Vintage Halloween Photos That Will Freak You Out

Year: 1938
Est. Cost Of Costume: $20*

Halloween was no laughing matter back in the 1930s, as you can see from this photo. Pictured here are ghosts and skeletons in Germany in 1938. Imagine stumbling onto this scene in the forest—it would be sure to send you running.

Spooky Skeletons and Ghostly Ghouls @bittersweetfuneral /youtube.com

Halloween, as it is in its present form, hasn’t been celebrated in Germany for too long. Pictured here are costumes from Hexennacht, also called Witches’ Night, an ancient German holiday that occurs every year on April 30. Hexennacht doesn’t bear a ton of resemblance to the commercialized, Walmart version of Halloween we have today.

Year: 1894
Est. Cost Of Costume: $5*

The Gingerbread Hag, also known as the Gingerbread Witch, was the main antagonist in the story Hansel & Gretel. This eerie Halloween photo from the late 1800s shows a woman dressed as the Witch, while her young son is dressed as Hansel.

Gingerbread Witch ©Österreichisches Theatermuseum/Imagno/Getty Images

These costumes are a tad too realistic, giving us the creeps in a way that no MGM remake or show could ever. This mother went all out with her costume, fake nose and all (she even locked her kid in a barred cage).

Year: 1900
Est. Cost Of Costume: $3*

Well, this puppet is sure to terrify trick-or-treaters. This photo was taken in 1900, and it features a grotesque porch puppet that probably creeped out every candy-seeker in the neighborhood. It wasn’t made from anything advanced, nor did it cost more than a couple of bucks, probably.

Trick r Treat @MOVIECLIPS /youtube.com

This puppet looks as though it was assembled using whatever this person had around the house, and kudos to them for coming up with something cheap yet terrifying. This puppet gives Annabelle, who has terrified theatergoers for years, a run for her money.

Year: 1905
Est. Cost Of Costume: $2*

A person wearing a very scary ghost costume stands by a Halloween altar in 1905. PARA, he is not. From the jarring ghost costume to the macabre jack-o-lantern on the table, this picture is more trick than treat.

Ghostly Goings On ©Historic Photo Archive/Getty Images

Early 1900s Halloween parties often consisted of black cat, Cinderella, Mother Goose, and haunted house themes, and it was during that time that small cities and towns began having Halloween parades, too. Halloween was getting into full swing during that time…and we have the creepy pictures to prove it.

Year: 1923
Est. Cost Of Costume: $10*

These women went all out for Halloween in 1923. Six years before the Great Depression, everyone was all smiles. We have to admire the woman to the left’s very dedicated Halloween costume, as she looks, well, terrifying.

Witch, Please ©George Rinhart/Getty Images

You won’t see that witch’s mask making an appearance in any Disney movies, that’s for sure. With how cheap things were in the 1920s, this costume couldn’t have cost more than $10…but that ten bucks was put to very good use.

Year: 1950
Est. Cost Of Costume: N/A

This atmospheric photograph, available on Getty Images, depicts a classic American family scene centered around a beautifully carved, illuminated pumpkin. Taken in the 1950s, it captures a timeless tradition – the creation of a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. The family’s joyous participation in this quintessential fall activity shines through in their smiles and the father’s careful carving of the pumpkin.

It communicates the warmth and the excitement that comes with carving pumpkins, a beloved practice that unites households across the country every year…but it’s also a little creepy. The warm glow from the pumpkin and the family’s togetherness create a vivid, heartwarming snapshot of American family life, but one can’t help but wonder — what are they planning?!

©Sherman/Three Lion/Getty Images

Year: 1950s
Est. Cost Of Costume: $10*

The 1950s were an era of rebuilding for people living in England. London had been heavily damaged during WWII, and, as a result of houses being destroyed, housing shortages were rampant. But, people didn’t let their spirits die.

A Stranger Calls ©Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Getty Images

The Brits might not hoist gigantic Home Depot skeletons in their front yard, but they still love Halloween in their own way. This photo shows a group of kids dressed as invading aliens trick or treating at a London house in the ‘50s.

Year: 1924
Est. Cost Of Costume: $8*

Apologies for the jump scare, but you knew we had to include at least one picture of a clown (and there could be more to come, so keep reading). This terrifying picture was taken in 1924, and it features Lon Chaney as a clown called “He Who Gets Slapped.”

Quit Clowning Around ©Photo 12 /Alamy

This famous, hideous clown would give WBD a run for his money, but for the fact that “He Who Gets Slapped” was not a demonic character, but a lovelorn circus sideshow freak who helped make Chaney famous for his acting versatility. 

Year: 1928
Est. Cost Of Costume: $5-$10*

This photo features a German man wearing a devil costume, and it was taken in 1928. Though not as gruesome and scary as some of the Conjuring movies, there is still something very, very unsettling about this man’s mask.

German Devil /Pinterest.com

Believe it or not, if you go on eBay, you can find tin devil masks on sale from 1920s Germany for around $55 apiece. You could say these masks have somewhat of a niche collectors’ appeal, judging from how they have their own market. 

Year: 1979
Est. Cost Of Costume: $20*

Taken in 1979, this picture was snapped at the March of Dimes Haunted House on October 31^st. It features a ghoul, Jerry Fleming, scaring Marie Rossman and her friend, Amy Walker, half to death.

Boo @JioCinema /youtube.com

The March of Dimes house got its start in the ‘70s, and, though it’s not around anymore, people in Texas still remember it fondly. It was “super-scary,” according to Dallas News, and this image definitely proves that. 

Year: 1970s
Est. Cost Of Costume: $20*

Casper the Friendly Ghost, before he was a big PARA movie starring Bill Pullman, first appeared in The Friendly Ghost, a cartoon, in the 1930s. He was friendly and adorable, more of a buddy than a scary specter.

Casper the Friendly ... Nope @family.go /Pinterest.com

This costume is supposed to be based on the Friendly Ghost, but the ‘70s look appears more malevolent than benign. Casper looks like he’s plotting something in this photo, and this boy’s sister’s princess mask isn’t any more appealing, either.  

Year: Late 1800s
Est. Cost Of Costume: $5*

Who would’ve thought a cat costume could be so terrifying? This late 1800s photo features a scary-looking cat riding through a city on the bumper of someone’s car. This kitty looks like something out of a nightmare or hallucination.

Catastrophe @laperarecords393 /youtube.com

Horror movies were just becoming a thing in the late 1800s with The Haunted Castle, and they wouldn’t be their own genre until 1911’s Dracula. So, people back then hadn’t really been traumatized by scary films and TV shows, so costumes that look ominous to us now were merely amusing back then.   

Year: Early 1900s
Est. Cost Of Costume: $6-$7*

There are more clowns to come on this list of terrifying vintage Halloween photos, and this one looks like a sleep-paralysis demon. This clown, along with his pet goat, was snapped in a photo from what was likely the early 1900s.

The G.O.A.T @r/Frat/Reddit

Really, it’s the mask that makes the clown costume terrifying. We’re a world conditioned on SONY, Jason Vorhees, Ghostface, and more—masks are almost always going to put people on edge. Especially ones as gruesome as this visage.  

Year: 1911
Est. Cost Of Costume: $2-$5 each*

If you stumbled upon this group in the woods, you’d probably think you were about to become an unwilling part of some occult ritual. This picture was taken in 1911, and it features nothing more ominous than a Halloween party.

Halloween Hootenanny @buzzfeednews /Pinterest.com

But, as with a lot of the photos on this list, time has done this picture no favors. These masks look nothing short of terrifying, though, back then, they were probably just considered cute, creative, and funny.