Most of the time, memes are supposed to be funny. But sometimes, memes can be highly distressing and horrifying. Memes can express the fear and trembling that many people feel about the world, but they can also narrate the most ghoulish fantasies and darkest dreams. This tradition goes way back in meme culture, with influences like the SCP Foundation establishing a memetic love for creepy critters and psychological horror. Slender Man has always been there, watching over our shoulders as we post.

On the subreddit /r/distressingmemes, posters tell stories about zombie apocalypses, alien invasions and sinister cryptids. So go ahead and no-clip out of reality to visit the Backrooms, knock three times on the door of the uncanny and walk into the hall of evil. These spooky scary memes are waiting in the shadows for you, just around the corner. Gaze into the void, stare upon the horrors, and fortify yourself for what is to come.