Infocult: Uncanny Informatics

The horror of digital faces

The Vague Horror of Face Swap dives into the uncanny trembling around digital tools letting us swap faces.... and other things.  Ultimately, we're talking cosmic horror.

 

(thanks to Infocult progeny #1)

Good old scarecrows

The Weather Channel, always on the lookout for terror, offers a nice gallery of scarecrows.  They lead off with this pleasant thought:

Its origin is obscure, but there is belief that scarecrows are derived from the pagan practice of human sacrifice.

Actually, most of the photos are pleasant, clever, and even wistful. Still, there are several Infocult-worthy images.

Their primary purpose is to frighten – whether the target is trespassers or hungry birds. They’ve also been the subject of many a horror story, and we can see why in Garratt’s photos.

“One night, I was filming several scarecrows in a particularly lonely place,” Garrett explains. “The moon was shining, bathing the landscape in a half light. Absorbed in my task, I inadvertently backed up to a particularly hideous looking example and half turned to find it leering over my shoulder. In the instant, my blood ran cold, so instinctive was the feeling that the scarecrow had moved towards me.”

It would be heart-stopping to see these figures blowing in the wind, looming over an empty field.

Or elsewhere, apparently, like this church of scarecrows...?

(thanks to Todd Bryant)

"The Unnamable Unimaginable Thing In My Basement"

How does a petty bureaucrat deal with "The Unnamable Unimaginable Thing In My Basement"?  Lovecraftian horror meets British estate housing in South Burnistoun:

(via MetaFilter)