Childhood Nightmares Cannot Be Photoshopped Away

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.

Childhood Traumas

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.

Send an email to Annalee Newitz, the author of this post, at annalee@io9.com.