The misty forest Sequoia Bayview Trail, Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland, CA. Instead of man-made Halloween haunted trail attractions, this is when a “horror” setting has been created by nature. Think of twisted fairytales and enter where the woods are scary. Imagine if you were all alone in these woods . . .. After you? Please take the Sandman’s hand and enter now. Photo #1 by Tom Holub

“Haunted Forest…? Brothers Grimm eat your heart out.” The forest around Louisbourg (Novia Scotia) is dense and dark. Photo #2 by Dan Nelson

Deep in the forest, Christmas eve. Beautiful but spooky. Photo #3 by Fredrik Matheson

“I love my forests dark, can’t you tell?” Photo #4 by Emanuele Monaco

The Beaten Path taken in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire. Photo #5 by Stuart Richards

Enchanted Forest. “Doesn’t it look spooky?” Photo #6 by Mike Chellini

Sometimes photographers who are out hiking alone happen to stumble upon something that starts their imagination and sparks spooky thoughts racing through their creative heads. Deep in the woods of Coylumbridge, Scotland. Photo #7 by Christian Scheja

The photographer wrote, “Remember those great 80s horror movies? They almost always involved some teens that end up stuck in the woods or at a summer camp only to be haunted by an ax murder that has risen from the dead 20 times. Walking through this camp in La Grange Texas, I think I came across the inspiration for these movies. This little cabin in the woods has all the makings of a great place for some unsuspecting young girl who hears something scream out her window to get out of bed in her nightgown, then quietly tiptoe to the door. Her Oscar-worthy acting makes us completely rationalize this action and justify that seeing what is on the other side of the door, is indeed the best thing to do. Well we all know what happens next. Yep I am pretty sure this is that place.” Maybe it’s the spooky Spanish moss? Photo #8 by Jason St Peter

“Who’s there?” Creepy sense of unease, such as when you are alone, deep in the woods, and you run into someone else alone. Are they a deranged ax murderer? “Just keep quiet, step quickly, and then run before he turns around and sees you,” the photographer advised. Run before he follows you home. Photo #9 by By Seattleye

Horror when leaving the path and coming upon an abandoned locked shack in a creepy overgrown forest. Photo #10 by Matthew (matthewthecoolguy)

In the misty way, trail that weaves through a seemingly haunted redwood forest. Photo #11 by Sathish J

Top: A haunting view of the woods on a cold autumn day. Bottom left: Spooky forest of the Lost Boys. The photographer added that is was from a “really old land camera film I found at an estate sale for my 250. Unfortunately this is the only photo that came out.” Bottom right: “The lost woods.” Photo #12 by Sérgio Bernardino & #13 by Lauren Treece & #14 by Bernat Casero

On a misty morning in Mudumalai, Tamil Nadu, IN. Photo #15 by Vinoth Chandar

Left: Ghost rider in the mist; Early morning Shotover Estate, Oxford. Right: Grandma’s Old Forest in Holland. Photo #16 by net_efekt & # 17 by Jan-Joost Verhoef

“If you go down to the woods today…Highgate Cemetery in North London – more a haunted wood then a graveyard, but a very cool place.” Photo #18 by James Hill

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Photo #19 by Paul Stocker

Lovecraftian Greyfriars Woods in Dunwich, Suffolk. In case you don’t know, H. P. Lovecraft lived from August 1890 – March 1937. He “is now regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century. According to Joyce Carol Oates, Lovecraft—as with Edgar Allan Poe in the 19th century—has exerted ‘an incalculable influence on succeeding generations of writers of horror fiction.’ Stephen King called Lovecraft ‘the 20th century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.’ King has even made it clear in his semi-autobiographical non-fiction book Danse Macabre that Lovecraft was responsible for King’s own fascination with horror and the macabre, and was the single largest figure to influence his fiction writing.” Photo #20 by Olly Clarke

Left: Spooky Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Right: Old Forest Path (Spooky edition). Photo #21 by Nic Trott & #22 by DigitAl3x

Both the name and folklore comes into play in this forest. The photographer wrote, “The spookily named Devilla Forest is located near Kincardine in Scotland. The name Devilla is said to come from the Gaelic ‘dubh’ and ‘eilean’ meaning ‘black island.’ In and around this forest there are ruined farm houses, a mausoleum and a stone circle.” Photo #23 by Cecil Gumwich

First Ghost films thought this creepy woods in Lockerbie, Scotland, was a place to shoot a movie. Photo #24 by Siobhan Harvey

Foggy woods. “Can you feel the silence between the trees?” Photo #25 by (a)artwork

Left: Surreal, creepy Ponkapoag Pond Boardwalk at Blue Hills Reservation, Milton, MA. Right: Haunted, somewhere in the Sintra woods, Portugal. Photo #26 by Troy B. Thompson & #27 by João Almeida

Dark woods in Switzerland. Be it for creepy effect or truth, this photo was tagged with “the wolves were here.” Photo #28 by Bill Liao

Enchanted forest or UFO in the woods of Scotland? Photo #29 by Tom Parnell

Until it sleeps … this foggy wooded scene was tagged as dark, scary, distance. Photo #30 by Chantel Beam

Left: “I wonder why this sort of spooky fog appears in two of my recent photos. On both occasions I took a few photos right after the foggy one and experimented with breathing just in case it’s my steamy breath caught by the flash but the other photos were just normal.” Right: Shortcut, long memory, an eerie path through the woods. Photo #31 by sparkleice & #32 by Kit (practicalowl)

Creepy caboose in the middle of wooded nowhere. All aboard the crazy train? Photo #33 by Carey Jones

You go first. Cape Breton National Park, Canada. Photo #34 by jgbernard

Fright night, fight or flight kicks in. Top left: “The Dark Heart (of the Forest).” Top right: “A Fork In A Path. So, I went out into the nearby woods, of which they say they’d be haunted by huge forks… Dangerous it would be, no doubt. ‘Never leave the paths!’, they advise, and that’s fine with me. After all, the quest is to shoot one in the path, anyway, not in the thickets or swamps.” The bottom photos were likened to a “scary movie.” Photo #35 by Alexander Boden & #36 by Andreas L & #37 by BdwayDiva1 & #38 by BdwayDiva1

It would be a surreal if not a scary experience to come upon this Indian head in the forest. “Groombridge – Enchanted Forest, UK.” Photo #39 by Shaun Dunmall

“Haunted forest” in Barcelona, Spain. Photo #40 by Ramon Llorensi

Left: The photographer said, “Sinister abandoned chapel in the woods, deep in the Adirondack Mountains, Upstate NY. The wind whispered softly…join us…join ussss…..” Right top: “Ghost trailer.” The running kid is saying, “I didn’t like what I found in there.” Photo #41 by George Foster & #42 by City of Bellevue, WA & #43 by Graham Reznick

What if you were “lost” in the mist in England? Photo #44 by Paul Friel

“Lost In The Forest.” Photo #45 by David Reece

Scary Woods. Photo #46 by Chris Rice

Could you imagine being alone and navigating Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon? Isn’t that where Big Foot allegedly roams? Photo #47 by McD22

Left: Eerie mist in the Sintra forest of Portugal. Right: “On A Dark Trail.” The photographer added, “Incredible: just two month after I took this picture the forest was blown away by gale ‘Kyrill’.” Photo #48 by João Almeida & #49 by Alexander Boden

“Orb,” says the photographer. “This orb was taken along Fowler Hollow Run in Fowler Hollow State Park Pennsylvania and is the first orb picture I ever took. You can see by the angle of the shadows and the light on the trees that it is not sunlight poking through the trees because the sun was off to the right of the picture. For the life of me, I can’t remember what compelled me to take the picture originally but I am certain I could not see the orb with my naked eye.” Photo #50 by farkus888

“Misty Mystical Forest — the national park near Sutherland in Sydney, one of my favorite haunts… those fantasy creatures are hiding behind the bush and the river disappears into the mist.” Photo #51 by ☻☺

“Haunted forest. Best viewed large, in dark room, with some garlic handy ;)” Photo #52 by hermox

The Pumpkin King, haunted forest, Vermont. Photo #53 by Rob Friesel

“Sometimes I’m in the woods…”. Photo #54 by Bernhard Benke

The spooky Woods Of Skåne. Photo #55 by Erik

“The Greenhouse Effect in Silverton Oregon.” The photographer added, “There’s something about old decaying buildings, especially when they’re clothed in moss and weeds.” Photo #56 by Ian Sane

Shadows in the gloomy mist. This was also tagged as “haunted.” Photo #57 by João Almeida

Dark forest in Wales. Photo #58 by Marc Dominianni

“Misty Sunrise (sans zombies).” Photo #59 by Rick Harrison

Spooky fairy tale. Photo #60 by botterli

Would you walk into the darkness of the woods alone? “Projekt 52 – Geheime Orte.” Photo #61 by Konna E

Tagged as “Haunted woods,” taken at Hoar Cross National Forest, Leicestershire. Photo #62 by Kwan Cheung

“If you go down to the woods today…” Holga, UK. Photo #63 by Carl Jones

Dark and spooky near Simonsbath on Exmoor. Photo #64 by Jon Bowen

Enchanted forest. Photo #65 by Signor DeFazio

Then again, more often than not, being alone in the woods is more spectacular than spooky. Photo #66 by Marty Desilets