For centuries, people have been captivated by stories of ordinary items that bring extraordinary misfortune. From haunted paintings to ancient relics, some objects seem to carry a dark history that haunts anyone who dares to own them.
Let’s take a spine-tingling journey into the world of real-life haunted objects—just make sure you leave the lights on!
Meet The Anguished Man , an unsettling painting of a man’s tortured face that not only looks terrifying but also comes with its own paranormal baggage. Legend has it that the artist took his own life shortly after completing the painting, as if the darkness within it had consumed him entirely.
The real horror story, however, began when owner Sean Robinson claimed he started hearing strange noises after bringing the painting into his home—moans, screams, and even faint footsteps echoed through the house at night.
Visitors to Robinson’s home have also reported seeing shadowy figures lurking near the painting or feeling an overwhelming sense of dread in its presence. Could it be that this chilling portrait contains more than just oil and canvas?
The infamous Crying Boy painting gained notoriety across the UK in the 1980s. Originally created by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin, the painting became so famous that prints and reproductions have been sold around the world for decades.
But this seemingly innocent portrait of a child crying has become linked to a series of mysterious house fires. It seemed that while everything around it burned, the painting was often found eerily untouched by the flames .
Firefighters were baffled as they continued to find this portrait in unrelated homes that had gone up in smoke. Was it just a bizarre coincidence, or did the painting carry some sort of curse? Reports of the Crying Boy surviving fires became so widespread that people started blaming it for bringing disaster. Many owners destroyed the paintings, while others returned them out of fear.
Imagine stealing an artifact from an ancient Roman archaeological site, only to have your life turned upside down. That’s exactly what happened with the Ballista Balls—massive stone projectiles used in ancient Roman warfare. After being taken from an excavation site near the Israel and Syria border, the thief experienced years of misfortune that included financial ruin and family breakdowns.
Realizing the balls might be cursed, the thief anonymously returned them to a museum in Israel along with a note apologizing for the theft and saying, “I stole them in July 1995, and since then they have brought me nothing but trouble.” Since then, the Ballista Balls have become infamous for their cursed reputation. It's a stark reminder that sometimes it's best to leave history where you found it.
Pompeii , the ancient Roman city frozen in time after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, is more than just a tourist attraction—it’s home to some allegedly cursed artifacts. Every year, tourists who take a small piece of Pompeii as a souvenir find themselves returning it, often accompanied by letters detailing the misfortune that followed them after their theft .
From illness and accidents to financial disasters, the so-called “Pompeii Curse” has prompted hundreds of artifacts to be sent back to Italy, often with desperate pleas for forgiveness. While scientists attribute these stories to guilt-induced coincidences, the curse continues to haunt those brave (or foolish) enough to pocket a piece of the past.
One of the strangest discoveries in recent history is the self-mummified monk found hidden inside a 900-year-old Buddha statue. In 2014, researchers scanning the statue discovered the preserved body of a Buddhist monk who had undergone the grueling process of self-mummification. This ancient practice involved years of intense meditation and a strict diet designed to prevent the body from decaying .
But the story doesn’t end there—when the monk’s body was examined further, researchers found ancient scrolls with mysterious messages hidden inside. The eerie preservation of his body and the secrets buried within continue to baffle scholars and spark curiosity about the lengths people will go to achieve spiritual immortality.
While many skeptics point to psychological explanations or simple bad luck, there’s no denying the chilling tales that surround these artifacts.
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, one thing is certain—next time you come across an ancient relic or a creepy painting, you might want to think twice before taking it home. After all, some things are better left undisturbed.
At Ripley Believe It or Not! St. Augustine , an artifact once prized by Haiti’s President, Papa Doc Duvalier, holds stories that both intrigue and frighten.
From daily mysterious moisture on the display case to misadventures when he was absent, Voodoo Baby’s presence is impossible to ignore. Dare to pay him a visit? Just one piece of advice: whatever you do, don’t look him directly in the eye!
