Skip to content
io9

Childhood Nightmares Cannot Be Photoshopped Away

By

Reading time 1 minute

Comments (0)

That is no CGI arm reaching into this frightened girl’s bedtime room. It’s a flesh-and-blood creature whose hideous claws and shocking maw are real enough to touch.

This “horror photograph” is one of many created by Joshua Hoffine, who uses the tools of old-fashioned Hollywood – set design, makeup, and actors – to create his tableaux of terror. He uses no Photoshopperie, except what’s required to slightly retouch the colors in the images. That top photo reminds me of something out of Pan’s Labyrinth, and many of his others are just as good.

Hoffine says he gets friends and family to volunteer as models for his ghoulish creations, and he painstakingly creates the sets, lighting them with heat lamps. Hoffine also sells his images as jewelry for the morbidly glamorous.

See all his creepy creations in his online gallery. Be warned: You may not recover.

Explore more on these topics

Share this story

Sign up for our newsletters

Subscribe and interact with our community, get up to date with our customised Newsletters and much more.