104 Pics Of Slightly Unsettling “Liminal Spaces” (New Pics)

If you’ve visited a mostly empty mall close to closing time or a hotel that is almost completely vacant, you no doubt have been struck with a feeling of creeping unease, possibly mixed with some deja vu. You would not be alone in this feeling, and the ubiquity of smartphones these days means that internet users are documenting all the places that unsettle them.

The obsession with liminal spaces is a bit hard to explain, but there is no denying that it’s very real. Various internet groups exist where people share images of unsettling, eerie, or strangely nostalgic places they have encountered. So be sure to upvote your favorites and comment on how they made you feel.

Listen beautiful relax classics on our Youtube channel.

#1 Oh

Image credits: Nappy-I

#2 Feels Like A Dream I’ve Had

Image credits: PrimordialSound

#3 One Last Look Back

Image credits: Bomb_Atomicali

To get a common question out of the way, liminal refers to a threshold or limit (the common root is visible here) that is at the bare minimum of getting a perceptible response. It has a somewhat morbid use as well, referring to a sort of state between life and death. As you can see in many of the images, the locations are hallways, corridors, parking lots, and other places that we have to pass through to get where we actually want to go.

While the actual emotion might be a lot older, it has only been studied recently. Before smartphones, we didn’t really have a good way to document these places, and who was going to waste physical film on a “bland” hotel hallway? Not to mention, most of us don’t spend that much time in these places, no doubt feeling a few, quick pangs of unease before walking through them to our final destination.

#4 The Building Next To The Hotel Im Staying At

Image credits: MangoSensation

#5 Perfect Forest

Image credits: Ok-Dance-7099

#6 Forget

Image credits: cantmakeanameforshit

Now psychologists believe that these liminal spaces have a similar effect to the uncanny valley, where something appears familiar and known, but “off” in such a way as to provoke general creepiness mixed with recognition. These spaces are the same, familiar, as we have no doubt encountered hundreds, but lacking in the features we actually place in our own homes, personality, heart, and charm. 

#7 Saw This On Twitter, Where The Nambia Desert Meets The Ocean. Feels Surreal

Image credits: rataman098

#8 It Continues Forever

Listen beautiful relax classics on our Youtube channel.

Image credits: Used-fridge

#9 Dreaming Again?

Image credits: Alek_7w7

If you pay attention, it’s noticeable that many of the images here depict places that are somewhat under-maintained or old. This adds to the liminal space uncanny valley, as this sort of disrepair is more common in non-personal constructions, like the utility areas of a mall or a small parking lot on the edge of a building. The wear-and-tear also makes us see these locations as old, evoking memories of places we’ve visited as a child, even if this nostalgia isn’t actually related to the place in the picture.

#10 This Empty Beach Me & My Girlfriend Saw While Taking A Walk Last Night

Image credits: horrorphysics

#11 Warning

Image credits: Bag_of_plastic

#12 Yesterday I Went To Windows Xp

Image credits: krumcvetkov

Most of the locations are also somewhat strange in that no people are present. All of these buildings exist for the use of us humans, so to see them empty creates unease. Where are the people? Why is this place abandoned? Sometimes the operative emotion is sadness, like a playground that looks worn out and left to rot. Psychologically, we know that children used to play here, but no don’t and our brain starts to wonder why.

#13 Chinese Ghost City Look Like A World Boarder Of A Game

Image credits: PagChomp6

#14 This Was My Neighborhood Today

Image credits: PepeJones15

#15 No One At Sight, No Sounds, Just The Wind

Image credits: BellRinger88

Despite its current popularity, as far as internet trends go, liminal spaces are quite new. The first “breakout” example originated in the notorious imageboard 4chan, with a picture of what looked like the backrooms of an office building, stripped of furnishing. Fluorescent lights, the old, yellow wallpaper, and no windows all came together to create a place that was somehow familiar, yet evocative of a cave, claustrophobic and dangerous. 

#16 Only You

Image credits: TimFigueroa

#17 My Hometown Movie Theater

Image credits: toothgrinder90

#18 Petrol Station After A Good Downpour

Image credits: Moistwee

When looking at this original example of liminal space, one can almost imagine the hum of the lights and the softness of the old carpet, despite only a handful of people having ever visited it. The important part is the isolation, as this “failure of presence” sticks out in our brains, putting us on edge even though the location has all the trappings of something we are seemingly familiar with. 

#19 A Very Uneasy Feeling

Image credits: Clearwater257

#20 Had No Idea A Part Of My School Looked Like This Until Last Night

Image credits: phrog_champ

#21 This Area In My School Courtyard Always Gives Me Such A Weird Feeling When I Walk Alone In It

Image credits: Cws3457

#22 Abandoned Nuclear Plant

Image credits: That_Anime_Boi

#23 “I Think I Have Wandered Too Far”

Image credits: Dealrrr

#24 Just The Two Of Us

Image credits: MerlocHendrickHarry

#25 I Took This Long Exposure Photo Of Wind Turbines, Felt Like It Fit Here

Image credits: Lonely-Inspector-548

#26 This Is One Of The First Liminal Space Pictures I Made, Hope You Like It!

Image credits: Hazmat_61

#27 Everywhere And Nowhere

Image credits: Nappy-I

#28 Road To The Unkown

Image credits: LGmaxter171

#29 Come Ride With Us

Image credits: bluet_quintet

#30 My Girlfriend Works In A Bingo Hall And Sent Me This

Image credits: snecko

#31 Something I Found On Instagram

Image credits: Clearwater257

#32 Hotel I Stayed At

Image credits: Emergency-Turnip6943

#33 Why Don’t The Kids Go Outside ?

Image credits: AcanthisittaBusy457

#34 I Am Literally Staying In The Liminal Hotel

Image credits: JoshimuzVEVO

#35 Abandoned Subways In Paris Are Bring Re-Purposed As Swimming Pools

Image credits: Wooden-Ad-9925

#36 Feel Familiar?

Image credits: ceolyfestyle

#37 There Just Standing There

Image credits: Majestic-Possible-38

#38 You’ve Reached The End

Image credits: itsMoSmith

#39 The End

Image credits: ESTRUCTION

#40 A Pic I Took Many Years Ago In My Hometown, The Temperature Was -45

Image credits: vexearu

#41 I Turned On My Flashlight During A Blackout

Image credits: VenerTheTroller

#42 Feels So Fake Yet So Real

Image credits: TimFigueroa

#43 Ever Been To A Mall At 1 Am ??

Image credits: jakethedog-typebeat

#44 I Feel Comforted, And I Also Feel Like I Wouldnt Be Able To Escape

Image credits: TimFigueroa

#45 Inxanity

Image credits: reddit.com

#46 Welcome

Image credits: reddit.com

#47 This Picture Of Moment Valley Always Felt Liminal

Image credits: No_Restaurant_8638

#48 We Climbed Inside Of A Highway Bridge . This Goes For 10+ Kilometres

Image credits: IamFromSlovakia

#49 So I Explained Liminal Photography To My Mum & She Took This The Next Day.. Thoughts?

Image credits: slimyzombie

#50 Dust And Laundry

Image credits: Saul_Soto

#51 My School

Image credits: UserSpot21

#52 I Took This Picture And Left As Quick As Possible This Room

Image credits: rather_or_rather_not

#53 Loveless

Image credits: MrLiminall

#54 Why Does This Hallway Seem So Familiar?

Image credits: Easy-Hovercraft-6576

#55 The

Image credits: reddit.com

#56 Underground Bunker Built At The Height Of The Cold War Meant To Emulate Normal Suburban Life In America

Image credits: edencliff

#57 Local Town Hall

Image credits: DrPl4typus

#58 Clear Sky

Image credits: kitti__

#59 Did You Miss Your Flight?

Image credits: n0tspongy

#60 Pov: Youre On The Way To Your Home

Image credits: IvansLiminalSpace

#61 I’m Lost

Image credits: Saltycrackers_mp4

#62 The City Of Detroit – The Largest Of Liminal Spaces

Image credits: ok0wen

#63 Took This Photo In A Store While On A Road Trip. Fake Skylights Are So Uncomfortable

Image credits: Illythekitty

#64 Take A Dip

Image credits: CandidGuidance

#65 Family Mart

Image credits: 23chrampanic

#66 The 5am Ferry From Seattle

Image credits: currentlyinbiochem

#67 This Hotel Pool My Girlfriend And I Just Swam In

Image credits: Jacobklassen

#68 Took This In A Gym, Close To Where I Work

Image credits: LaNyyk

#69 A Diner In The Void [oc]

Image credits: HeyPingu

#70 My Morning Walk Felt Surreal

Image credits: AudiCostea

#71 The Metropol Parasol In Seville, Spain

Image credits: FantymZ

#72 Took This From My Window At 2 Am

Image credits: DeadBoyLoro

#73 “See You Later And Thanks”

Image credits: Gyrdax

#74 World Trade Center Interior

Image credits: EntropicDismay

#75 From A Lost Convention

Image credits: reddit.com

#76 The Inside Of A Wooden Toy Box With Holes For My Cat

Image credits: Aoryad

#77 I Just Accidentally Deleted This, So Here’s My Parents Hotel Hallway Again

Image credits: Supersincara75

#78 I’ve Decided To Climb It. Some Of You Were Asking For A Top View Down. I’ll Update When I Get To The Top

Image credits: Yisoos

#79 Schools In Our Dreams

Image credits: DeeRaww99

#80 Exit

Image credits: mario_meowingham

#81 Took This Pic Today. Hope You Like It 🙂

Image credits: Truphonix

#82 A Place I Walk Past Regularly

Image credits: kauffw

#83 I Dreamed Of This Place And Recreated It On Source Engine

Image credits: Ellocodeinternet

#84 Workspace

Image credits: HoldenH

#85 I Don’t Feel Safe Here

Image credits: racc_d

#86 The Void

Image credits: Zohaib_dmv

#87 Recurring Dream Location

Image credits: Beyonder808

#88 Pass This Every Day While At Work. Always Wondered What’s Inside

Image credits: ysomdoaoth

#89 My Absolute Favorite

Image credits: micahlachauffer

#90 My Town Late At Night Is Terrifying

Image credits: mwg950

#91 I Like To Take Some Photo, Remodel It In 3D And Relight It In Some Uncanny Dreamlike Way. Familiar, Yet Alien. (Done In Blender)

Image credits: morelebaks

#92 Took Some Pics Of My Weird School Using An Old Nokia Phone And Didn’t Expect Them To Turn Out This Way

Image credits: NotARegularFish

#93 Choices

Image credits: PH4NTON

#94 You Can Hear The Faint Sound Of Dripping Water

Image credits: Easy-Hovercraft-6576

#95 Come Closer

Image credits: bakonizator

#96 My Depressing Visit To Chuck E Cheese Back In 2020

Image credits: PathMapper

#97 Looks Like After Some Extinction Event

Image credits: ZeuxisOfHerakleia

#98 The Field Across From My House

Image credits: Voicingspy

#99 Dream Bathroom From Fb People Are Losing It Over

Image credits: sadmama21

#100 Employees Only

Image credits: winterghost4evr

#101 Empty Laundry Room At 2 Am

Image credits: wackedoutbuffalo

#102 Happy Birthday

Image credits: reddit.com

#103 Am I The Only One Who Thinks Looney Toons Backgrounds Are Really Creepy

Image credits: sessopisello

#104 An Old Neighborhood

Image credits: SaBoiCoo

Source: boredpanda.com

No votes yet.
Please wait...
Loading...