{"id":290102,"date":"2026-02-18T15:23:45","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:23:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/290102\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T15:23:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:23:45","slug":"this-fb-page-is-dedicated-to-liminal-photography-and-here-are-79-of-the-most-eerie-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/290102\/","title":{"rendered":"This FB Page Is Dedicated To Liminal Photography, And Here Are 79 Of The Most Eerie Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word liminal<\/a> comes from the Latin limen, meaning \u201cthreshold\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what these places are. Empty hallways, quiet airports, abandoned malls, long stretches of road at dusk: spaces caught between one moment and the next, familiar yet somehow completely strange.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re unsettling in a way you can\u2019t quite put your finger on, and beautiful in a way you can\u2019t quite explain. You just know you can\u2019t look away.<\/p>\n

The Facebook page<\/a> Liminal Photography has built an entire community around that feeling. We\u2019ve rounded up some of their best shots below\u2014scroll down and prepare to feel like you\u2019ve stepped sideways into a parallel universe.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a real estate photographer. Sometimes I stumble upon 70 year old time capsules. This one has stuck with me.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Greta Todorsdon<\/a><\/p>\n

The oldest part of my medieval village in Italia. I love liminal photography.Glad I found the group. I’m enjoying all of your photos.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kay Cee<\/a><\/p>\n

Not my usual walk home<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jose A. Landaverde<\/a><\/p>\n

So what exactly makes these transitional spaces feel so off? Researchers Alexander Diel and Michael Lewis<\/a> of Cardiff University think they\u2019ve found an answer. They attribute the unsettling nature of liminal spaces to something called the uncanny valley.<\/p>\n

Usually, this term describes how humanoids that almost look human make us uncomfortable<\/a>. But the same principle applies here. When physical places appear familiar but subtly deviate from reality, they create that signature sense of eeriness.<\/p>\n

My front yard. No edits. Taken from my phone 20 minutes ago.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jessica Glatz<\/a><\/p>\n

Last night in South Dakota<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jocelyn Tellez<\/a><\/p>\n

About an hour before dusk the forest suddenly turned this cold blue. No filter on these.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Marta Krysiak<\/a><\/p>\n

Think about a classroom you walk past after school hours. You\u2019ve seen it a hundred times filled with students and teachers<\/a>, desks cluttered with backpacks and papers. But empty? Something feels wrong.<\/p>\n

In the Journal of Science and Culture<\/a>, Peter Heft calls this a \u201cfailure of presence.\u201d Drawing on the work of Mark Fisher, Heft explains that eeriness happens when we see a situation in a different context than we expect. The schoolhouse should be busy and alive. When it\u2019s unnaturally empty, our brains struggle to make sense of it.<\/p>\n

Girlfriend was in a deep sleep while I was tossing and turning, so I decided to step outside, hit the pen, and walk around our hotel, the Stanley. Roamed around for about 2 hours, inside and out, not seeing another person, not even workers, the entire time. Silent, alone, and eerie. Here\u2019s Johnny<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Justin King<\/a><\/p>\n

Just an endless tunnel underneath a worldwide crossroad<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Raymond Mok<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jessie Damron<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people look at liminal spaces, they may feel a sense of uncertainty, unease or even fear. This is because liminal spaces are often associated with transitions, which can be unsettling for some people,\u201d Keely Smith, lead interior designer at JD Elite interiors, tells HowStuffWorks<\/a>. \u201cThey may also feel a sense of disorientation or a loss of sense of place, as these spaces lack clear markers of identity or ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a vending machine at my work. Every time I see it at night I get this weirdly surreal feeling<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Victoria Deaton<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo my friend took a while ago<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Cuda Tri<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Rob Hill<\/a><\/p>\n

But not every empty space qualifies as liminal<\/a>. Your own home, even when vacant, doesn\u2019t have that quality because you inhabit it constantly. You notice what needs fixing or cleaning. You\u2019re used to it being yours.<\/p>\n

Liminal spaces are different. They\u2019re shared areas like airport bathrooms, hotel corridors, or stairwells<\/a> where people don\u2019t naturally linger. When you stop and really pay attention to these in-between zones, it feels almost subversive.<\/p>\n

That focused attention on places we typically pass through without thinking is what gives liminality its strange power.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Rachel Branstr\u00f6m<\/a><\/p>\n

The view from my son\u2019s bed as I tuck him in for the night.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: George Schizas<\/a><\/p>\n

Cul-de-sac in the woods. Lacey, WA.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Ian O’Gara<\/a><\/p>\n

The current liminal space phenomenon really took off in 2019<\/a> when a creepypasta story about \u201cthe Backrooms\u201d went viral on 4chan. The Backrooms are a fictional location described as an endless maze you can accidentally stumble into by \u201cnoclipping\u201d out of reality, borrowing a term from video games where players glitch through walls.<\/p>\n

The story featured an image that became iconic: a hallway with yellow carpets and wallpaper, fluorescent lights humming overhead, stretching on forever with no one in sight. The Backrooms have also been portrayed as inhabited by supernatural entities lurking in the empty corridors.<\/p>\n

Old Logan Cemetery in Logan, Ohio<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Tyler S. Anderson<\/a><\/p>\n

Foggy night at the dog park in Winnipeg,MB. Feb.12.26<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Amy Miller<\/a><\/p>\n

Valentine’s Day in Albion,MI.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Andrew Tesdahl<\/a><\/p>\n

Then came COVID-19, and the phenomenon exploded. The first major spike in popularity for liminal space imagery came in March 2020, right when lockdowns began. Suddenly, the entire world was living in an in-between state.<\/p>\n

University of Missouri professor Dr. Timothy Carson, who teaches liminal studies, calls the pandemic an \u201cinvoluntary social liminality, a time\/space that was full of uncertainty and ambiguity, all the landmarks gone, the future undefined.\u201d During situations like this, \u201cdisorientation reigns,\u201d he tells HowStuffWorks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That feeling resonated with people in a profound way. \u201cMost of the people I explain liminality to end up saying, \u2018Ah! That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been in! I just didn\u2019t have words for it!\u2019\u201d Carson says. The pandemic made transitional spaces and the emotions they stir impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

Lone Live Oak – Oat Mountain Road, Chatsworth, California by me.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Nader Bish<\/a><\/p>\n

my great grandmother’s house<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Daisy Lambdin<\/a><\/p>\n

Basilica di SS. Cosma e Damiano (Roma)<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Francesco Grammatico<\/a><\/p>\n

Which raises an obvious question: if these images make people feel untethered and uneasy, why do millions actively seek them out? Smith offers one explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent years, there has been a renewed interest in liminal spaces in architecture. This is partly due to the pandemic and the general uncertainty of life, which has made people more aware of transitional spaces and the emotions they evoke,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiminal spaces are being talked about as spaces of potential where people can reflect on their experiences and engage with their surroundings in new and meaningful ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kristin Sue Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Hall of Doges, Davenport Hotel, Spokane WA, Built in 1890.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: David Breneman<\/a><\/p>\n

This was an elevated corridor I came across today. Have a great day.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Nick Ayers<\/a><\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s it. In a world that often feels chaotic<\/a> and overwhelming, there\u2019s something almost meditative about sitting with the discomfort of these empty, in-between places. They don\u2019t demand anything from us. They just exist, suspended in time, waiting for someone to pass through.<\/p>\n

And in recognizing them, in giving them a name and a community, we\u2019re acknowledging something true about the human experience: that we\u2019re all just passing through, caught between one moment and the next, trying to make sense of the threshold.<\/p>\n

Minutes to midnight.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Prajamudia R Dolfi<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Andy Culasino<\/a><\/p>\n

The night shift that never ends.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Aakaash Bali<\/a><\/p>\n

Henniker, NH. Late night walk through town \ud83d\udda4<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Amanda Rose<\/a><\/p>\n

Buffalo, NY<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kimberly Marie Thompson<\/a><\/p>\n

Felt like this belongs here. My apartment kitchen in Dayton, OH.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Lyndsi Doll<\/a><\/p>\n

A house I visited. Didn\u2019t want to leave for some reason.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Colby Henderson<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: C.J. Cerio<\/a><\/p>\n

sopa de luna, houston<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Taryn Tusing<\/a><\/p>\n

Silent, empty tunnel 9 floors beneath street level of London. Only completely silent place I found there.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Zoe Bell<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the inside of an Abandoned Chuck E Cheese from childhood. My elementary used to give us free tickets to go there.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kaiden Hixon<\/a><\/p>\n

Park City Mall in Lancaster PA. This specific area has always felt very liminal and almost eerie to me<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Alice Paisley<\/a><\/p>\n

Taken just after sunrise. What does it make you think of?<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Sharon Netzley<\/a><\/p>\n

My drive to the store. Dahlonega GA<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Nicholas Cole<\/a><\/p>\n

Just an endless tunnel underneath a worldwide crossroad.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Raymond Mok<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Justin King<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s raining at 3 am. Here is a picture looking down my street to the cul-de-sac. I liked it.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Tanner Tayrien<\/a><\/p>\n

The Big House at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Totes McGoatski<\/a><\/p>\n

Somewhere deep in Ozarks\u2026.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Mike Kozak<\/a><\/p>\n

Taken at Fort Morgan in Alabama.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Eddie Nash<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Beth Barron<\/a><\/p>\n

A parking garage in downtown St Joseph Missouri<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Dreivayn Wera<\/a><\/p>\n

Someone in another group recommended this one, glad they did! Here’s an image I took last week.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Joe Irwin<\/a><\/p>\n

What lies beneath, Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida. 2012+-<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jay Baum<\/a><\/p>\n

Some warehouse in the 80’s filled with hundreds of returned defective Teddy Ruxpin bears is rather spooky and sad<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Amber Panda<\/a><\/p>\n

Lonely Chinese restaurant in Bristol, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kyle Campbell<\/a><\/p>\n

Washington Township, NJ. Which sign would you obey?<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Matthew Domenico<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Kyle Harris<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos found on a post by “Archilovers” on Facebook. Photos by Jasper Fry Here is the caption that came with the post: “A metaphysical, hallucinatory bar in Trastevere Inside Villa Lontana\u2019s newly renovated Trastevere space, Bar Far by Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page is a temporary installation and a fully functioning bar. Inspired by legendary art-bars like Cabaret Voltaire, the Colony Room, and Rome\u2019s Caff\u00e8 Greco, it turns \u201cfaraway\u201d into a state of mind where ancient Roman and Baroque echoes meet contemporary austerity and trompe l\u2019oeil play. Plaster-cast reliefs and perspectival wall paintings blur sculpture, architecture, and painting, transforming the rooms into a shifting vision made for conversation, contemplation, and a drink at the edge of illusion.”<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Radin Hristov<\/a><\/p>\n

Vinyl Lounge in Nashville, TN<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Alexis Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n

Foggy night on main street, Eureka, Kansas.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Taylor Hunt<\/a><\/p>\n

parking garage at Kimbell Art Museum<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Shin Yang<\/a><\/p>\n

Downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Adrian Allen<\/a><\/p>\n

Atlanta Omni<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Madison Thompson<\/a><\/p>\n

Meadow Grove, Nebraska I drive by this every time I go into town. Of course, I had to stop eventually.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Ashley K Hale<\/a><\/p>\n

My flight was cancelled and I got to stay here as a courtesy. If anyone here has played Control, it gave me those vibes. I figured I’d add the other pictures I took.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Chris Brooks<\/a><\/p>\n

Come on through to the other side…..<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Chris Davis<\/a><\/p>\n

Dragon city mall, Calgary Alberta<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Allison Chep<\/a><\/p>\n

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Antique store I was in, their basement. Staunton VA.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jane Sorensen Potts<\/a><\/p>\n

Abandoned school in Butte, MT. Gave me some Wes Anderson vibes.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Julian Bunker<\/a><\/p>\n

I regret too much, and remember too little.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Aakaash Bali<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Nick Ayers<\/a><\/p>\n

My company bought a new building and we haven\u2019t moved in\u2026pipes froze and the building flooded. My first time here, to let the gas company in\u2026.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Tyler Howard<\/a><\/p>\n

So close, yet so far. CC<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Flyingg Dash<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Derek Derek<\/a><\/p>\n

Albion, MI<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Andrew Tesdahl<\/a><\/p>\n

Dusty<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Johnny Joo<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Dana Kraft<\/a><\/p>\n

Hope I catch the last train of the night – Chicago, IL<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Estevan Mora<\/a><\/p>\n

The air was so crisp and fresh for the downtown core.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Ashley Shaw<\/a><\/p>\n

On my way home from my over night shift, stopped to check my phone out of the rain and sent this to my bf. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Laney Schmitt<\/a><\/p>\n

im sad and high and walked all the way to the pier , I thought this looked alright sorry<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Jun Griffin<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Alice Marie<\/a><\/p>\n

Lewisburg, TN<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Photo: Arnie Arnoldson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The word liminal comes from the Latin limen, meaning \u201cthreshold\u201d\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what these places are. Empty hallways,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69,160941],"class_list":["post-290102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-transitional-spaces"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}