Is there still a small part of you who thinks the bogeyman is going to grab your feet if you dangle them off the side of your bed? Well, these photographs certainly won’t help.

These chilling images come from a series of photographs entitled “The Goblins Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out”, and were made sometime around 1923-1934. They tell a nightmarish tale of a little girl being abducted by horrible creatures of the night.

The photographs were inspired by the 1885 poem “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley, which describes naughty children snatched away by goblins as punishment for their misbehavior. Browse through the entire series below:

The images are weird enough as is, but the series originally came as a set of stereoscopic photographs, designed to be seen in three dimensions (see below). Can you imagine looking at these as a kid in the 1920s, and seeing the weird creatures and the girl’s terrified expression popping out at you?

Yes, I know they are overly theatrical and a bit silly, and I’m sure that very few children would have mistaken them for real monsters. But I think it is just as creepy to have an adult in a homemade monster costume sneaking in your window and grabbing you from your bed.

I wonder whatever happened to those homemade papier-mache heads? Are they still siting in an attic somewhere, waiting to freak out the next generation of children?

Sweet dreams!

Found via the marvellous @librarymacabre, and images from comradebat on Imgur. Views of the original stereoscopic slides from Zouch Magazine. Also, please follow me on Instagram for more ridiculously interesting things…or the goblins might get you!