45 Creepy Things Found In New Homes That’ll Have You Sleeping With The Lights On

Unpacking boxes in a new home is one thing, but discovering the previous owner’s creepy leftovers? That’s a whole new level of housewarming. It’s not exactly rare for fresh homeowners to stumble upon weird relics like antique dolls that stare into your soul or doors that are locked tighter than Fort Knox. And let’s not forget those ‘did I just hear that?’ moments that have you questioning your sanity.

Now, while some folks might just shrug off these creepy encounters and chalk it up to ‘new house, who dis?‘, others turn into amateur sleuths, they’re snapping pics and hurling them into the internet abyss, hoping for some answers—or at least a few sympathetic ‘yikes!’ from strangers.

So, buckle up; here are some spine-tingling finds that have turned new homes into scenes straight out of a horror flick.


1. I Bought A 200-Year-Old Flat And Found A Hidden Door Under The Stairs

erincloudy, erincloudy

So my flat is a “basement flat”. There has been no mention of anything underneath me, verbally or on the deeds. We were curious about storage under the stairs and decided to take a look.

2. I Found This In The Storage Area Of The House We Bought 2 Years Ago

gamecubensis

I was grabbing our coolers out of storage for the summer and found this above the garage. The table in the middle has a conch shell, a jar with a bundle of sage, and a vase of ashes. If anyone knows what this is please let me know…

3. Typewriter Made Of Teeth

ashleyfryer, ashleyfryer

4. There’s A House In My Attic

CatchingWindows

Finally went back up to get some good pictures. Just as creepy as I remember. They also left a toilet still working in the basement.

There is a hole leading to another attic but I can’t get a ladder up there, unless I bring the ladder I used to enter the attic. But I really don’t wanna close off my only escape route.

5. These Bare Footprints Outside My Living Room Window

Bear_189

Weren’t there when we got home. Were there a couple of hours later. They clearly led up to the living room window, where we had been sitting and watching TV. Week 2 in our new home. Also, only the right foot.

6. My House Doesn’t Turn 100 For Five More Years, And I Don’t Have A Creepy Basement, But I Do Have This Absolutely Terrifying Underground Bomb Shelter In My Backyard

jdsummer

I will eventually get around to posting about the house, as it is a super interesting property.

Until then, I figured I would show the most unique feature, the approximately 30×10 underground bomb shelter. It was built in 1961, and I have the original owner’s manual and bill of sale stored away. I will try to find those soon. Power no longer works, but the water still runs. This is located in Central Florida, making it even more rare. We don’t have many underground structures here.

7. My Husband Was Working In The Crawlspace Of Our 1901 Home And Almost Crawled Into This Uncovered Well

definitelynotagurl,psxcwdwvmt31415

Stuff I found in my Victorian home/yard: A separate opening somewhere in the crawlspace (it’s a huge crawlspace); Old shower for the miners (it works); The stand with all the 50s stuff in; Painting left in the attic; All of the pieces that were cut off the legs for some reason.

8. My Friend Went To Visit A House For Rental, This Is What He Found In The Garden

paskaliw

9. We Found This Mask Under Our Bedroom Floor. Now What?

claraclara000

My husband was pulling out the floorboards and found this mask.

It’s very much a funeral mask, no doubt, It’s a plaster cast and I’m sure the person must have been no longer alive (or at least unconscious) because one of the eyelids was very slightly open when the imprint of the face was made.

It’s a middle-aged woman, it looks like she had no eyebrows but no other distinctive signs. Nothing is written on the cast, there’s only a little hook at the back that looks like the mask could be mounted on a wall.

The house I live in is a classic Victorian house that was converted into flats a while ago. I don’t know how it ended up under the floor. There wasn’t anything specific next to it, only gravel and soil. The whole thing is very mysterious.

I don’t know what to do with it. Would it be bad luck to sell it? I don’t know how else to dispose of it. I’m not too keen on keeping it in the flat, it’s super super creepy.

10. I Just Moved Into A Place, And The Garage Light Was Busted, So I Looked For A New Bulb In One Of The Cabinets

RenoStache

11. This Shelf In The Closet Of Our New Home Was An Upside-Down, Wooden Ouija Board

toetun

12. Creepy Find At The Final Inspection Of Our New Home

letsgobrandon45fjb

13. I Recently Moved Into A New House. Today Was A Nice Day, So I Decided To Open The Window

MVPanthersFan11

14. So This Was In The Backyard Of My New Place

YayNewZealand

15. Found A Bulletproof Vest In A Box Hidden Inside My Wall

TurboTBag

I was cleaning out my new apartment, wiping walls down, and patching up holes. When I cut into one of the walls, I looked inside for any signs of rodents or stuff and I noticed this small wooden box. It was screwed shut with 9 screws. When I opened it up, I found a pretty old bulletproof vest. I asked my landlord if it’s his and he said that it must have belonged to a woman that lived there about 10 years ago that turned out to be a big criminal. The woman got arrested one night at that apartment because one of her guns misfired into the ceiling of where my landlord lives. When the police ransacked the apartment, they found 16 firearms, and stuff to make explosives. The woman is still in prison, too.

16. I Saw This During A Virtual Tour Of A House. What Are The Chances We Buy This House And A Week Later, The Doll Is Back In That House?

stardust_kid

17. A Friend Bought A House With A Doll In It. They Refuse To Remove It

ranhag

18. What A Lovely Start To Our Vacation

CiciCuriosity

19. Miniature Door That Leads To Extra Room Inside Of Basement Bedroom

This_iz_America

Not really sure if this is a root cellar or a fallout shelter, or just some kind of sub-basement.

20. First Day In New Home

Squinty_the_Exiled

21. I Moved Into A New House In A Rural Area Yesterday. Found This In The Backyard Today

Knowakennedy

Story: my wife and I bought a new home closer to my new job. We moved in yesterday and are unpacking. I was looking around the property for the main water shut-off (the first thing you should locate when moving into a new house) and I saw the corner of what appeared to be the cement housing of the main water shut-off poking out of the leaves. As I cleared them away I quickly realized the structure was very different from your typical housing for those types of shut-offs and there was no cover for it. Clearing more leaves I found this grave marker next to the housing. It was starting to rain so I snapped a quick photo with my phone to show my wife. I cleared more leaves away and there was a small cement box. Baby-sized. It was open on top, I assume the headstone used to rest there. Tomorrow I’m heading to the cemetery where the baby was supposedly buried to see if I could find out if it was just an old marker or if I had an infant grave for real.

22. Just Bought A House, Then Found This In A Wall In Our Master Bedroom Bathroom. Why, Just Why

EmuTricky4721

23. There’s A Mirror Screwed Into The Ceiling Above The Toilet In My Airbnb

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24. Found These In My New House

Evictiontime

25. Room In My Girlfriend’s Basement That She Has Never Been In

Splattabox

26. Stayed At A Friend’s House Whose Mom Collects Dolls And Has A Room Just For Them

the_lirio

27. This Bedroom On Airbnb In A Place Called “Stabbin Cabin”. Sounds About Right

beenzthemagicalfroot

28. So We’re On Vacation, And This Is Our Bedroom Door

bunnythibault

29. My Parent’s House Was Destroyed In A Tornado A Year And A Half Ago. When They Moved Back In Last Week And Started Unpacking, They Found This In A Box

Beardicus223

They have never seen it before and have no idea where it came from, but now it sits on a shelf in their living room. My parents are Texas transplants originally from Massachusetts and my mom is really into witches having grown up very close to Salem, famous for the Salem witch trials. My grandmother even claims that we had an ancestor accused of being a witch and burned at the Stake in Salem. My mom thinks the doll is funny and doesn’t want to get rid of it. Every time their dog barks she jokes “he probably senses the evil in that doll”.

30. Toured My Dream Rental Apartment, But Spotted Something Super Uncomfortable When Reviewing My Footage

adag96

31. My Mom Is Replacing The Carpet In Her Basement And Found A Message From The Previous Home Owners

ajones321

32. Staying At My Mum’s House When I Saw This Demon Spawn

cut-the-cords

33. Found This Under The Carpet At My New Place. Any Idea What It Is?

UVdogastrophe

34. I Found This In The Closet Of Our New House

Eagleeye412

I am not a religious person but it still freaked me out.

35. Moved Into A New Place And The Only Item The Past Tenants Left Behind Was This Toy Train In The Closet

Decentlovinoutside

36. This Painting At The Airbnb Cabin I Was Staying At

bighag

37. I Moved Into A New Place And Found These Stapled To The Fence

douchefartz

38. I Noticed This Tucked Near The Edge Of The Fence In My New Place. I Think I’m Keeping It There

theusernameMeg

39. Creepy Fireplace In The Basement

mickeysandre

We just bought a home built in 1924 in an area known for its prohibition/rum running days (tunnels are not uncommon). In the basement, there’s a super spooky room with a solid concrete fireplace and no access to the original flue system (complete opposite sides of the house). It has knob and tube electrical from what looked like may have been sconces, and recessed lights above. There’s a crawlspace to the right with dirt/earth and miscellaneous. We haven’t done much more digging to see if anything’s hidden in the ceiling or not. Thoughts on what it is/was used for?

40. These Garden Gnomes In The Place I’m Staying At

Thatweirdbug

41. Moved Into A New Place And Found This In The Freezer. Does Anyone Know What It Is?

JChron326

42. Creepy Finds At My New Place

Sweeney_Boo

43. I Think I Found A Grave In My Backyard

sapphireblue13x

I moved into my house a few months ago and I’m suspicious that I found a gravestone in the yard. The house was built a little over 50 years ago, and in the back of the yard, I found this blank concrete slab. I would say it’s about 4×2 feet and is perfectly cut (not any kind of natural formation). It’s also placed under a tree, which supports the idea that it’s a grave. However, there’s no writing or engravings. And if it’s for an animal, I feel like the concrete slab is a little too big and excessive. On the other hand, I’m also thinking that maybe it’s a marker for buried treasure. I’m genuinely intrigued as to what could be kept under there (mainly if it’s buried valuables). I won’t be quick to investigate, though. But I sure love a good mystery. What do you think is under there?

44. These Scratches On The Inside Of The Door To My Basement. It’s An Old House Too

Delikkah

45. This Child’s Handprint I Found Underneath Wallpaper In My New House

orcafalls
Nate

Nate Armbruster

Nate Armbruster is a stand-up comedian and writer based in Chicago who is likely writing a joke as you read this. Find him online at natecomedy.com.