Museums Are Sharing Their Creepiest Exhibits And They’re Truly Frightening
It is a date that will live in infamy: April 17, 2020. Depending on your tastes, this is the day that the Yorkshire Museum's Twitter issued either the coolest or most unforgivable challenge in social media history: asking other museums to show off the creepiest objects in their collections.
What followed was a curator battle for the ages, a race to discover which of humanity's many repositories of art, antiquaries, and mummified cats could lay claim to the world's creepiest exhibit. Even the tamest of these exhibits is enough to inspire creepy museum ghost stories, so be warned - there's some freaky stuff down below.
- 11,858 VOTES
Nailed It (National Army Museum)
Our #CURATORBATTLE entry from @NAM_London - frost bitten fingertips anyone? https://t.co/PGD61mG5rz pic.twitter.com/KcWgnGwEdP
— Kirsty Parsons (@museum_owl) April 17, 2020 - 21,568 VOTES
No One Has Ever Pulled This Leg (York Art Gallery)
GUYS we know we have already won. This severed lower leg by Kerry Jameson has sprouted its own legs and a rather beastly head. @COCAYork #RethinkCeramics pic.twitter.com/Ip84aNacUX
— York Art Gallery (@YorkArtGallery) April 17, 2020 - 31,308 VOTES
This Little Fella Definitely Isn't Hiding Under Your Bed (Natural Sciences NMS)
Many museums have one but they usually look more like our other ‘mermaid’...
— Natural Sciences NMS (@NatSciNMS) April 18, 2020
We have a little more information about this one: The posterior half was formed from a Pacific wrasse, & the head/thorax were sculpted, with fish jaw inserted in the mouth. #CreepiestObject pic.twitter.com/7MrPcaZqdh - 41,123 VOTES
What Does The Fox Say? (Museum Of Witchcraft)
The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall has plenty of weird, wonderful and creepy objects! This is a taxidermy fox with a wax death mask!#CreepiestObject #CURATORBATTLE pic.twitter.com/hIiP83rXhY
— Kenn (@Kenn30574599) April 21, 2020 - 51,108 VOTES
They're Not Here For The Candy (Red Lake Regional Heritage Center)
As the only staff member at Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre (Ontario, Canada) with a Twitter, allow me to present creepy kids costumes for #CreepiestObject #CURATORBATTLE pic.twitter.com/u4LPWi0xjf
— Jenna Locke (@JennaLocke) April 20, 2020 - 6910 VOTES
Well, How Else Do You Get Rid Of Witches? (Pitt Rivers Museum)
Sheep's heart stuck with pins and nails and strung on a loop of cord. Made in South Devon, circa 1911, "for breaking evil spells", @Pitt_Rivers collections #CreepiestObject #CuratorBattle pic.twitter.com/z5vdCFCU4S
— Dan Hicks (@profdanhicks) April 17, 2020