of photography. So, to say this is weird about something already weird means something. I was never convinced that some hidden spaceman photobombed this picture. Taken in 1964 by Jim Templeton, this photo was of Templeton’s daughter while on a family picnic. When the family developed the film, they were shocked to see a spaceman-like person in the background. As I love to say, if it’s too good to be true, it usually is. It turns out that it’s Templeton’s wife in the background. The exposure made her blue dress look white.

What famous paranormal photos are your favorites? Has it been debunked? Tell us more in the comments!